HOTINT – the free simulation software
The element library includes rigid body models, flexible structural elements such as beams, plates, and shells, as well as continuum finite elements. In order to constrain or connect selected degrees of freedom of the system – conforming to the underlying principle of a redundant coordinate formulation for multibody systems – various kinematic constraints are available.
Furthermore, HOTINT features various types of loads, formulations for mechanical contact, special elements for rotor dynamics, modal reduction, and so-called IO-Elements, which enable the implementation of control, the modification of system parameters during computations, or even co-simulation with various external software tools. Parameterized model setups may be implemented via the HOTINT script language or directly within the C++ modelling framework.
HOTINT has been continuously developed for more than 15 years, and currently is being developed by the Linz Center of Mechatronics GmbH (LCM) in the framework of several scientific and industrial projects in both open- as well as closed-source parts. Today, the main focus lies on the modeling, simulation, and optimization of complex mechatronic systems (including control), i.e., general mechanical systems combined with electric, magnetic, or hydraulic components (such as sensors and actuators).
Other key features are the support of interfaces, for instance, a versatile TCP/IP interface which enables the coupling with other simulation tools (e.g., co-simulation with MATLAB/Simulink, or the coupling to a particle simulator for the analysis of fluid-structure and particle-structure interaction), as well as the integration in the optimization framework SyMSpace.
