Next - Generation Architecture for Virtual Prototyping

A significant driver for lowering life-cycle cost and cycle time is the ability to make good design decisions early. Building virtual prototypes, which enable analysis of the impact of decisions, is an effective way to do this. However, virtual prototypes have to support the product's representation as well as its behavior. Building virtual prototypes of complex systems being designed by a multi-organizational team requires new architectural concepts and redesigned processes. These new architectures need to consider the state of current commercial technologies and frameworks as well as the organizational and cultural aspects of organizations using these systems. This paper describes key issues and architectural principles that need to be addressed for a costeffective implementation. The paper then discusses key architectural concepts and tradeoffs that are necessary to support virtual prototypes of complex systems.