Development of virtual control engineering experiments

This paper describes the development of a virtual laboratory used as a self-based learning tool for control engineering education at undergraduate level. It relies on real time animation to emulate the operation and connectivity of the physical plant. Here, the real world laboratory plant is mimiced by a 3D-VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and Cortona Automation interface. This provides a virtually interactive environment which allows users to freely manipulate the virtual plant as if they should be in the real world laboratory environment with the physical hardware.