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Online Virtual Reality Networked Control Laboratory Applied in Control Engineering Education
Published on: February 23, 2024
Integrating Automated Simulation Workflows with 3D Visualization for Virtual Experiments in the Metaverse
William Smith1, Oliver Woolland2, Lee Margetts3
1School of Engineering, The University of Manchester; william.smith-7@manchester.ac.uk.
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|August 10, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a containerized workflow system for virtual experiments, enhancing reproducibility and data sharing. It enables seamless integration of simulation tools like OpenMC and visualization platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse.
Area of Science:
- Computational Science
- Scientific Workflow Management
- Virtual Experimentation
Background:
- Virtual experiments often involve integrating multiple software packages with varied simulation and visualization tools.
- Current integration methods are manual, application-specific, poorly scalable, and hinder reproducibility.
- Lack of standardized workflows impedes sharing and adherence to FAIR data principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the deployment and use of a locally containerized workflow system for virtual experiments.
- To improve reproducibility, portability, and interoperability in scientific simulations.
- To support the findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) data principles.
Main Methods:
- Deployment of a local Galaxy instance using Docker for containerized workflow management.
- Creation and execution of an OpenMC neutronics simulation workflow.
- Integration of format-conversion tools, ParaView, and NVIDIA Omniverse for data processing and visualization.
- Demonstration using a fusion neutronics case study with Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) geometry.
Main Results:
- Successful deployment of a containerized workflow system promoting reproducibility and portability.
- Workflows can be re-run without manual reconfiguration, and new simulation codes can be integrated efficiently.
- The system captures full provenance metadata, supports workflow export and sharing, and packages tools in version-controlled containers.
- Demonstrated scalability to high-performance computing (HPC) or cloud resources via Galaxy's Pulsar system.
Conclusions:
- The containerized workflow system enhances the FAIRness of scientific data and simulations.
- It provides a scalable and reproducible framework for complex virtual experiments.
- The approach facilitates seamless integration of simulation and advanced visualization platforms like NVIDIA Omniverse.
