Adding and Configuring Virtual ECUs
- Updated2025-10-27
- 2 minute(s) read
Incorporate a virtual ECU with the system definition file.
- Launch your project in the VeriStand Editor.
- On the Mapping Diagram on the Palette, click and drop the node on the diagram.
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In the Open dialog box, select a virtual ECU and click
Open.
The Mapping Diagram imports the virtual ECU you built.
-
In the Configuration pane, use the
Item tab to configure the virtual ECU.
-
Set the Initial state of the virtual ECU to
Running or
Paused.
Note To change the values of virtual ECU parameters before the first time step, set the Initial state to Paused.
- Set the Decimation of the virtual ECU rate.
- Click Import parameters.
-
In the Import Parameters dialog box, select the
parameters you want to import as channels and click
OK.
The parameters you selected appear inside the node when you expand it.Note Importing too many parameters negatively impacts system performance.
- Click Import signals.
-
In the Import Signals dialog box, select the
signals you want to import as channels and click
OK.
The signals you selected appear inside the node when you expand it.Note Importing too many signals negatively impacts system performance.
- Optional:
If your virtual ECU contains a vector inport or outport, set the
Vector port specification as
Segment into scalar channels or
Maintain as vector channel.
Note Scalar channels provide greater flexibility than vector channels. Vector channels only map to virtual ECUs that contain a vector channel of the same size. You cannot map a vector channel to controls or indicators on your Workspace or use it with calculated channels, alarms, procedures, and others.
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Set the Initial state of the virtual ECU to
Running or
Paused.
- Wire the channels to create mappings.
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Depending on your goal, complete the following tasks to configure the virtual
ECU further.
Goal Task Set virtual ECU timing Adjust the step size to have the virtual ECU run at a different rate. Note By default, VeriStand executes virtual ECUs at 0.01 second step size. To change the step size of a virtual ECU, you must modify virtual ECU Functional Mockup Unit (FMU).Set virtual ECU parameters Use the VeriStand Editor to set the values of virtual ECU parameters. Scope global parameters Update the scope of all global parameters in a virtual ECU to the target-level or virtual ECU-level. Set the default values for inports Change the default value for an inport to prevent your virtual ECU from using invalid values. Configure the execution order of multiple virtual ECUs Define the order that the Primary Control Loop (PCL) executes virtual ECUs. - Save the system definition file.
Related Information
- Creating and Configuring an ECU Network Cluster
Create an ECU network cluster to connect your virtual ECUs and ECUs.