Computer simulation is using software to model how a complex structure (2D or 3D geometry, etc) acts under given physics, e.g., the precise way a complex spring shape bends under a given force, or 3D heat transfer, or the electric field around some geometry.

Most simulation software is proprietary and requires a license. BSAC has licenses to a number of programs we're able to use including CoventorWare and ANSYS.

BSAC Software: https://bsac.berkeley.edu/software

It is often helpful to simulate the mechanical and thermal behavior of robot parts. However, simulations usually focus on just one or two types of mechanical or thermal motion or force for simplicity. For example, one might simulate the amount a spring stretches when a given force is applied. This category of simulations is often referred to as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for the computer algorithm used.

Fusion 360 has some FEA capabilities built in. For more complex analyses, we sometimes use ANSYS.

While mechanical simulation software simulates how a single beam bends or transfers heat, 3D dynamics simulation software is a physics engine that simulates the movement and collision of multiple rigid bodies, e.g., a hexapod with four actuating legs on a flat surface.

We currently have no good 3D dynamics simulation setup.

In the past, we've used V-REP, which has now become CoppeliaSim.

However, we may move toward using Gazebo, which has fewer licensing restrictions, may be slightly longer-lived, does not have as much polish, but can probably more easily handle swarms of robots.