A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

FMUiL: An open-source package for in-the-loop simulations with functional mock-up units




AuthorsKlemets, K.; Bouzoulas, D.; Manngård, M.; Böling, J.M.

PublisherElsevier BV

Publication year2026

Journal: SoftwareX

Article number102560

Volume34

eISSN2352-7110

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2026.102560

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2026.102560

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/515865926

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Functional Mock-up Units in the Loop (FMUiL) is an open-source Python package designed to support virtual commissioning and design phases of projects. It combines the FMI and OPC UA standards to enable the cosimulation between simulation models, software, and hardware. Since the FMI standard does not specify how co-simulation between FMUs and external systems should be handled, FMUiL uses the OPC UA communication protocol, which is widely adopted in the process automation industry, to manage the data exchange between devices and systems. Simulation models are wrapped as OPC UA servers that can be connected to external servers. To simplify experiment setup and ensure reproducibility, FMUiL uses YAML configuration files to define simulation scenarios and experiments, which can then be executed through the provided command-line interface. This paper documents the architecture and functionality of the FMUiL package, describes how experiments are configured, and demonstrates its use through practical examples.


Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.




Funding information in the publication
This research was funded by Business Finland under Grant 7316/31/2023 “Virtual Sea Trial”.


Last updated on 18/03/2026 01:25:29 PM