Kaufeld, Marc (Technical University of Munich), Moller, Korbinian (Technical University of Munich), Gambi, Alessio (Austrian Institute of Technology), Arcaini, Paolo (National Institute of Informatics), Betz, Johannes (Technical University of Munich)

MultiDrive: A Co-Simulation Framework Bridging 2D and 3D Driving Simulation for AV Software Validation

Scheduled for presentation during the Invited Session "S19b-Artificial Transportation Systems and Simulation" (TH-EA-T19), Thursday, November 20, 2025, 14:10−14:30, Surfers Paradise 1

2025 IEEE 28th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), November 18-21, 2025, Gold Coast, Australia

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on October 18, 2025

Abstract

Scenario-based testing using simulations is a cornerstone of software validation for Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). So far, developers needed to choose between low-fidelity 2D simulators to explore the scenario space efficiently, and high-fidelity 3D simulators to study relevant scenarios in more detail, thus reducing testing costs while mitigating the sim-to-real gap. This paper presents a novel framework that leverages multi-agent co-simulation and procedural scenario generation to support scenario-based testing across low- and high-fidelity simulators for the development of motion planning algorithms. Our framework limits the effort required to transition scenarios between simulators and automates experiment execution, trajectory analysis, and visualization. Experiments with a reference motion planner demonstrate that our framework reveals discrepancies between the planner’s intended and actual behavior, thus exposing weaknesses in planning assumptions under more realistic conditions.