Using game engine to enhance mobility modeling in network simulations

Mobility modeling is important for network simulation. However, Random Waypoint model and its variants fail to satisfactorily depict mobile users´ movement patterns with fidelity. Two features of a game engine, namely character AI and pathfinding can be utilized to enhance mobility modeling in network simulations. This demo builds a virtual scene of typical office environment with multiple employees. Movements of the virtual characters are firstly generated and visualized using Random Waypoint model, and then using alternative approaches combining AI-based control with pathfinding. Through comparison it can be clearly observed that the latter improves simulation fidelity significantly.