RCE is a distributed integration environment for scientists and engineers to analyze, optimize, and design complex systems like aircraft, ships, or satellites. It is especially suited for multidisciplinary collaboration. Handling complex systems requires many experts and several tools for analysis, design, and simulation. Using RCE, these tools can be shared between team members and integrated into automated, executable workflows. RCE is extensible and supports different scientific applications with a wide range of requirements.

Integration

Coupling of external tools into workflows is a central feature of RCE. Each tool has to be integrated once and can then be accessed using standardized inputs and outputs.
Most tools can be integrated by configuration. Console output is merged and can be streamed to multiple users.

Automation

Tools are coupled into workflows by connecting outputs of one tool to inputs of other tools. A tool is executed by RCE once all required input data is available. Tool and workflow execution is automated. No user interaction is required during execution.

Data Management

For scientists and engineers, result data of an analysis, design, or simulation task is essential. Results are generated by the tools of a workflow during execution. RCE collects all data from the involved tools and provides it in a graphical viewer.

Collaboration

In complex analysis, design, or simulation tasks, multiple experts and tools are involved, which are often located at different sites. To support collaboration, RCE connects tool servers and clients of scientists and engineers into a peer-to-peer network.