Towards Realistic 3D Sonar Simulation

2026-06-04

AI Summary

Existing underwater 3D sonar simulations predominantly rely on LiDAR-like geometric rendering, neglecting critical acoustic effects such as refraction, multipath interference, and phase dependence, thereby limiting fidelity. This work proposes a modular 3D sonar simulation framework that, for the first time, integrates GPU-accelerated graphics rendering with a physics-based acoustic propagation model within the general-purpose NVIDIA Isaac Sim platform. The system enables voxelized sonar simulation of the Water Linked 3D-15 sensor and incorporates FastLIO2 SLAM alongside multisensor fusion (sonar/DVL/IMU/pressure). Supporting hardware-in-the-loop validation, it provides a scalable foundation for fully acoustics-driven volumetric perception. Experimental results demonstrate qualitative consistency with real-world sheet pile data collected in a harbor environment, while also highlighting persistent gaps between current simulation capabilities and physical reality.

Abstract

As underwater robotics research increasingly addresses complex 3D perception and autonomous navigation, the fidelity of sonar simulation has become a key factor in algorithm development. Current simulation frameworks typically rely on geometry-driven rendering, approximating 3D sonar as an underwater equivalent to LiDAR, which fails to account for fundamental acoustic phenomena such as refraction, multi-path interference, and phase-dependent signal formation. This paper proposes a modular architecture for realistic 3D sonar simulation that integrates GPU-accelerated graphics engines with physically grounded acoustic propagation principles. We implement a volumetric 3D sonar model within the NVIDIA Isaac Sim environment, modeled after the Water Linked 3D-15 sensor, and integrate it into a comprehensive underwater simulation framework. The system is validated through a hardware-in-the-loop configuration, where a modified FastLIO2 SLAM pipeline, executed on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano, performs sensor fusion using synthetic 3D sonar, DVL, IMU, and pressure data. Finally, a qualitative comparison between simulated outputs and real-world data from harbor sheet-pile inspections is provided, characterizing the remaining sim-to-real gap and establishing a roadmap toward fully acoustics-driven volumetric sensing.

Problem

• 3D sonar simulation
• acoustic phenomena
• refraction
• multi-path interference
• sim-to-real gap

Innovation

• realistic sonar simulation
• acoustic propagation modeling
• volumetric 3D sonar
• hardware-in-the-loop validation
• sim-to-real gap