Plant Model Specs

Structured specification of plant models for closed-loop simulation. Adapts the specifying-software templates for the physics-modeling domain.

When to Use

• Creating a plant model to close the loop with an existing controller
• Updating or extending an existing plant model spec
• Specifying a plant model before building it
• Deciding on model architecture (subsystem decomposition, fidelity level)
• Planning validation of a plant model

When NOT to Use

• Building the plant model → use building-simulink-models
• Testing an existing plant model → use testing-simulink-models
• Specs for controller algorithms or MBD algorithms → use specifying-mbd-algorithms
• Specs for traditional software (C, C++, Python, MATLAB scripts) → use specifying-software
• Specifying a full closed-loop system → use specifying-mbd-algorithms for the algorithm side, this skill for the plant side

Output Conventions

Store specs per plant model. Prefix every filename with the plant name so files are self-identifying in editor tabs, search results, and flat listings:

docs/specs/plant-models/<plant-name>/
├── <plant-name>-system.md              # What & why
├── <plant-name>-architecture.md        # Subsystem decomposition
├── <plant-name>-implementation-plan.md # Build sequence
└── <plant-name>-test-plan.md           # Validation plan

Example for a plant called motor:

docs/specs/plant-models/motor/
├── motor-system.md
├── motor-architecture.md
├── motor-implementation-plan.md
└── motor-test-plan.md

Mode Selection

Does this plant have <5 states, single-rate dynamics, no strong nonlinearities, and will be built by one person/agent?

• Yes → Quick spec: 2 documents (system+architecture combined, implementation+test combined)
• No → Full spec: 4 separate documents

Document Boundaries