Company Press Releases

Mechanical Simulation Corporation Releases CarSim® 8

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 27, 2009 –Mechanical Simulation Corporation announces the July release of CarSim® 8.0 vehicle dynamics software which features improvements for both new and existing users.

As CarSim usage has increased globally, the range of user skill levels has broadened extensively, according to Michael Sayers, Mechanical Simulation chief technology officer. “Automotive industry economic pressures require fewer engineers working more effectively to design, develop, and test vehicles in less time. Simulation is essential for testing chassis components and advanced electronic controls, because there is simply not enough time or resources to physically test every possible combination.” Some CarSim users have done extensive simulation work, and push the limits for analyzing complex procedures and scenarios. Yet, others use the software only occasionally, maybe just a few days per year. “Two objectives in developing CarSim 8 improvements were to simplify the learning needed by casual users, while at the same time, extending our support for advanced users,” said Sayers. “Capabilities that were available to experienced users are now automated, requiring only a few clicks to select vehicles and test procedures and to see the results.”

A new database feature allows users to exchange encrypted datasets with other companies. “An OEM can provide a full CarSim vehicle description for a supplier to use in developing their component, without releasing proprietary engineering data about the vehicle,” says Sayers. “Likewise, a Tier 1 supplier can provide an encrypted future chassis system to a potential OEM customer.”

CarSim 8 also includes significant improvements in the math models. According to Sayers, “CarSim is now being used to test advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This testing not only involves the dynamic behavior of a vehicle, but also how radar, lidar and video sensors detect other traffic vehicles or objects such as pedestrians, parked cars, buildings, and so on. Advanced CarSim users have been simulating these systems before, but it required extra software. Many of our users are happy to see these capabilities built into CarSim 8, where they allow many scenarios to be rapidly defined for simulated testing.”

CarSim 8 has other improvements, such as advanced powertrain dynamics, more details in the suspension, and support for new tire models. The representation of 3D road surfaces has been extended to support variable-width roads, such as lane merging or racetracks with wide curves. CarSim 8 also provides live runtime engineering data displays.

Engineers in design, development, testing, and advanced safety activities use CarSim for simulating the dynamic vehicle behavior of cars, light trucks and utility vehicles. CarSim animates simulated tests and generates over 700 output variables that can be plotted and analyzed. The CarSim math models cover complete vehicle systems and inputs from the driver, ground and aerodynamics.