Company Press Releases

Major Update Improves User Interface, Adds Encrypted Data Exchange, Adds Vehicle Types, Built-In Traffic and Sensors

ANN ARBOR, Mich., January 5, 2010. Mechanical Simulation Corporation announces the December release of TruckSim® 8.0 vehicle dynamics software, featuring major improvements for both new and existing users.

TruckSim is software for simulating the dynamic behavior of heavy-duty trucks and tractor-trailers with various combinations of axles, dual wheels, and trailers. TruckSim animates simulated tests and generates thousands of variables that can be plotted and analyzed. Users at OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers consistently report close agreement between the simulation predictions of TruckSim and actual on-road and proving ground test results.

As TruckSim usage has increased globally, the range of user skill levels has broadened extensively, according to Michael Sayers, Mechanical Simulation’s Chief Technology Officer. “When developing vehicles with unique layouts, simulation is essential for testing chassis components and advanced electronic controls, because there is simply not enough time to physically test every possible combination.” Some TruckSim users are experts in simulating vehicle dynamics, 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 TruckSim 8 improvements were to simplify usage for 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.” Many of the new features in TruckSim 8 were introduced earlier this year in the release of CarSim 8 software, and were further developed and refined for their addition to TruckSim.

One of the most anticipated new database features allows users to exchange encrypted datasets with other companies. “An OEM can provide a full TruckSim vehicle description for a supplier to use in developing their components, without releasing proprietary engineering data about the vehicle,” says Sayers. This capability is particularly useful in the typical situation where different manufacturers produce the tractor and trailer in a combination vehicle. “Likewise, a Tier 1 supplier can provide an encrypted future chassis system to a potential OEM customer.”

Another new feature, first introduced in CarSim, is the inclusion of built-in ranging and detection sensors, along with programmable traffic vehicles and other “target objects” that the sensors can detect. According to Sayers, “simulating advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) 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. CarSim users have been simulating these systems before, and now the same approaches are being used for trucks and utility vehicles with TruckSim.” TruckSim also handles vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure safety systems development.

TruckSim 8 also has improvements in the vehicle math models. It adds “B-Train” trailer configurations, 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. TruckSim 8 also provides live run-time engineering data displays.

About Mechanical Simulation Corporation: Mechanical Simulation Corporation is a technology leader in the development and distribution of advanced software used to simulate vehicle performance under a wide variety of conditions. The company was established in 1996, and from its Ann Arbor, Mich., headquarters provides car, truck and motorcycle simulation packages, training and ongoing support to more than 90 OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, and over 150 universities and government research groups worldwide. For more information, visit www.carsim.com.