I think for the basic package you are looking around $40k. If you want the plus points, that's harder. Easy one - MSC Adams is biggest player in the market. It just seems that improvements have been slowing for years because they think they are the only game in town.

There are many alternatives, and some of them have significant advantages in particular aspects. So you need to define what your needs are rather than selecting a package and trying to justify it (although that is not an uncommon approach).

Cheers

Greg Locock


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Thanks for the info gentlemen!

I guess I will have to send a proper req, but i dont think 40k will fly.
I also don't think we actually need all of adams/car's functionalities but it would have been nice to have.
At the complete other end of the spectrum, my experience is with OptimumK.
That's not say it was a bad experience, but it certainly doesn't have all the same features.
What options are there between those two softwares that I can look into ?

Kind regards,

I can't guess what features you want/need. Carsim may be worth looking at. it is not a kinematic package, it is driven by tables of bump steer etc which you have worked out in another program or on the drawing board. The results are entirely usable. The catch with both Car and Carsim is that you need decent tire models for anything but the most banal of tests, and they run about $20000 per tire.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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Thanks Greg, much appreciated!

Justin,
you should look at a few alternatives that are still commercial grade and cheaper than Adams (generally) I list them in decreasing cost order based on best guess. As Greg said, it just depends on what you need to solve. Some are better than others at contacts or flexible or integration with other tools:
Ansys Motion is new from Ansys - https://www.ansys.com/products/structures/ansys-mo...
RecurDyn is a competitor to Adams that does well in flexible bodies - https://enginsoftusa.com/RecurDynMBD/Flexible-Mult...
Comsol is another one https://www.comsol.com/multibody-dynamics-module
MBD for ANSYS is a lower cost option with less functionality- https://mbdforansys.com/

Or go really cheap with MBDyn - https://www.mbdyn.org/

Are these suitable for modelling the steering and handling of cars, specifically? That is, do they understand roads and tires?

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

thanks jn89, ill look into your suggestions.

can you shed insight to greg's question?
what were you using these softwares for?
youve used each one of them?

all the best,

Greg and Justin. sorry for the slow answer. Yes, there are specific modules for creating tires in several different packages. There are also modules for setting up non-linear suspension springs. Once the tires are set up you can define its contact with the ground and it’s pretty fast. You should be able to find some basic vehicle handling examples online. Personally, I like playing with MBDyn but I wouldn't suggest it for your application and no tire specific modules. I just googled MSC Adams Tire and saw lot's of info. Same with Recurdyn tire. (Don't do 'adams tire' our you get wheel cleaners).