More cushy for the tushy? Software tells if cars need it

Automotive engineers can test ride and comfort features much earlier in the design process thanks to MSC.Adams/Car Ride software from MSC.Software Corp., Santa Ana, Calif. (www.mscsoftware.com). The software includes elements, models, and event definitions for building, testing, and postprocessing within the ride-frequency system.

Once components are specified in detail, a full-vehicle assembly can run through a battery of predefined ride and comfort simulation scenarios based on a four-post test rig. The process helps designers estimate typical system-level NVH metrics.

"NVH engineering is most often done toward the end of the design process. But it's much more time and cost intensive to make design changes later in the product-development cycle," says MSC.Software chairman and CEO Frank Perna.

MSC.Adams/Car Ride joins the company's other finite-element-based NVH software, MSC.Nastran and MSC.Actran.