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CarSim is available at a discounted price for university race teams like Formula SAE and Baja SAEApparently UW is already a customer?
Some of the englab computers already have CarSim
Links
https://www.carsim.com/products/carsim/index.php
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Accelerate the design of robust chassis components and subsystems like steering and braking, shock absorbers, active roll stabilizer bars and any mechatronic system related to chassis. Our scalable, multi-disciplinary modeling platform and its off-the-shelve templates help you assess technology risks that result from chassis electrification, and use the most appropriate level of detail according to your simulation needs and available parameters. Simcenter helps you integrate these systems within the vehicle, and validate control strategies.
Effectively predict vehicle dynamics performance and accelerate decision-making on vehicle layout using a modular and scalable approach that provides increased modeling relevance for early phases of vehicle design.
A template-based, easy-to-use modeling approach enables you to run simulations faster than real time for controls validation. This modeling continuity closes the gap between vehicle mechanical engineering and controls engineering, increasing system quality and avoiding late problems that impact time-to-market.
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https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/simcenter/
Automotive Simulation Models (ASM) - Vehicle Dynamics by dSPACE
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Features
The ASMs are a tool suite which consists of simulation models for automotive applications that can be combined as needed.
The models support a wide spectrum of simulations, starting with individual components like combustion engines or electric motors, to vehicle dynamics systems, up to complex virtual traffic scenarios.
The models can be handled easily and intuitively with ModelDesk, the graphical user interface.
For realistic vehicle simulation, the vehicle model is designed as a multibody system. The model consists of elements such as a drivetrain with elastic shafts, a table-based engine, two semi-empirical tire models, a nonlinear table-based vehicle suspension model with kinematics and compliance, a steering model, and aerodynamics.
An environment with a road, maneuvers, and an open- and closed-loop driver is included as well. All parameters can be altered during run time.
To simulate brake systems, models of a dual-circuit hydraulics system and a pneumatics system are available as add-ons.
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Adams and CarSim/SuspensionSim are strong contenders due to student and design team discounts and their wide range of features. Both also look more accessible and user friendly.
- After discussing dynamics simulation software with the formula motorsports team and gaining their experience with them, it was concluded we should not continue with investing time into these packages. The main reason is how tricky they can be to use, and instead of gaining insight on the design, you will instead be trouble shooting for a very long time. Their recommended solution was to preform the calculation through MatLab scripts as it would give a better foundational knowledge of the physics and be much more efficient.