What's New

The 2025 release of Altair Multibody Solutions introduces several enhancements and bug fixes to MotionView, MotionSolve, and their extensions. Here are some of the key highlights:

• Save system definition to the Entity Browser (MotionView)
• Deformable curve on a Polybeam (MotionView)
• Improvements to Frequency Response Analysis (MotionSolve)
• CD Tire updates (MotionSolve/Vehicle Tools Extension)

Save System Definition to the Entity Browser (MotionView)

MotionView's Entity Browser contains a list of entities that can be added to the model. It is now possible to save systems to the Entity Browser for quick retrieval and reuse.

Select a system in the Model Browser, right-click, and select Store System Entity.... In the subsequent dialog, fill in system details, an icon image, and click OK.

• The system is listed under the User Entities folder.
• Provide a folder path to organize the stored systems.
• Double click on the stored system to insert it into the active model.

Deformable Curve on Polybeam (MotionView)

In the previous release, MotionView and MotionSolve added support for the deformable curve contact, which can be used to model pipes, cables, and tubes in contact. In this release, MotionView further enhances this functionality by providing an option to add a deformable curve with graphics when creating a polybeam entity. This improvement streamlines the setup of models with slender elements, enabling faster configuration.

Import Markers and Geometrical Curves from Catia (MotionView)

The CAD import functionality has been enhanced to read any existing marker and geometrical curve from Catia V5.

Improvements to Frequency Response Analysis (MotionSolve)

In this release, the Frequency Response Analysis in MotionSolve introduces additional support for flexible bodies:

• Frequency-dependent modal participation factors.
• Frequency-dependent kinetic energy, dissipative energy, and strain energy distribution.
• Frequency-dependent transfer path analysis.

Write mkb Matrix in Linear Analysis (MotionSolve)

In this release, MotionSolve includes support for exporting of the mass, stiffness, and damping matrices of a linearized system.

Fraunhofer CD-Tire: Resizing (Vehicle Tools Extension)

The Vehicle Tools Extension now supports the Resizing feature for CDTire from Fraunhofer ITWM. The resizing feature allows a tire model to be automatically resized based on reference and target tire and rim specifications.

Fraunhofer CD-Tire: Support for MF++ (Vehicle Tools Extension)

The Vehicle Tools Extension now supports the Fraunhofer MF++ tires. CDTire/MF++ is a temperature enhanced Magic Formula for coupling to CDTire/Thermal in advanced handling applications.

Fraunhofer CD-Tire: Licensing Changes (MotionSolve)

MotionSolve has updated the license check-out logic for CDTire and the CDTire resizing feature.

MotionSolve supports the usage of the CD-Tire resizing feature. To use this feature, your Altair license must include both the CDTire_MSolve (regular CD Tire) and CDTire_MSolve_RS (CD Tire with resizing) features. MotionSolve first checks out the CDTire_MSolve feature, followed by the CDTire_MSolve_RS, if your model demands tire resizing.

Version Up for Siemens MF-Tyre/MF-Swift and Cosin FTire (Vehicle Tools Extension)

The Vehicle Tools Extension has upgraded the support for Siemens MF-Tyre/MF-Swift to v2406 and Cosin FTire to 2024-3. These new versions are backward compatible with tire and road input files from previous versions.

Motion-ratio Outputs for Car/Small Truck and Two-Wheeler Library Models (Vehicle Tools Extension)

The Vehicle Tools Extension includes an inbuilt output for reporting motion-ratios of ride springs for the models that are built using the Car/Small truck and Two-wheeler libraries. The calculations are based on the spring displacements and the corresponding wheel center displacements. When you build the models using the libraries, these outputs will be created in dedicated Systems alongside the springs whose motion-ratios are measured.

Added Contact Jacobian Computation Time to *.cof File (MotionSolve)

When requested, MotionSolve outputs a *.cof file summarizing the contact simulation. For each contact, it provides contact details, including the time spent on contact evaluation. In this release, the *.cof file is further enhanced to include the computation time for the contact Jacobian as well.

MODE and GETMOD Returns 35 for Assembly Analysis (MotionSolve)

The solver functions MODE and GETMODE provide insight into the current analysis mode of the solver. Both functions have been enhanced so that MotionSolve now returns a value of 35 during Assembly analysis, allowing for clearer differentiation between Assembly and Static analysis modes.

• Run time error is encountered after activating joint compliance.
• The File > Open dialog goes behind the Leaf Spring Builder tool in Linux.
• Output on Entity Sets within a system results in requests for all entities in the model.
• Constraint Mate is not supported with msolve Python.
• The Advanced Selection dialog cannot be invoked from collectors within the FrequencyInput Property Editor.
• Adding a Bushing attachment to a system results in an application error.
• The application crashes when solver variables are added to solver arrays in Linux.
• Entities lose their labels in the Model Browser after undoing the paste action in a system.
• Creating a second Belt pulley system (Substructured flexbodies) takes too long.
• mdl_batch exports an incomplete model from the Vehicle Tools in Linux.
• A force created on a marker has a missing reference after creation.
• The topology view on systems is unreadable when it contains a non-connected entity.
• FMU exported from MotionView is not readable in HyperStudy.
• Y and Z axes in Spline 3D are swapped in the display.
• Zero crossing sensor hmax related to contact is always written despite its selection.
• Updated file paths in FMU parameters are not updated in the exported XML.
• The Contact Force plot is missing in the default Contact report.
• Opening two optimization models consecutively crashes MotionView.
• Datasets with the same variable name have the values synchronized.
• Initial Conditions on systems input through the Entity Editor are not applied to the model.
• Numerical Jacobian calculation for flexible body.
• Functions QDOT and QDDOT must use an actual mode number instead of an index.
• Crash when writing the load set file when the flexible body is not used in any contact.
• Differences in EDEM co-simulation results: Difference between starting the coupling server in Creator Mode and Simulator Mode.
• edem.fmu randomly fails to load during the simulation start.
• Model with UserGra causes CNAME to display on all requests in the ABF file.
• mspost now displays the correct progress during ABF export.
• MotionSolve continues saving the XML even if the savesub failed.
• MotionSolve supports both label and comment for post_request in XML.
• MotionSolve writes only the converged results at the start time of a kinematic analysis to MRF.
• Models with softsoil road graphics created using RoadTools in v2024.0 and v2024.1 are failing.
• CDTire models fail when only one license for CDTire Resizing is available.
  Note: The licensing logic has been changed. Please see Enhancements for more details.
• Anti-dive calculations do not report correct values.
• Models with CDTire and FTire crash the solver if the initial static is not included.
• Two-wheeler models with a leaning driver fail after traveling a certain distance for specific event parameters, especially in a Constant radius cornering event.

The following known issues will be addressed in a future release as we continuously improve the software:

• Accessing custom wizards crashes MotionView.