Lightweight your Solar Car with Simulation-driven Design in Altair® Inspire™
Utilizing Altair Inspire’s industry-leading intuitive UI, unmatched analysis power, and speed, you can bring your solar vehicle to the next level through structural simulation, lightweight optimization, and kinematic system simulation. Follow the competition-leading teams who already use Inspire to make a difference and win races.
Vehicle Dynamics and Suspension Design with Altair® MotionView®/MotionSolve®
Altair MBS (Multibody System Simulation) Software simplifies and allows for advanced simulation of vehicle dynamics, deeper analysis of kinematics & compliance and 3D calculation of internal loads between moving parts under real operating conditions.
Reduce Drag Using External Aerodynamics in Altair® FlightStream®
Altair’s FlightStream software can help you reduce drag and capture ground effects to give you an advantage on the track. Featuring an intuitive GUI and unstructured surface-mesh solver, it minimizes complexity and time compared to traditional CFD solvers, making it ideal for assisting in the design of solar vehicles.
Learn Inspire
Structural Analysis
In conjunction with its industry-leading solvers, Inspire's intuitive interface can get you results in a fraction of the time of other leading analysis tools. From checking to determine how much a part deforms, to making sure a critical bracket can take the necessary loads without breaking, to even checking vibrational frequencies, Inspire is the ideal structural analysis tool to help you design your Solar Vehicle to go the distance.
Optimization
Inspire leverages the powerful optimization capabilities of OptiStruct, the pioneer tool of Topological Optimization in engineering. In a competition where weight is critical, Inspire ensures your vehicle is lightweight without compromising strength or safety. It supports various manufacturing methods like milling, casting, cutting, and 3D printing. Design a faster, more efficient vehicle with Inspire.
Motion
A complex vehicle has numerous intricate moving parts. Ensure they operate correctly using Inspire's motion simulation tools, which include automatic joint creation, simple motor and actuator setup, and rapid contact generation. After your analysis, you can easily extract joint and contact forces and integrate them into structural analysis and optimizations for dynamic loading.
Learn MotionView/ MotionSolve and FlightStream
MotionView/ MotionSolve
These posts will help you learn the basics of suspension modeling and design using the power of template-driven, parametric MotionView templates. While we are currently working on implementing a SolarCar library, utilization of the FSAE library, which is also a track event, will accurately simulate your suspension designs and vehicle dynamics.
- Suspension Library Overview in MotionSolve
- Verification Of Vehicle Kinematics and Compliance Using MotionSolve
- Verification of Vehicle Loading Using MotionSolve
Flight Stream
FlightStream is equipped with unique point-and-click capabilities for problem setup and pre- and post-processing tools that allow real-time case visualization. This YouTube playlist will provide you with an easy, guided path to learning FlightStream in preparation for utilizing the software to rapidly create aerodynamic studies of your Solar Vehicle.
Additional Learning Resources
Learn from Altair Experts on Vehicle Design and become fully equipped to design the most lightweight, aerodynamic, and energy-efficient vehicle possible.
Real-World Stories
Earn the Victory, Move the World: Altair's Role in the University of Michigan Solar Car Team
Watch how the University of Michigan Solar Team uses Altair's cutting-edge tools to create lightweight, safe solar vehicles through material optimization and composite analysis.
Optimizing a Solar Car for Endurance and Energy Efficiency
Using Altair simulation software, Gurit supports Western Sydney University's Bridgestone World Solar Challenge team, helping them design the most efficient and aerodynamic car possible, while ensuring driver safety and adhering to class rules.
University of Michigan Competing Around the World
See how Altair's Software is used to get the University of Michigan's solar car, Novum, to the next level to compete in the World Solar Challenge in Australia and the American Solar Challenge - crossing an entire continent in both cases just on the power of the sun alone.
Kogakuin University Solar Team and Altair
The Kogakuin solar team, comprised of more than 300 students, are focused on performance, growth, self-reliance and teamwork through science and engineering activities. Established in 2009, the team has won three consecutive national championships.
