Comprehensive Desktop-Based Simulation from MSC

By DE Editors

MSC.Software Corp. (Santa Ana, CA) just expanded access to simulation solutions to companies previously unable to take such steps by launching SimOffice, calling it “more of an entry-level simulation offering,” according to MSC Director of Product Marketing Ted Pawela. SimOffice is being called a cost-effective, desktop-based simulation solution by MSC, and is compatible with the newly launched Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.

It does not require customers to go to Vista, but SimOffice will continue to work if they do. Built on the .NET framework, the new solution is said to give customers a level of integration beyond previous simulation packages. The multi-CAD-ready program allows users to read in and use the native CAD geometry of virtually every existing CAD system, and it is priced lower than many enterprise portfolios.

“We’re not forgetting about anyone using ]existing] MSC products,” Pawela said in a recent phone conference, explaining SimOffice was upward compatible to enterprise tools such as MD Nastran and MD Patran. For example, anyone who has built Patran scripts can use them in SimOffice. And, in the other direction, Pawela pointed out, a spreadsheet could be used to run a simulation.

Designed with a wide range of manufacturers — from small and mid-sized organizations to large enterprises — in mind, SimOffice enables manufacturers to benefit from existing IT investments and simulation environments through the entire suite of Microsoft solutions.

“SimOffice enables people within manufacturing enterprises to accelerate innovation by bringing products to market faster,” said Bill Weyand, chairman and CEO of MSC Software, “using computer-based simulation to share processes across systems and suppliers, verify designs, and reduce physical prototyping.”

By enabling engineers to create and test models in an intuitive Windows-based platform, manufacturers are expected to get better, more accurate design data earlier in the product development process. And using the Windows environment allows engineers to generate reports and exchange critical information with all departments within an organization.

SimOffice includes an easy-to-use Microsoft Windows-based finite element modeler package with MD Nastran for linear static, linear buckling, normal modes, steady-state heat transfer, and dynamic-frequency response analyses. It is also collaboration ready for out-of-the-box integration with 2007 Microsoft Office Groove and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

SimOffice will be available through resellers who are a part of MSC Impact, a global channel program. Price: $9,995 (per seat). For more information, visit mscsoftware.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.