SANTA ANA, CA--(November 1st, 2012) - MSC Software Corporation, the leader in multidiscipline simulation solutions that accelerate product innovation, today announced that PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) University students from 26 schools around the world are successfully collaborating to design a Formula One race car with the help of MSC Software's simulation solutions. Adams and MSC Nastran were chosen to ensure the finished vehicle would be a success, as well as to reduce the design time and minimize cost.

The F-1 race project involved the hard work of over 500 students across 10 different countries and spanned 19 time zones. The project provides the opportunity for multinational students to work together to design, engineer and produce an automotive vehicle that would be safe to drive at high speeds. The multibody dynamic simulation capabilities of Adams have been highly instrumental to design the car's rear and front suspension system and steering linkage system. MSC Nastran is also being used to analyze and simulate the car's structural integrity. The entire project has taken 4 years to complete and advances each year with the physical manufacturing and assembly of a prototype racecar to building the finished vehicle.

Students and faculty from Brigham Young University (BYU) recently tested the car's performance at the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. The vehicle successfully reached a top speed of 109 MPH on a 1300 ft straightaway and completed 8 laps at an average speed of 100 MPH. The team is planning to increase the boost from 10 lbs to 25 lbs and replace the airlines on the pneumatic shifting system.

Dr. C. Greg Jensen, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and co-director of the NSF Center for e-Design, BYU, Provo, UT, was the lead mentor and mastermind behind this global collaborative vehicle project. "Seeing the car reach speeds in excess of 100 MPH is a fitting achievement and claim-to-fame for over 500 senior engineering students," said Jensen. "It was amazing to see the quality of work, the learning and improvements that went into each year's car. What an important set of resume building items came as the students mastered CAE software tools like Adams and MSC Nastran and applied these tools to the design and analysis of F-1 components and assemblies."

About Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE)
The Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) supports strategically selected academic institutions worldwide to develop the automotive product lifecycle management (PLM) team of the future. PLM, as it relates to PACE, is an integrated approach involving all aspects of a product's life-from its design inception, through its manufacture, marketing, distribution and maintenance, and finally into recycling and disposal. Assisted by many companies called PACE Partners, Contributors and PACE Supporters, PACE provides hardware, software, training, automotive parts, industry projects, and much more to PACE Institutions around the world.

For additional information about Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE), services, please visit: http://pacepartners.org/index.php

About MSC Software
MSC Software is one of the ten original software companies and the worldwide leader in multidiscipline simulation. As a trusted partner, MSC Software helps companies improve quality, save time, and reduce costs associated with design and test of manufactured products. Academic institutions, researchers, and students employ MSC's technology to expand individual knowledge as well as expand the horizon of simulation. MSC Software employs 1,100 professionals in 20 countries. For additional information about MSC Software's products and services, please visit: www.mscsoftware.com

The MSC Software corporate logo, Simulating Reality, MSC Nastran, Adams, Actran, Digimat, Dytran, Easy5, Marc, Patran, MSC, MasterKey, MasterKey Plus, Mvision, SimDesigner, SimManager, and SimXpert are trademarks or registered trademarks of MSC Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. NASTRAN is a registered trademark of NASA. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Article Contacts
Leslie Bodnar
Email: leslie.bodnar@mscsoftware.com
Phone #: (714) 444-8978