Simulia used in military design competition

PROVIDENCE – Software business Simulia’s parent company Dassault Systèmes provided Simulia and other software for a competition held by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency last spring.
The “Experimental Crowd-derived Combat-supported Vehicle Design Challenge,” known as XC2V, asked internet users to design a military vehicle for combat reconnaissance and combat delivery and execution.
Between Feb. 4 and March 3, anyone could submit a design or give input into designs that others had submitted. Arizona-based Local Motors Inc., which hosts open-source car design contests, was responsible for facilitating the contest and constructing the winning prototype.
The Dassault Systèmes provided several software programs – 3DVIA Composer, Catia, Enovia and Simulia – to allow users to design vehicles alone or collaboratively. In addition to Simulia’s Providence headquarters, Dassault Systèmes has local offices in Lowell, Mass., and Concord, Mass.
Victor Garcia won the competition with a design titled the Flypmode, and Local Motors built the prototype in June.
“This is a great example of how our technologies are enabling true social product development to take place,” said Al Bunshaft, Dassault Systèmes’s managing director for North America, in a statement. “By empowering individuals to use 3D to share ideas, create products and give feedback, the voice of the end-user can be heard earlier in the process, making sure the end-product is even more closely attuned to actual market need.”