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Formula 1 Design

Posted by sengan on from the digital-schumacher-in-shorts dept.

How do Formula 1 teams design a new car in only 5 months? Partially because of new software which allows every piece of the car (including the semi-naked driver) to be modeled in 3D to calculate its aerodynamics before it is made. It amazes me how the design process has improved when you think a Mercedes S class used to take 10 years to design in 1986.

3 of 10 comments (clear)

  1. Formula 1 traction control et all by cluge · · Score: 2
    One of the big problems in Formula 1 has been the reviewing of engine management software. "Driver aids" had been outlawed, but it has been rumored that some teams were just able to cleverly hide these aids deep in the thousands of lines of code. You know what this means?

    Annoucing the OPEN SOURCE engine management software foundation

    Dedicated to getting your driver ahead the open source way. Let the competition see your engine management code, who cares. Our coders are so cryptic that they won't be able to do a thing. We can develop complex traction control systems (which are now legal) in weeks using the talents of thousands of coders from around the world that have never actually seen a real race car.

    • Cut your development time!!
    • Open source built simulators arae better than MS built simulators!!
    • Our drivers don't crash as often as the competition!
    --
    "Science is about ego as much as it is about discovery and truth " - I said it, so sue me.
  2. Not new by nuggz · · Score: 2

    CATIA, IDEAS and Pro/Eng aren't new.
    FEA isn't new, CFD isn't new.

    I dind't see any new software.

    The impressive part is they can manage a 500 person team so well, that is pretty damn impressive.

  3. the illusion of safety... by gtx · · Score: 2

    with a car that took 10 years to design, you at least get that illusion of safety... just think about it - which car would you rather drive?

    "Our skilled team of engineers has been laboring over this car for the last 10 years to maximize efficiency and driver safety"

    or...

    "...so I took the modeling software home, and my 14 year old son started playing with it, and next thing you know, 5 months later, he came up with something that actually looked technically feasible! So we built it!"

    Maybe I'm just a bit too cynical, but I'll take the mercedes S-class, thankyouverymuch...

    although it's probably rooted in my deep-seated fear of convenience. For instance, I'd never fly anything I built. That's why you never see any of those ultralight helicopter kits in my garage ;)

    --


    "I hope I don't make a mistake and manage to remain a virgin." - Britney Spears