SUNFISH LABSVehicle dynamics

    Updated November 2026

    FSAE suspension software compared: 9 options for student teams

    From free web calculators to the multibody suites that sponsor teams. Each tool below is described from its own vendor's pages, with links.

    Written by Sunfish Labs, which makes one of the tools listed (the Vehicle Dynamics Workbench). Weigh that, and check the sources.

    What a team needs from it

    3D kinematics
    Camber, toe, roll center, caster and bump steer through bump, droop, roll and steer. A front-view-only tool misses bump steer and anti-geometry.
    Member loads
    The force in every wishbone leg, tie rod and pushrod for your load cases, so tubes, rod ends and tabs can be sized.
    Finding the fix
    When a target fails, which point to move and what it costs elsewhere. Without this, the team iterates by hand.
    CAD in and out
    Hardpoints from SolidWorks without retyping, and geometry back to CAD and FEA.
    Hand-down
    Next year's suspension lead has to pick it up. Price, install, learning time and documentation all count.

    The tools

    Vehicle Dynamics Workbench (this site)

    Browser app · $49 once for up to 8 (first 5 teams), then $199; Personal $29

    Double-wishbone kinematics in 3D, front and rear together, loads with buckling and yield safety factors, the FSAE rules check and a design-event justification. When a target fails, "What moves this?" searches hardpoint moves and lists what each one breaks. Points come in from SolidWorks; STEP, IGES and Excel go out.

    Best when: You want the fix, not just the numbers, and a team license that doesn't renew.

    Source: sunfish-labs.com/solver

    OptimumKinematics

    Desktop (OptimumG) · Student: $295 a year, plus $50 (Forces) and $295 (Optimization) a year

    A long-standing choice for student teams, sold as a main module with Forces and Optimization modules. The student page says each license can be used on multiple computers. Loads and optimization are the paid modules above.

    Best when: Your team already knows it, or your judges and alumni expect it.

    Source: students.optimumg.com/software

    SusProg3D

    Windows desktop · $300; extra licenses $120; FSAE discounts on request

    A dedicated kinematic suspension design and analysis program with many suspension types, an Excel interface and a CAD2SusProg utility. Its pages describe spring, shock and anti-roll bar results; member loads and target seeking aren't described.

    Best when: You run Windows and want a mature, one-purchase kinematics program covering many layouts.

    Source: susprog.com/purchase.htm · susprog.com/faq.htm

    Adams Car

    Multibody suite (Hexagon) · Free to university teams in Hexagon's student competition program (apply); Student Edition free with limits

    Full multibody vehicle simulation used across industry, with a Formula SAE course on Hexagon's training site. It does far more than kinematics, and takes longer to learn. Check the current sponsorship terms: one university's notes say the free Student Edition needs a separate license for Adams Car.

    Best when: You want full-vehicle dynamics and have a member with time to learn a professional tool.

    Source: Hexagon student competitions · Adams Student Edition

    Altair MotionSolve / MotionView

    Multibody suite (Altair, now Siemens) · Free sponsorship licenses for student teams (apply)

    A multibody solver with an FSAE vehicle model library. It calculates motion, forces and reactions, and exports loads for strength and fatigue work. Like Adams, it is a general simulation suite with a learning curve to match.

    Best when: Your team already uses Altair tools for FEA and wants one family of software.

    Source: Altair ground vehicle teams · Simcenter MotionSolve

    MATLAB and Simscape Multibody

    Build your own model · Complimentary licenses for many Formula Student competitions (terms vary)

    Not a suspension tool on its own: a team builds its model, and MathWorks provides training and examples for Formula Student vehicles. Anything is possible, including your own optimization, but each generation has to build, check and hand it down.

    Best when: You have a strong controls or simulation member and want a model you own end to end.

    Source: MathWorks student competitions

    LABSUS

    Open source (MIT), browser · Free

    An open-source FSAE suspension workbench with 3D double-wishbone and pushrod geometry, load transfer and a four-post rig. The Workbench's kinematics are checked against it (see below). Its README is mainly in Chinese, with an English version.

    Best when: You want free, open code you can read and change.

    Source: github.com/ZZzyy714227/Labsus

    Racing Aspirations

    Web calculators · Free to try; $4.89 a month, or $7.99 a month for all calculators

    A drag-and-drop double-wishbone geometry calculator with roll center, instant centers and bump steer, plus MacPherson, weight distribution and wheel frequency calculators.

    Best when: You want quick geometry sketches on any device, including a phone.

    Source: Suspension Geometry Calculator

    VSusp

    Free web app · Free

    A front-view (2D) suspension geometry simulator for double wishbone and MacPherson strut: roll center and its movement, camber, scrub radius and KPI. Its help page says it is geometry-only, with no forces.

    Best when: You're learning, or want a fast front-view check before modeling in 3D.

    Source: vsusp.com

    How to choose

    • First-year team, no car yet: a dedicated suspension tool gets you from targets to hardpoints fastest. Learn the geometry with a free tool, then pick one that handles loads too.
    • Team with a simulation member: a free multibody license from Altair or Hexagon, or your own Simscape model, goes further, if someone has the time to learn it and hand it down.
    • Hardpoints already frozen: look for a tool that checks the built car and gives part loads for FEA, rather than one built for early design.
    • Budget is zero: combine LABSUS or VSusp for geometry with a sponsored multibody license for loads.

    One corner, two solvers

    Three corners were run through both the Workbench and LABSUS. Camber, toe, caster, KPI, scrub and trail agree within 0.0001° and 0.0001 mm over ±25 mm of wheel travel. Roll center is compared against KineSolver instead, because the two tools define it differently when the pivot axes are tilted. The user guide lists every check.

    Try the Workbench on an example car

    No account, nothing to install. Open a failing target and click "What moves this?". Founding teams get it for $49 until December 21.

    Try the free demo Compared with OptimumKinematics

    Questions

    What is the best free suspension software for FSAE?

    For full multibody simulation, Altair and Hexagon both offer free licenses to student teams through sponsorship programs, and MathWorks offers complimentary MATLAB and Simulink licenses for many competitions. For a quick free kinematics check, LABSUS is open source and 3D, and VSusp is a free 2D front-view tool. Check each vendor's current terms; they change by year.

    Do we need Adams or MotionSolve for FSAE suspension?

    Not to design the hardpoints. Kinematics, loads and spring choice can be done in a dedicated suspension tool. Multibody suites earn their learning time when a team wants full-vehicle dynamics, compliance or transient events.

    How were these tools compared?

    From each vendor's own pages, checked in November 2026. Each tool is described only by what its pages say. If something here is wrong or out of date, email projects@sunfish-labs.com and it will be fixed.

    How do we know the Workbench's numbers are right?

    Three corners were run through LABSUS: camber, toe, caster, KPI, scrub and trail match within 0.0001° over ±25 mm of travel. Every release also has to match 182 hand calculations. The user guide lists every check.