Home
Multibody Modeling in MotionView
MotionView is a general pre-processor for Multibody Dynamics.
Vehicle Modeling
Explore the various vehicle modeling tools.
Vehicle Libraries
Heavy Truck MDL Library

Welcome
What's New
View new features for Altair HyperWorks 2026.
Get Started
Learn the basics and discover the workspace.
Tutorials
Learn more about the Altair HyperWorks suite of products with interactive tutorials.
Startup Procedures and Customizations
Start and configure the applications.
Tool Finder
View a list of deprecated panels and their newer, equivalent workflows.
Manage Files and Data
Create, open, import, and save models.
Sessions and Report Templates
Set up sessions and create report templates.
Interface with External Products
Solver interfaces supported in HyperMesh.
Entities and Solver Interfaces
A solver interface is made up of a template and a FE-input reader.
Browsers
Browsers provide a structured view of model data, which you can use to review, modify, create, and manage the contents of a model. In addition to visualization, browsers offer features like search, filtering, and sorting, which enhance your ability to navigate and interact with the model data.
Sketching
Create and edit 2D parametric sketch geometry.
Topology
Create, edit, and cleanup geometry.
FE Geometry
FE geometry is topology on top of mesh, meaning CAD and mesh exist as a single entity. The purpose of FE geometry is to add vertices, edges, surfaces, and solids on FE models which have no CAD geometry.
Meshing and Elements
Explore the different types of mesh you can create in HyperMesh and create and edit 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D elements.
Model Build and Assembly
Create, organize, and manage parts and subsystems.
Composites
HyperMesh composites modeling.
Connectors
Create connections between parts of your model.
Morph
Rapidly change the shape of the FE mesh without severely sacrificing the mesh quality.
Skeleton Modeling
Create a reduced ordered model to facilitate optimization at the concept phase.
Design Space
Workflow to support topology optimization model build and setup.
Optimization
Setup an Optimization in HyperMesh.
Design Explorer
Multi-disciplinary design exploration and optimization tools.
Validate
Validate the model built before running solver analysis.
Analyze
Models require loads and boundary conditions in order to represent the various physics and/or physical equivalents to bench and in-use testing.
Axisymmetry
Reduce a full 3D model with axisymmetric surfaces while accounting for imperfections.
Concept Modeling
Tools and workflows that are dedicated to rapidly creating new parts for specific use cases, or amending existing parts. The current capabilities are focused on stiffening parts.
Crash and Safety
Tools used for crash and safety analysis.
Airbag
Use airbag folder utilities and export a resulting airbag in a Radioss deck.
Aerospace
Essential utility tools developed using HyperMesh-Tcl.
Aeroelasticity
Import an aeroelastic finite element model with Nastran Bulk Data format.
Certification
Framework to plug certification methods to assess margin of safety from the model and result information.
PhysicsAI
Use PhysicsAI to build fast predictive models from CAE data. PhysicsAI can be trained on data with any physics or remeshing and without design variables.
Results Data in HyperMesh and HyperView
Results data can be post-processed using both HyperMesh and HyperView.
Developer
The Developer ribbon contains tools for automation and customization.
Plot Data in HyperMesh and HyperGraph
Plot data can be post-processed using both HyperMesh and HyperGraph.
Multibody Modeling in MotionView
MotionView is a general pre-processor for Multibody Dynamics.
- MotionView Overview
  MotionView is a general pre-processor for Multibody Dynamics.
- Model Browser
  The Model Browser allows you to view the MotionView model structure while providing display and editing control of entities.
- MotionView Ribbons
  The MotionView ribbons allows you to quickly access tools and standard functions, and is located along the top of MotionView.
- MotionView CAD Interfacing
  MotionView supports the importing of several types of CAD and FE formats.
- Flexible Bodies
  MotionView has many pre-processing and post-processing capabilities with regards to flexible bodies, or flexbodies, for multibody dynamics models.
- Functional Mockup Unit (FMU)
  Add an FMU to the model or export a model as an FMU.
- Vehicle Modeling
  Explore the various vehicle modeling tools.
  - Build and Analyze Models
  - Vehicle Libraries
    - Car/Small Truck Library
    - Heavy Truck MDL Library
      - Select the Heavy Truck Library
        The vehicle library is installed as a part of the normal MotionView installation.
      - Build a Heavy Truck Model
        The vehicle library is installed as a part of the MotionView installation.
      - Build a Front Suspension System Model
        This section explains briefly how to build and generate reports for a model built in the Truck Library.
      - Build a Rear Suspension System Model
        This section explains briefly how to build a rear suspension model. The procedure is similar to building the Front suspension model.
      - Build a Full Truck with Drivers Model
        This section briefly explains a Full truck with driver model.
      - Front Suspension Systems
        Front suspension supports the wheels in the front with the help of a solid axle. The front suspension stabilizes the vehicle to the road and helps to absorb the bumps of the road. There are two types of front suspension used in the Truck Library.
      - Rear Suspension Systems
        Rear Suspension supports the rear wheels with the help of a solid axle. There are three types of rear suspensions in the truck library.
      - Frame – Ladder - Rigid
      - Steering Subsystems
        The steering system mechanism permits the driver to guide the truck along the rod and turn right or left as desired. The steering mechanism includes the steering wheel which the driver regulates the steering gear which converts the rotary motion of the wheel into straight line motion.
      - Shock Absorber Systems
        The Shock Absorber system models a conventional shock absorber and the bushings at the top and bottom of the shock.
      - Stabilizer Bars
        The stabilizer bar helps to control body roll on turns. The Assembly Wizard allows selection of two types of stabilizer bars, single piece and two piece.
      - Jounce and Rebound Systems
      - Engine Systems (Powertrain)
      - Driveline Systems
    - Two-Wheeler MDL Library
    - Suspension Design Factors
      When you build front or rear vehicle models using the Model Assembly Wizard you can add analyses using the Analysis Task Wizard that include output requests for Suspension Design Factors (SDFs) which are useful for assessing a suspension’s kinematic and compliance characteristics.
  - Components Library
  - Leaf Spring Modeling
  - Road Modeling
  - Tire Modeling
  - Soft Soil Modeling
  - Full Vehicle Events and Altair Driver
  - Road Tools
  - 1D Vehicle System Models
  - Update Model Tool
  - Aerodynamics
  - Track Builder
  - Useful Functions and Subroutines
- Tcl/Tk Reference Guide
  Reference material for the scripting interface which is a set of Tcl/Tk commands.
- MDL Reference Guide
  Reference materials for the MotionView MDL Language, Tire Modeling, and the MDL Library.
- MotionSolve Reference Guide
  Reference material detailing command statements, model statements, functions and the Subroutine Interface available in MotionSolve.
- Templex and Math Reference Guide
  Reference material for Templex (a general purpose text and numeric processor) and additional mathematical functions and operators.
- MotionView Python Reference Guide
  Reference materials for the MotionView Python Language.
Media Files in MediaView
MediaView plays video files, displays static images, tracks objects, and measures distances.
Tabulate Results in TableView
Use TableView to create an Excel-like spreadsheet.
Text Files in TextView
TextView math scripts reference vector data from HyperGraph windows to automate data processing and data summary.
Publishing and Reporting
Create, define, and export reports.

View All Altair HyperWorks Help

Heavy Truck MDL Library

The Truck Library is available as a part of the normal Vehicle Tools Extension. Models can be modified interactively in MotionView to support topologies that are not supported in the Truck Library. The Truck Library is open-source, ASCII-based, and can be modified per user needs.

The following systems are supported in the Truck Library:

Front Suspensions
- Solid axle suspension
- Solid axle suspension with trailing arm
Rear Suspensions
- Single solid axle suspension
- Single solid axle suspension with trailing arm
- Dual solid axle suspension
Chassis – Ladder
Cabin – Conventional/Semi-forward
Cabin Suspension
- Fixed to Chassis
- Rear coil spring with dampers
Powertrain - Linear Torque map
Steering linkages – Pitman arm steering
Front spring – Leaf Springs
Rear spring
- Inverted leaf
- Bell crank linked leaf springs
- Z leaf spring with air cushion
Driveline Systems
- Single-axle driveline
- Two-axle driveline
- Rear drive shafts – 1-piece, 2-piece and 3-piece

The models and topology included in the Truck Library are intended to be the beginning of the simulation process. The model built through the Assembly tool has geometry that properly illustrates the suspension of interest, but in some combinations, will not result in a good suspension design. You are responsible for populating the model with the appropriate suspension geometry, spring and shock absorber data, mass and CG location, bushing data, tire data, and other model information that is required to develop an accurate truck model.