SimSolid 2026 Release Notes

Physics-based Solutions

Rotordynamics

The Rotordynamics solution is now available for complex eigenvalue analysis. The implementation is based on equations of motion formulated in a rotating reference frame. The solution can include both Coriolis and stress stiffening effects. You can also include a range of angular velocities as input. The output includes complex frequencies and the ability to plot angular velocity vs. frequency/damping.

Electromagnetics

Electromagnetics capability has been added to SimSolid. There are currently two solutions supported:

• S-parameters: S-parameters are a way of understanding how much signal is transmitted, reflected, or transferred between ports of a network. SimSolid lets you define waveguide ports and perfect electric conductors.
• Modal: The Modal solution helps you understand how the electromagnetic waves propagate as modes within a system.

Buckling/Modal prestress with orthotropic material

Buckling and modal prestress analysis are now supported for orthotropic material.

Multi-loadcase is supported for prestressed modes

Prestressed modes can now be linked to multi-loadcase analysis. In addition to plotting frequencies and mode shapes, you can also plot the frequency diagram (i.e., load cases vs. frequency plot).

Enhanced remote displacement

Remote displacements can now have a combination of translation/rotation and force/moment. These loads are still applied rigidly to the attached faces/spots.

Usability

Connections filter

Filters can now be defined at a project level to show/hide connections in the project tree. These filters are applicable to all connections across all the design studies. Multiple filters can be toggled on/off simultaneously.

Reuse part connections

Part connections can be copied to multiple instances in the assembly. This improves the model build performance by eliminating any duplicate effort to create connections between similar pair of parts.

User-defined part color assignments

You can now assign colors to parts in the assembly manually. The option to randomly assign part colors is still available by right-clicking on the assembly and selecting Set random colors on parts. To toggle colors on and off, select the toolbar option Show parts in colors.

Clipping plane caps

Clipping plane cap cutouts can now be toggled on and off. In addition to this, you can choose a color for the cap cutouts.

Bolt/nut forces in dynamics

Bolt/nut forces are now output for dynamic analysis. The dialog automatically populates the absolute maximum values in the table, which can be sorted to quickly isolate bolts with issues. In addition to this, forces across the range of frequencies can also be queried for individual bolts.

Sweep solids for welds

All sweep solids can now be used to create various welds from solids including seam welds, adhesives, and laser welds.

Extreme resolution for self-contacts

Self-contacts now support extreme connection resolution.

Open and Slip tolerance

You can now define the tolerance for open/close and slip/stick for contact status visualization with nonlinear contact.

Batch mode enhancements

• A new function to check and capture any geometry defects including self-intersections.
• A new function to add gravity load to multi-load case analysis.
• A function to output maximum von Mises stress and maximum displacement from multi-load case analysis.

Review regular connections

Connections and default contact conditions can now be edited from the review regular connections dialog. The connections list can also be exported to a CSV file.

Review parts

All the columns from the review parts dialog can be exported to a CSV file.

Summary of mass

The summary of mass is improved to include mass from parts, rigid parts, welds, adhesives, bushings, remote mass, and distributed mass.

Material database

Material database can be easily switched between multiple SimSolid material files.

Updated CAD import formats for Parasolid and legacy readers

File Format	Supported Versions
SOLIDWORKS (.sldpart, .sldasm)	99 - 2025
NX/Unigraphics (.prt)	11 to NX CR 2412

Others

• Color and visual settings are maintained wherever applicable.
• Create/edit sheets and laminates is available via context menu in graphics.
• Parts view is changed to translucency when creating rivets.
• Grounded bushings, shock absorber, rods, and cables have all been re-factors into boundary conditions from virtual connectors.
• A new option to reset the defaults across all the settings.
• Neuber quantities are written to CSV file.
• Imported superelements is available under standard license.
• Default origin of local coordinate system is now at the cog of assembly instead of global origin.
• NX plug-in for SimSolid works for all the new versions of Siemens NX.
• Cables are automatically converted to rods in dynamics.
• Improvements to collision dialog including availability for solutions with multiple steps and excluding collision check with various connections.
• Teamcenter is now supported up to version 2506.

Grounded virtual connectors

Grounded bushings, shock absorber, rods, and cables have all been deprecated and moved into boundary conditions.

• Improved convergence of complex modes.
• Improved modal superelement export that provides a consistent solution with traditional FE.
• Improved approximation of input functions for dynamics.
• Issues related to using incorrect orientation for orthotropic materials.
• Issues plotting flux on datum planes.
• Issues related to incorrect translation of adhesive connections to local analysis.
• Improved mapping of imported pressure, temperature, forces and remote loads.
• Issues related to phase output from pick face.
• Temperature units in plots are now displaced correctly.
• Issues related to already solved workbenches in linked analysis.
• Improve spot creation with small dimensions.
• Fixed issues related to automatically updating of fastener contact conditions when unrelated connections are edited.
• Fixed issues related to multi-loadcase name in result plot.
• Fixed display related issues of parts, dialogs and result plots.
• Fixed refresh issues related to bushings, remote mass and fatigue event dialog.
• Issues related to saving thermal plots to a text file.
• Issues with default contact condition changes not trickled down to solution not supporting updated contact condition.
• Issues related to copying data such as boundary conditions.
• Issues with incorrect recognition of bolts.
• Issues reviewing skins in the assembly.
• Issues related mapping rod/cable tightening.
• General improvements around part replacement.
• Issues related to bushings reaction to CSV.
• Issues related to solution freeze has been fixed.
• Issues with numerical instabilities have been fixed.
• Several crashes have been fixed.

The following known issues will be addressed in a future release as we continuously improve performance of the software.

• Issues with linear guide joint under virtual connectors
• On October 14, 2025, Microsoft Windows 10 reached its end of support. Following Microsoft's messaging, all Altair 2026.0 applications no longer support Windows 10. Altair is providing this information to help our customers accommodate this change. Altair 2026.0 supports the Windows 11 operating system, along with our other Linux-based operating systems. Please contact your local Altair support team if you have any questions or concerns.