Cruden to offer complimentary version of its open architecture Panthera simulator software

Panthera Free to be made available to all and can be run on a single desktop computer with most vehicle models

Cruden, the simulator and simulator software manufacturer, will make a no-cost version of its Panthera simulator software suite available to automotive and motorsport engineers and students, freeing them from workplace and university license restrictions. Users will be able to run simulations, modify and expand vehicle models, add interfaces to hardware and use custom cars and tracks.

Panthera Free uses the same same open physics integration technology and state-of-the-art rendering engine as the licensed version that is used by automotive OEMs and motorsport companies. It shares all of its desktop simulation relevant features. It will be supplied with Panthera ePhyse, an external physics module for Matlab Simulink that allows easy integration with many vehicle models, as well as with Cruden’s Simulink vehicle model, CSVM-Lite, which is also part of the package.

This announcement follows the recent launch of the latest release of Cruden Panthera, which is a stand-alone, open architecture simulator software suite for users of any desktop, static or motion simulator. The rendering performance of Panthera is industry-leading, generating over 120 frames per second at WQXGA resolution whilst keeping latencies well under 10 ms. The use of Panthera is not limited to Cruden hardware; it can be used with any existing or new hardware.

Cruden will be demonstrating Panthera and Panthera Free at the Automotive Testing Expo (Messe Stuttgart, May 31-June 2, stand 1169) where Panthera Free will be issued from the stand, subject to registration. It will be made available after the show as a no-charge download from www.cruden.com.  Cruden CEO, Maarten van Donselaar, will present Panthera and its application in ADAS and autonomous vehicle research at the show’s Open Technology Forum at 16:10 on Wednesday June 1st.

“Cruden is offering Panthera Free to stimulate vehicle modelling and simulation among engineers, students and enthusiasts who are now free to experiment with the software at home or at their workplace. Users will be able to interface with the vehicle model they choose and hook up to a steering wheel and pedals. We’ve held nothing back – every feature of the professional Panthera software that is needed within the desktop simulation environment is there. However, visualisation in the free version is limited to a single channel,” says Maarten van Donselaar, CEO of Cruden.

Panthera Free includes:

• Panthera Core – the main simulation engine that enables users to simulate and visualize cars modelled in Simulink or using the internal vehicle model
• ePhyse – the integration layer for Matlab Simulink
• CSVM Lite – a Simulink vehicle model for driver-in-the-loop simulation that can be modified by the user at will
• Session Manager Lite – the user front-end for configuring and controlling a simulation
• TrackEd – Editor to prepare tracks for use in Panthera
• Documentation

In the lead-up to the launch in June, Panthera Free is being tested extensively by selected Cruden customers including students and lecturers at the mechanical engineering faculty of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The school purchased a Cruden A646-D3 full motion simulator last year and introduced it to the University’s colloquium.

Customers with simulators that require interfaces for motion platforms, professional steering feedback, pedals and more, as well as those with projection systems or multiple screens would need license packages for the Cruden Panthera software suite.

About Cruden
Cruden is the world’s leading designer, manufacturer and integrator of open architecture driving simulators for the automotive, motorsport and marine industries. The company supplies flexible, durable, high performing simulators and their modular components: hardware, software, vehicle models, content and screens and projectors. Originating from Fokker Aircraft Company in the late 1990s, Amsterdam-based Cruden was formed in 2004. The company launched its open architecture Panthera software suite as a standalone application in 2015. www.cruden.com

Press Enquiries and to register for your Panthera Free download:

Claire Dumbreck, Unit 4, Manor Farm Offices, Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, UK, CV47 2YY. +44 (0)1295 770602 / +44 (0) 7768 773857 c.dumbreck@cruden.com

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