ESI GROUP Announces Visual-Crash for PAM

First step toward ESI Group's new open environment, VCP enables PAM-CRASH users to integrate competitive solutions into the Virtual Try-Out Space

EuroPAM 2004, Paris, October 11, 2004 - ESI Group today announced Visual-Crash for PAM (VCP), the first brick of ESI Group's new open integrated environment available now for PAM-CRASH solution. ESI Group leverages the acquisition of EASi by integrating the company's renowned technology into its virtual engineering solution, known as the Virtual Try-Out Space. This strategy paves the way to a unique open environment where competitive simulation software can be coupled with ESI Group's state-of-the-art solvers. First delivered for PAM-CRASH users, this open environment allows them to address any crash and safety related simulations as it effectively replaces the most competitive environment solutions.

VCP combines PAM-CRASH former environment solution with EASi's technology. The embedded data model offers a very versatile environment where new applications and interfaces with tier solutions are easily implemented.

"Visual-Crash for PAM allows PAM users to focus and rely on high quality digital models, from start to finish. As reliable simulation methodologies are emerging for multi-disciplinary simulation, robust simulation-based design processes are now available, embedding proprietary 'know-how' and 'best practice' "said Vincent Chaillou, President and COO, Product Operations, ESI Group.

From data input to visualization, VCP seamless environment provides PAM-CRASH users with fast iteration and rapid model revision process. The environment offers a quick model browsing, advanced meshing capabilities and rapid graphical assembly of system models. VCP allows graphical creation, modification and deletion of contacts, materials, constraint control cards and all crash entities.

Process-oriented methodology brings a compelling advantage to PAM-CRASH users as tier solutions can be easily coupled thanks to process builder modules. Using VCP's multi-window, multi-models, multi-application environment with visual verification, PAM-CRASH users easily address the coupling of finite element and rigid-body models, a requisite in safety simulation.

Leveraging this state-of-the-art environment, a visualization and plotting solution helps analyze PAM-CRASH result data within a uniform interface. The viewer performs automated task and generates customized reports therefore increasing engineer productivity.

Visual-Crash for PAM Environment is available on PC platforms (Windows 2000, XP Professional), UNIX workstations (HP-UX, SunOS, SGI, IBM) and Linux-hardware vendors supported platforms.

About ESI Group 

ESI Group is a pioneer and world leading provider of digital simulation software for prototyping and manufacturing processes that take into account the physics of materials. ESI Group has developed an entire suite of coherent, industry-oriented applications to realistically simulate a product's behavior during testing, to fine tune the manufacturing processes in synergy with the desired product performance, and to evaluate the environment's impact on product usage. ESI Group's product portfolio, which has been industrially validated and combined in multi-trade value chains, represents a unique collaborative, virtual engineering solution, known as the Virtual Try-Out Space (VTOS), enabling a continuous improvement on the virtual prototype. By drastically reducing costs and development lead times, VTOS solutions offer major competitive advantages by progressively eliminating the need for physical prototypes. With revenues close to 49 million euros in fiscal year 2003, ESI Group (Nouveau March�: Euronext Paris - Software - Euroclear 6584 - Bloomberg ESI FP - Reuters ESIG.LN) employs almost 500 high-level specialists worldwide. The company and its global network of agents provide sales and technical support to customers in more than 30 countries. 

www.esi-group.com