IronCAD and the MPIC development team announced the release of Multiphysics for IronCAD (MPIC) 2027, delivering powerful new technologies that bring intuitive rigid-body kinematics directly into high-accuracy finite element analysis (FEA). Designed specifically for CAD designers and engineers who want to perform accurate, realistic simulations earlier in the design cycle, MPIC 2027 continues its tradition of usability, robustness, and rapid workflow improvements.
Since its introduction over a decade ago, MPIC has earned recognition for making advanced multiphysics analysis accessible and efficient. MPIC 2027 builds on this foundation with major enhancements focused on kinematic behavior and load application, helping users accelerate design validation while maintaining the precision of SEFEA (Strain-Enriched Finite Element Analysis) technology.
Key New Multiphysics Technologies in MPIC 2027
New Kinematic Connection Features MPIC 2027 introduces an innovative approach to kinematic joints that bridges traditional Rigid-Body Kinematics (RBK) with standard FEA. Engineers can now define ball, hinge, or piston connections—covering approximately 90% of common kinematic joint types—using any Body, Face, or Edge of a finite element model.
- Body selection: Treats the selected geometry as a rigid body, capturing translational and rotational motion without computing internal stresses (consistent with conventional RBK).
- Face or Edge selection: Applies the joint constraint only to the selected surface or edge while allowing the surrounding solid elements to remain fully deformable, preserving detailed stress, strain, temperature, and other continuum results.
This flexible method eliminates the need for complex mesh refinement around joints and removes the requirement for the physical joint geometry (such as a hinge shaft) to exist in the model. The result is faster setup, improved accuracy, and a more intuitive workflow for real-world design analysis.
Direct Moment and Rotation Specification A long-standing challenge in solid-element FEA has been the lack of native rotational degrees of freedom. MPIC 2027 solves this by extending rigid-body kinematic theory to enable direct application of moments and rotational constraints to any Body, Face, Edge, or Curve—no force-couple workarounds required.
These new Body Forces and Body Constraints (accessible via the main menu and context-sensitive help) automatically convert selected geometry into a semi-rigid entity with the necessary rotational DOF. Support for user-defined local coordinate systems provides precise directional control, such as specifying a drilling torque aligned with a surface normal.
“MPIC 2027 represents a significant step forward in making advanced simulation more accessible to everyday CAD users,” said Cary O’Connor, General Manager of IronCAD Product Division and S.V.P. Product & Strategy. “By combining the simplicity of kinematic joints with the accuracy of full FEA—and eliminating cumbersome workarounds for moments and rotations—designers can obtain reliable results faster than ever before.”
