DESIGNCENTER NX 2512: WHAT’S NEW IN VEHICLE DESIGN AUTOMATION (NX VDA) & VEHICLE DESIGN VALIDATION (NX VDV)

Designcenter NX 2512 reinforces NX’s role as the core platform of Siemens’ comprehensive Digital Twin strategy, especially in the domain of vehicle design, automation, and validation.
This release introduces major enhancements to both Vehicle Design Automation (VDA) and Vehicle Design Validation (VDV), helping manufacturers shorten development cycles, ensure regulatory compliance, and improve vehicle safety from the earliest design stages .

1. Overview of Vehicle Design Automation & Validation in NX 2512

Vehicle Design Automation (VDA)

NX VDA focuses on automated validation of:

• Driver ergonomics
• Direct and indirect visibility
• Mechanical packaging
• Vulnerable Road User (VRU) and pedestrian safety

Standardized and automated workflows allow validation from concept through detailed design, ensuring repeatability, accuracy, and consistency across vehicle programs

Vehicle Design Validation (VDV)

NX VDV enables engineers to validate vehicle designs against:

• Direct vision, mirrors, and camera systems
• Interior space and driver safety
• International standards such as ECE, SAE, ISO, and JASO

With NX 2512, VDV significantly expands its coverage for motorcycles, trucks, forklifts, and heavy equipment.

2. Key Enhancements in Vehicle Design Validation (VDV) – NX 2512

2.1. Expanded Direct Vision Standards Support

NX 2512 adds and enhances direct vision validation for key global standards:

• JASO T005 for motorcycles and scooters, including rider eye-point support
• UN ECE R158 for rearward visibility evaluation with head and torso rotation
• Early-stage validation of visibility across multiple vehicle types and operator postures

2.2. Enhanced Target Grid Capabilities

New and expanded Target Grid support includes:

• SAE J268 for motorcycles (rear center horizon and 10-meter side lines)
• ISO 13564 for forklift trucks, supporting both direct and camera vision
• User-defined vertical walls positioned relative to the eye point or vehicle

2.3. Richer Environment Objects

NX 2512 introduces additional out-of-the-box (OOTB) environments:

• Rectangular walls surrounding the vehicle for heavy equipment analysis
• Spherical environments for volumetric and spatial analysis
• TMC RP 428 environments for trucks based on American Trucking Associations visibility guidelines

2.4. Advanced Camera & View Volume Improvements

• Custom camera field-of-view shapes (rectangular and conical, profile-limited)
• User-defined View Volume using existing solids

• Performance improvements, support for below-ground analysis, and clearer obstruction results

2.5. Trunk Volume Calculation

A new command enables luggage volume analysis:

• Trunk volume calculation according to ISO 3832
• Automatic placement of standardized luggage boxes
• Reporting of total volume and number of boxes for fast design comparison

3. Key Enhancements in Vehicle Design Automation (VDA) – NX 2512

3.1. Expanded Base Data for Two-Wheelers and Heavy Vehicles

• New Seat H-point (SHP) and peg position inputs for motorcycles
• Support for standing rider posture on electric scooters (micro-mobility)
• Multi-axle base data for trucks, articulated vehicles, and heavy equipment used in clearance tests

3.2. Major Upgrades to 2D Manikin and Eyellipse

• Updated user interfaces showing the full list of vehicle classes
• Motorcycle rider posture support based on JASO T003 / T005 / T006
• Comfort assessment zones and arm posture logic (locked or bent elbows)
• Eyellipse support for rearward-looking posture per ECE R158

3.3. Improved Support for Multi-Axle and Articulated Vehicles

• Dual loading planes (front and rear) for articulated trucks and buses
• Enhanced Inner Angle and Slope Angle calculations for different loading conditions
• Optimized for long vehicles, trailers, and heavy equipment applications

3.4. Reflection Data & Convergent Geometry Support

• More accurate light reflection calculations considering obstructions
• Support for convergent (facet) geometry in:
  • Mirror Certification
  • Close Range Visibility
• Ideal for scan-based and mesh-driven workflows

3.5. Smarter Pedestrian Protection Analysis

• Enhanced impactor display and control
• Impactor limits based on Corner Reference Point
• Adjustable upper-leg impactor angles
• Clear visualization of gauge travel and extreme positions

4. Business and Engineering Benefits

With Designcenter NX 2512, organizations can:

• Reduce vehicle development time and cost
• Validate designs against international safety and visibility standards earlier
• Minimize physical prototyping and testing
• Standardize design and validation workflows across teams
• Support OEMs, suppliers, EV startups, and SMBs in automotive and industrial vehicle development .

5. Conclusion

Designcenter NX 2512 represents a significant step forward in unifying Vehicle Design Automation and Vehicle Design Validation within a single, powerful platform.
This release is particularly valuable for companies developing:

• Electric vehicles
• Motorcycles and micro-mobility solutions
• Trucks, forklifts, and heavy equipment

For organizations seeking a comprehensive, standards-driven vehicle design and validation solution, NX 2512 provides a future-ready foundation.