Actran
The world's most comprehensive vibro-acoustic and aero-acoustic simulation platform.
Actran combines finite element acoustics, boundary element methods and advanced aero-acoustic solvers to predict noise and vibration performance before a physical prototype exists. From interior NVH in passenger vehicles to jet engine fan noise and speaker enclosure tuning, Actran delivers simulation accuracy that correlates to test data within 1–2 dB across the audible spectrum.
Used by the world's leading automotive OEMs, aerospace manufacturers and consumer electronics companies, Actran is the go-to tool wherever sound quality matters.
Acoustic Pressure Field — Cavity Mode Analysis
2D cross-section showing SPL distribution in a passenger cabin at a swept excitation frequency. Colour encodes sound pressure level from silence (dark blue) to peak (red).
Actran (Acoustic Transfer Analysis) is MSC's dedicated vibro-acoustic simulation platform, built on the finite element method for interior acoustic fields and the boundary element method for exterior radiation problems.
Originally developed by Free Field Technologies and now part of the Cadence portfolio, Actran is the industry benchmark for noise prediction in automotive cabin acoustics, aerospace structural acoustics and consumer audio design. Its unique architecture couples structural FEA results (from Nastran, Abaqus or any solver) directly into the acoustic domain with no loss of accuracy.
Actran covers the full acoustic spectrum from 20 Hz low-frequency cavity modes to high-frequency aero-acoustic turbulent noise, including random excitation via diffuse acoustic field loading for launch acoustics and wind-tunnel test correlation.
- Structural-acoustic coupling (FEM + BEM) in one solver
- Aero-acoustic noise from turbulent boundary layers and jets
- Frequency-domain, time-domain and random vibration analysis
- Poroelastic material models for foam and fibrous trim
- Diffuse acoustic field & Statistical Energy Analysis coupling
- GPU acceleration for large frequency sweeps
- Python scripting API for process automation
- Direct interface to MSC Nastran, Abaqus, OptiStruct
Key Facts
| Developer | Free Field Technologies / Cadence MSC |
| Method | FEM + BEM + CAA (aero-acoustics) |
| Domain | Vibro-acoustics, NVH, aero-acoustics |
| Frequency range | 1 Hz – 100 kHz |
| Material models | 60+ (fluid, poro-elastic, anisotropic) |
| FEA interfaces | Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, OptiStruct |
| Platform | Windows, Linux; GPU/HPC support |
Talk to an Actran Specialist
We offer evaluation licences, acoustic workflow reviews and training courses for Actran.
Engineering results from Actran deployments at global OEMs and tier-1 suppliers.
Actran covers every acoustic and vibro-acoustic problem type, from low-frequency cabin resonance to high-frequency fan tone radiation.
Interior Cavity Analysis
Predict sound pressure levels inside enclosed cavities — passenger cabins, cargo holds, equipment bays — across the full frequency range including all modal resonances. Couples directly to structural FEA results for accurate cavity-structure interaction.
Exterior Sound Radiation
Compute far-field sound power and directivity patterns from vibrating surfaces without requiring an acoustic mesh. BEM handles unbounded domains exactly, making it the method of choice for loudspeaker design, engine radiation and pass-by noise prediction.
Flow-Induced Noise (CAA)
Predict aerodynamic noise from turbulent boundary layers, jets, fans and HVAC ducting using Actran's hybrid CFD-acoustic workflow. Import CFD source terms (from scFLOW, Fluent or OpenFOAM) and propagate them efficiently with FEM/BEM acoustics.
Poroelastic & Trim Modelling
Model sound-absorbing and sound-insulating materials with physical accuracy using Biot theory for poroelastic media. Covers foam, fibreglass insulation, perforated panels, mastic damping patches and multi-layer trim stacks with transmission loss computation.
Diffuse Field & TBL Loading
Apply statistical acoustic loading for launch acoustics, wind-tunnel correlation and turbulent boundary layer excitation. Computes cross-spectral density matrices for realistic random excitation of large structures without simplified rainflow counting.
Acoustic Shape & Material Optimisation
Integrate Actran with MSC Apex, Nastran SOL200 or Tosca for topology and gauge optimisation targeting NVH KPIs — minimise SPL, maximise transmission loss or tune resonant frequency while respecting structural constraints and mass targets.
From CAD geometry to acoustic certification — Actran fits seamlessly into your existing simulation process.
Run the structural model in MSC Nastran, Abaqus or Ansys to obtain body-in-white or powertrain frequencies, mode shapes and transfer functions.
Build the acoustic cavity or BEM surface mesh in Actran Vi-Lab or import from Patran/ANSA. Assign fluid properties, trim materials and boundary conditions.
Execute the vibro-acoustic solve across the target frequency band (e.g. 20–500 Hz for road noise). GPU acceleration cuts solve time from days to hours.
Visualise SPL fields, identify dominant paths, compute transfer functions and compare to measurement data. Export results to LMS Test.Lab or MATLAB for reporting.
How Actran compares to Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and general-purpose FEA codes for acoustic problems.
| Capability | Actran | General-purpose FEA | SEA (Statistical) |
| Low-frequency cavity modes (<500 Hz) | ✓ Full FEM accuracy | ✓ With acoustic elements | ✗ Not suited |
| High-frequency broadband (>1 kHz) | ✓ FEM + SEA coupling | ✗ Mesh size prohibitive | ✓ Designed for this |
| Poroelastic trim / foam layers | ✓ Biot theory built-in | ✗ Approximate only | ✗ Statistical only |
| Exterior radiation (BEM) | ✓ Native BEM solver | ✗ Requires infinite elements | ✗ Not applicable |
| Aero-acoustic source import (CFD) | ✓ scFLOW, Fluent, OpenFOAM | ✗ Manual workaround | ✗ Not applicable |
| Diffuse acoustic field loading | ✓ ISO 11820 compliant | ✗ Manual setup needed | ✓ Standard feature |
| Direct Nastran / Abaqus coupling | ✓ Certified interface | ✓ Same solver | ✗ Indirect only |
| GPU acceleration | ✓ Supported (large models) | ✗ Solver-dependent | ✗ Not applicable |
Actran is the acoustic simulation tool of choice wherever noise, vibration and sound quality are critical to product success.
Interior cabin SPL, road noise, powertrain airborne noise, door seal acoustics and HVAC ducting. Correlated to vehicle-level NVH targets at every design stage.
Launch acoustic environments, jet engine fan tone radiation, turbulent boundary layer fatigue loading on fuselage panels and equipment bay internal acoustics.
Loudspeaker enclosure tuning, headphone ear-cup acoustics, micro-speaker grille diffraction and port resonance prediction. Simulation replaces anechoic chamber iterations.
Laptop, tablet and smartphone speaker simulation; cooling fan tonal noise; hard disk drive vibration transmission; resonance detuning in thin-walled enclosures.
Underwater radiated noise (URN) from propeller cavitation and structural vibration, machinery isolation design, naval vessel acoustic signature and habitability assessment.
Wheel-rail rolling noise, interior cabin acoustics, pantograph aero-acoustic noise and structure-borne excitation from track irregularities and bogies.
Fan and pump noise radiation, duct break-out noise, silencer insertion loss and HVAC diffuser tonal prediction for open-plan office acoustic comfort compliance.
Wind turbine blade and gearbox tonal noise, transformer hum radiation, generator end-winding acoustic emission and offshore structure underwater noise.
Actran plugs into your existing simulation and test data ecosystem with certified, ready-to-use interfaces.
Ready to Hear the Difference?
Let us show you how Actran can cut your NVH development cycles and reduce prototype testing. Contact our acoustic simulation specialists today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Actran is a vibro-acoustic and aero-acoustic simulation platform used to predict noise and vibration performance before a physical prototype exists — from interior cabin noise (NVH) in vehicles to jet engine fan noise and speaker enclosure design.
Actran is built on finite element and boundary element acoustic methods and typically correlates to physical test data within 1–2 dB across the audible spectrum.
Actran couples directly with structural results from MSC Nastran, Abaqus, OptiStruct or any other major FEA solver, so it can be added to an existing structural analysis workflow.
Actran was originally developed by Free Field Technologies and is now part of the Cadence portfolio, distributed in Scandinavia by SimEvolution.
Yes — Actran uses the finite element method for interior acoustic fields such as a vehicle cabin, and the boundary element method for exterior radiation problems, in a single platform.