From Concept to Launch — Simulation at Every Gate
The Cooper Stage Gate model defines when decisions are made. MSC simulation tools define how confidently those decisions are made. Scroll through the full development lifecycle and see how each stage maps to NASA TRL levels and the right simulation tools.
Stage Gate enforces rigour at each decision point. Simulation provides the data that makes those decisions defensible — earlier and cheaper than physical prototypes.
Earlier Insight
Virtual prototypes let you explore hundreds of design variants in Stage 1 — before a single part is machined.
Confident Gates
Simulation evidence replaces guesswork at gate reviews, reducing the risk of late-stage failures and costly redesigns.
TRL Progression
NASA TRL levels provide a universal readiness scale. Simulation directly advances TRL before physical hardware is built.
Managed Evidence
SimManager ties simulation results to project milestones — creating a traceable audit trail from Stage 0 to launch.
Stage Gate NASA TRL Correlation
Each Cooper stage spans a TRL band. Simulation closes the gap between adjacent TRL levels.
Scroll through each stage to see the TRL level, key engineering processes, and the MSC simulation tools that support them.
Discovery & Ideation
- Technology scouting & literature review
- Feasibility assessment (conceptual)
- Initial requirements capture
- Identification of simulation needs
ODYSSEE's ROM capabilities enable rapid concept screening at minimal compute cost. SimManager registers the project and seeds the digital thread.
- Technical feasibility confirmed by simulation
- Initial risk log populated in SimManager
- Resource & capability plan drafted
Scoping
- Concept architecture definition
- Preliminary loads & environments
- Material family selection
- Design space exploration via DOE
ODYSSEE trains surrogate models from concept FEA runs. Nastran provides the baseline linear statics. Digimat evaluates material candidates. SimManager tracks all simulation runs as versioned studies.
- Simulation-backed concept comparison
- Preliminary structural sizing memo
- Materials shortlist with Digimat data
- SimManager project baseline locked
Build Business Case
- Detailed design definition (PDR level)
- Full FEA linear structural analysis
- CFD thermal & flow characterisation
- Tolerance stack and DFM review
- Manufacturing process planning
Full Nastran static, modal and buckling analyses. Cradle scFLOW for thermal and aerodynamic loads. ODYSSEE accelerates what-if parametric sweeps. SimManager enforces simulation governance.
- Stress report (FEA-backed)
- CFD thermal margins confirmed
- Approved material & process spec
- Risk register updated in SimManager
Development
- CDR-level detailed design
- Nonlinear & contact analysis
- Multibody dynamics & mechanism loads
- Manufacturing simulation (welding, forming)
- Vibration & acoustic analysis (NVH)
- Composite lay-up & joining optimisation
Marc handles rubber seals, large deformation and contact. Adams computes mechanism and drivetrain loads fed back into Nastran. Simufact predicts weld residual stresses before first fabrication. SimManager version-controls every model revision.
- Full virtual prototype correlated to test data
- Manufacturing feasibility confirmed by simulation
- NVH targets verified with Actran
- Complete SimManager simulation database locked
Testing & Validation
- Fatigue life prediction & damage assessment
- Correlation of FEM to physical test results
- Environmental testing simulation (thermal, vibration)
- Impact & crash analysis
- Qualification simulation runs
CAEfatigue predicts crack initiation across the entire mesh in minutes. Dytran handles transient impact events. ODYSSEE provides real-time surrogate predictions to guide physical test schedules. SimManager ties test reports to the simulation database.
- Fatigue life certified by CAEfatigue
- Test-analysis correlation report
- All qualification criteria met & traceable
- SimManager audit trail complete
Launch & Post-Launch
- Production support & process sign-off
- In-service monitoring & Digital Twin update
- Field failure root-cause analysis
- Continuous improvement studies
SimManager hands over the complete simulation record to operations and quality. ODYSSEE's real-time ROM powers in-service Digital Twin monitoring. CAEfatigue supports field-life extension studies.
- Lessons learned fed back into SimManager templates
- Digital Twin calibrated against field data
- Simulation IP reused in next program
SimManager: The Thread That Connects Every Gate
While each tool does its job at its stage, SimManager is the constant — version-controlling models, linking simulation evidence to gate criteria, and building the reusable IP library that makes the next program faster.
Every simulation model, run and result versioned and linked to the gate it supports.
Traceability from requirements through analysis through test — across every stage.
Standardised simulation workflows that propagate best practice from program to program.
Structured data handover at Gate 5 so manufacturing and operations inherit verified simulation data.
Role-based access, approval workflows and audit trails that satisfy AS9100 and ISO quality requirements.
Map simulation to your development process
Our engineers can help you define which MSC tools fit where in your Stage Gate programme.