SMAC Frequently asked Questions

SMAC Frequently Asked Questions

last updated June 12, 2009

SMAC features comparison table*

	m-smac	m-smacFX	WinSMAC	EDSMAC	HVE-2DSMAC	HVE-3DSMAC
Vendor	McHenry Software	VisualStatement	ARSoftware	Engineering Dynamics	Engineering Dynamics	Engineering Dynamics
Approximate Cost?	$2000	$2000	$769	was $750, no longer available	$2000+	$10,000+
Multiple license discount?	yes	??	yes	n/a	yes	??
Approx cost for extra license?	$650-$1000	??	??	n/a	??	??
Annual Fee?	$250-$500	0	??	was ~$300	~$400+	~$1000+
Support Options
Phone support?	yes	yes	yes	$95 per incident FEE	??**	??**
email support?	yes	yes	yes	??	??	??
response time?	0-3 hrs	0-3 hrs	??	??	??**	??**
knowledgeable responses?	yes	yes	yes	??	??**	??**
Updates in response to requests for enhancements?	Yes	yes	no	no	no	no
Informative website?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
Licensee only website with Q&A & news?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Updates posted to web?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
Frequency of enhancements?	very	??	??	no	no	no
Platform?	Win32	Win32	Win16	DOS	Win16?	Win16?
Enhancements beyond original SMAC?	yes	yes	no	no	minor	minor
Max # Vehicles	3, (4 coming)	2	2	2	2	3+
polygon friction zones	yes	upcoming	no	no	yes	yes
vehicle databases included?	yes	yes	yes	no	extra	extra
optional individual tire friction?	yes	upcoming	no	no	no	yes
Output time histories?	yes	yes	??	with effort	with effort	with effort
impulsive constraint 'snag'***	yes	upcoming	no	no	no	no
CCI option***	yes	upcoming	no	no	no	no
Steer Degree of Freedom?***	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
tire blowout ability?	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
barrier option?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
output in format for spreadsheet programs?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
acceleration monitor at any location?	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
outputs in format for ATB?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
output in format for Lightwave?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
measured damage targets display?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
POI/POR targets display?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
4 wheel steering?	yes	yes	no	no	no	??
driver model/path follower?	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
animation	robust	robust	marginal	marginal	yes	yes
animation autopan/autozoom?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
DXF/CAD support?	yes	yes	no	no	yes	yes
tabular display option?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
bitmap underlays?	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
options vehicle-fixed display?	yes	yes	no	no	no	??
simplified occupant kinematics model?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Articulated vehicle option?	yes	no	no	no	no	yes
trailer collision model?	yes	no	no	no	no	no
trailer release option?	yes	no	no	no	no	no

Please send any corrections/additions for this Comparison Table to webmaster@mchenrysoftware.com

*Note1: We have not included PC-CRASH in this comparison. PC-CRASH is a momentum based, instantaneous exchange of momentum program. It does not have the sophistication of the SMAC collision model which can lead to very serious problems and sensitivities for some impact configurations. For additional information please see the PC-CRASH sections of the SMAC-type computer programs page.

**Note2: This rating for technical support for EDC HVE is based on discussions with many current and/or former EDC HVE users who classify the response as slow and incomplete.

***Note3: For definitions of some of the terms the reader should review the paper SMAC-97. ('snag'=impulsive constraint, see pp71-73), CCI=Center of Collision Interface, see pp67-70, etc.) Note many of the items listed under OPTIONS are important enhancements which should be implemented in all versions of SMAC.

Raymond R. McHenry was the principal investigator and analytical developer for SMAC (as well as CAL2D, HVOSM & CRASH!). For over 22 years he and Brian G. McHenry have worked together as McHenry Consultants. Performing research and development on the various software programs as well as consulting on thousands of individual case reconstructions. As inventors of SMAC and as users of SMAC on a daily basis to reconstruct accidents, the McHenrys have created a refined and enhanced version of SMAC. Due to repeated requests from interested parties for a McHenry version of SMAC they formed McHenry Software in 1994.

Papers "SMAC-87",[McHenry, B.G. and McHenry, R. R., SAE Paper 88-0227, 1988 SAE Transactions] and "SMAC-97 - Refinement of the Collision Algorithm" [McHenry, B.G., McHenry, R.R., SAE Paper No. 97-0947, 1997 SAE Transactions] contain documentation of needed extensions and refinements of SMAC. SMAC was created in the 1970's on mainframe computers and in the 1980's moved to mini-computers and then in the 1990's to PCs, and many of the initial limitations and simplifying assumptions of SMAC must be revisited and refined. Please review SAE papers SMAC-87 and SMAC-97 for a detailed discussion and presentation.

The other vendors of SMAC (Engineering Dynamics (EDSMAC, HVE SMAC) and ARsoftware (WinSMAC) have not made any significant changes or improvements to the SMAC program. They merely sell the original SMAC program with a Windows wrapper.

Please see our discussion on the various versions of SMAC and our m-smac page for a list of some of the extensions and refinements of the SMAC program in m-smac.

Our initial license fee is available on our order form. We offer discounts for Government, Education and Research. Our pricing reflects a substantial discount compared with ED stuff ($750 for the no longer available DOS version, and no changes in 10 years), HVE-2D stuff ($2000+ and little changes except to move in line with the HVE 3D stuff) and/or Win SMAC ($769). Our program has enhancements well beyond EDSMAC, HVE SMAC and/or WinSMAC. We continually add and refine and respond to request from our users.

Software for accident reconstruction requires continual review, update and enhancements. And all users should use the latest to insure that they have all the tools available. Therefore we require an annual fee to support our continued research and development of the software.

Many users who come to McHenry Software are former or current customers of EDC. EDC charges $250 or more for an annual 'maintenance' fee. The $250 paid to EDC was and is for nothing. Zilch! No improvements, No tech support.

Our $500 renewal fee is reinvested 100% in development and tech support. We maintain and update a website and respond in a very timely manner to users questions, problems and requests for enhancements/additions/etc. Also, we also offer a 'quick pay' discount for renewals of 10%-20%. So the actual cost is $400 to $450 for prompt and knowledgeable support. Please also note that we discount the renewal fee for additional licensees at any particular company. Please see the Order form for more information.

McHenry Software has teamed with VisualStatement to add a version of m-smac called msmacFX. Please see our information page on msmacFX.

m-smacRT is no longer a valid program. Any use of msmacRT is software piracy. Please see our information page on msmacRT.

Over the years, several papers have taken cheap shots at SMAC (some funded by automobile manufacturers, and some as thinly veiled sales pitches for other software). As a service to SMAC users we offer a page with explanations of the erroneous and misleading statements about SMAC and CRASH.

Please also read:

This page is under construction. Please revisit soon for additional notes and information.

If you have any questions or feedback we can be reached by e-mail at McHenry@mchenrysoftware.com