RBD Analysis vs Transient Structural Analysis — Lesson 1

What is the requirement of Rigid Body Dynamic Analysis when Transient Structural Analysis allows rigid body motion?

Transient Structural:
- Designed for (large) FE models
- Designed for stress computation

Rigid Dynamics:
- DOFs are relative motion at joints (small number of DOFs)
- Designed for accurate forces computation
- Keep total energy balance (no numerical damping)
- Accurate event detection (shock, collision)
- Easy to set-up and use

RBD is fast and simple and computes accurate forces.