This is the third and final part of the series intended to make designing and data input quicker and easier to understand and this is one update I’ve had a lot of requests about. Support for the ISO 8855 and SAE J670e coordinate definitions means you can easily transfer the XY dimensions from your favorite CAD package or from paper into the Suspension Geometry Calculator to analyze the performance of your design.

When you’re in edit mode and press the form input button you will now be presented with three options:

• Dimensions from vehicle is the existing method of data entry – UCA length, UCA bearing etc.
• ISO 8855 allows you to specify the critical nodes such as the UCA / Chassis joint as a coordinate relative to an origin  specified by the ISO 8855 standard.
• SAE J670e allows you to specify the critical nodes such as the UCA / Chassis joint as a coordinate relative to an origin  specified by the SAE J670e standard.

This is what the ISO 8855 form looks like:

The origin crosshairs are displayed over the model as is the dimension that currently has the focus to make life easier.

Another useful feature as part of this update is the ability to bypass exceptions when applying any changes made by the form input. I know it can be frustrating when you enter all you details to be told something like “The upper kingpin/upright tether must remain above the line of the wheel spindle”. In isolation this message could be confusing unless you have clearly made a typo so now you have the option to continue to draw the model regardless so you can SEE the error and correct it.

Warning: In some extreme circumstances choosing to bypass exceptions may result in your browser crashing.

Visit the Suspension Geometry Calculator or open one of your existing models to sample the new coordinate standards yourself.

Part 2 of this series relates to visual descriptions

Part 1 of this series relates to inline dimensioning