MSC.Software Helps Researchers Solve Mystery of Soccer Trick Kicks; MSC.Patran Used by Researchers to Model Complex Physics of Soccer Free Kicks.

Business/Sports Editors & High-Tech/Soccer Writers

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2002

MSC.Software Corp. (NYSE:MNS), the leading global provider of simulation software, services and systems, today announced that MSC.Patran was used by researchers to help solve the mystery of `trick' or `bending' free kicks in soccer. Through the collaboration of three research groups, researchers at the University of Sheffield's Sports Engineering Research Group, Yamagata University's Sports Science Laboratory and Fluent were able to simulate the complex physics acting upon the ball and determine how world-class soccer players fool defenders and goaltenders with kicks that change trajectory in mid-flight.

Dr. Takeshi Asai of the Yamagata University's Sports Science Laboratory used MSC.Patran to model the stress and deformation of the foot and ball as the player strikes the ball. This simulation, combined with the computational fluid dynamics research done by Fluent and wind tunnel and trajectory modeling done by the Dr. Matt Carre of the University of Sheffield Sports Engineering Research Group, allowed the research teams to determine the actual physics governing free kicks in soccer.

"The use of simulation software is continuing to grow around the world, especially in industries like sports and recreation who traditionally haven't used advanced simulation to understand how their products really function," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "We are proud to be a small part of this research into soccer ball flight and are looking forward to seeing these complex physical interactions on the field during the World Cup."

When a soccer ball is traveling through the air, its trajectory is influenced by a number of factors, including wind flow, air speed and pressure. As the player strikes the ball, the drag and force experienced by the ball strongly influence its trajectory, especially if the ball is spinning. When a player strikes the ball attempting to induce a shot that bends, a reaction known as Magnus Force causes an imbalance of pressure to occur. This imbalance can be so pronounced at the end of a ball's flight that the sideways `spin' force and `drag' force causes the ball to alter its trajectory considerably near the goal.

"The computer modeling techniques my group has developed with MSC.Patran will help us design better soccer boots in the near term and explain how a soccer player's foot deforms as it interacts with the ball," said Dr. Takeshi Asai of Yamagata University's Sports Science Laboratory. "This has important implications for kicking techniques and preventing injuries to the foot and improve the overall understanding of the science of soccer."

"We believe that our research into the underlying physics of soccer balls is crucial to helping us explain more about soccer free kicks than ever before," said Dr. Matt Carre from the University of Sheffield Sports Engineering Research Group. "The work we are doing will lead to insights that can be applied to making better soccer balls and in improving the techniques of young soccer players."

For more information and animations on this research, please visit the `What's New' section of the MSC.Software Web site at http://www.mscsoftware.com/ or visit http://www.fluent.com/about/news/pr/pr43.htm.

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software (NYSE:MNS) is the leading global provider of simulation software, with related services and systems, that helps companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software, services and systems. MSC.Software employs more than 1500 people in 22 countries. For additional information about MSC.Software's products and services, please visit www.mscsoftware.com.

About Fluent

Fluent is the world's largest provider of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and consulting services. Fluent's software is used for simulation, visualization and prediction of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. It is a vital part of the computer-aided engineering (CAE) process for companies around the world and in almost every manufacturing industry including aerospace, automotive and process industries.

Using Fluent's software, product development, design and research engineers build virtual prototypes and simulate the performance of proposed and existing designs, which helps them to optimize, troubleshoot, scale-up and retrofit. Use of CFD software reduces time-to-market by reducing the need for costly physical testing and prototyping. Fluent's CFD software has been used extensively in competitive sports ranging from Motor Racing through Olympic Sports to Yacht Racing.

Fluent's corporate headquarters are located in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. Fluent's European headquarters are located in Sheffield, England, with local offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Fluent's Asia Pacific headquarters are located in Tokyo, Japan. Its CFD software is also available around the world through joint ventures, partnerships, and distributors in Korea, Australia, Brazil, China, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Middle East and most European countries.

Fluent is a subsidiary of Aavid Thermal Technologies Inc. Additional information on Fluent's products can be obtained on the World Wide Web at www.fluent.com or by e-mailing [e-mail]. More information on Aavid Thermal Technologies is available at www.aavid.com. FLUENT(R) is a registered trademark of Fluent Inc.

About the University of Sheffield Sports Engineering Research

Group

S.E.R.G. is part of the University of Sheffield's Mechanical Engineering Department in England and it was founded by Dr. Steve Haake in 1996. Since then it has grown rapidly to be one of the largest groups of its type in the world. Sports Engineering is a new discipline that applies standard engineering principles and techniques to the research, design and development of external devices used by athletes and sports people to enhance their performance.

Sports engineering is closely linked to sports science, which is more concerned with the analysis of the athlete than the equipment, although there is frequent overlap between the two disciplines due to the holistic nature of sports performance. The University of Sheffield's S.E.R.G. has world-class expertise in sports ball and pitch analysis using various experimental and computer modeling techniques and is closely involved with the International Sports Equipment Association (ISEA) and the Sports SET Network.

For additional information on S.E.R.G. and its applied work visit: http://www.shef.ac.uk/mecheng/sports, http://www.sportsetnet.org.uk/, http://www.sports-engineering.co.uk/.

About the Yamagata University Sports Science Lab

The Sports Science Laboratory at Yamagata University was founded by Dr. Takeshi Asai in Japan. Dr. Asai has considerable experience in examining the underlying science of soccer ball kicking and working with boot manufacturers to apply his expertise. The Yamagata group has also carried out extensive modeling work on bone stresses during the kicking of a soccer ball and the biomechanics of soccer players during a game. For more details about the Yamagata S.S.L. visit: http://www.e.yamagata-u.ac.jp/~asai/index.html.