ArmorSim PC (Build 25353487 Early Access)

Build the Shot, Then See the Result

Instead of playing a preset impact animation, the simulator calculates what happens at the moment of impact using terminal-ballistics models. Build an armor target from individual plates, choose their materials, thicknesses, angles, and spacing, select a projectile, and fire.

The target can be built from scratch, while the projectile can either be configured manually or selected from real American, Soviet/Russian, and German service ammunition.

Once the shot lands, the damage develops from the calculated physics. The penetrator can erode as it pushes through the plate, while the armor may bend, tear, eject a plug, or form an uneven hole. Fragments are given actual mass rather than being simple visual effects.

The camera can then move freely around the scene, including during slow-motion playback, making it possible to inspect the impact from practically any angle.

There are no glowing hit markers, dramatic sparks, or clouds of explosion smoke. Just the behavior of metal under impact.

Three Simulation Modes

ArmorSim offers three different solver levels, depending on how much detail is needed.

NORMAL is designed for quick experiments. It uses analytical terminal-ballistics models, including Alekseevskii–Tate erosion integration, Recht–Ipson residual velocity, the Rosenberg ricochet criterion, and Grady fragmentation. Results arrive in a fraction of a second, making it easy to change a parameter and immediately fire another test at ArmorSim.

ADVANCED keeps the same analytical foundation but exposes considerably more of the calculation. Layered and spaced armor arrays, reactive armor packs, and energy tracking for each layer are supported in ArmorSim. For every plate the penetrator crosses, the simulator reports values such as ballistic limit, wear fraction, and residual velocity. This shows where the projectile loses its remaining energy.

ULTRA takes the simulation further with a continuum-based approach. It uses an axisymmetric Lagrangian mesh together with Johnson–Cook plasticity, a Mie–Grüneisen equation of state, adiabatic shear banding, and element erosion.

A single ULTRA impact can take minutes to calculate. The resulting crater and damage shape are produced by the simulation rather than being manually drawn or selected from an animation.

Real Material Data Instead of Hit Points

ArmorSim does not use a generic damage bar or hidden hit-point system. Its results are based on published models and material properties such as density, yield strength, and shock-related laboratory data at ArmorSim.

That also applies to the way the simulator handles its material database. Each material constant includes a source, while the database identifies whether the value is MEASURED, DERIVED, FITTED, or ASSUMED. The referenced research is available for inspection instead of being hidden behind the interface.

Missing information is handled in the same straightforward way. If usable data cannot be found in the available literature, the simulator does not quietly substitute an unrelated material and present it as fact. The material is marked as unsupported, with the reason documented.