Math, simulation updates offer new programming tools, faster development
By Dan Strassberg -- EDN, June 10, 2004
As is its custom, The MathWorks has announced a new release that encompasses all of its products. Of these, the two best known are MatLab, the flagship mathematical and technical-computing package, and SimuLink, the dynamic-system-simulation and embedded-system-development package. With this release, the revision level of MatLab goes to 7 and the revision level of SimuLink goes to 6. Price for MatLab 7 starts at $1900; price for SimuLink 6 starts at $2800 (Picture).
MatLab 7 offers built-in support for integer and single-precision floating-point math, as well as language features that handle larger data sets. To improve application performance, the new version implements many optimizations across data types, operators, functions, and hardware. Also new is an enhanced compiler that supports the full MatLab language, enabling developers to deploy many more applications that run independently of MatLab.
Among its new programmer-productivity capabilities, MatLab 7 features a redesigned desktop that includes new programming and debugging tools, automatic creation of code-quality reports, and publishing of code and graphics directly to HTML and Microsoft Word. New interactive point-and-click plotting tools enable faster and easier creation of graphics, including the generation of code that automatically re-creates plotting sessions for later use or redistribution.
The new features of Simulink 6 enable faster development, eliminate manual-coding errors, and facilitate innovation and exploration in control and signal-processing-system development. Simulink 6’s new features support the development of large scale, real-time embedded systems. Component-based modeling and unified data-management capabilities enable design teams to work efficiently on multiple configurations and subsystems within and across organizations.
Simulink 6 also enables engineers to model, simulate, and implement more types of systems, including RF electronics for wireless, video, and image-processing applications and digital filters implemented in VHDL and Verilog. With the new package, engineering teams can also design, implement, and verify systems that consist of fixed-point hardware and software.
The MathWorks, 1-508-647-7000, www.mathworks.com.
