The MathWorks announced on Monday the addition of two new tools for Simulink, the company’s environment for modeling dynamic systems and designing closed-loop controllers. Simulink Control Design helps engineers perform linear analysis of nonlinear models while Simulink Parameter Estimation calculates model parameters, eliminating the need to create them by trial and error.
Both applications require Simulink and the algorithm development environment MATLAB. Control System Toolbox, which provides the tools needed to design and analyze controllers for dynamic systems, is also required for Control Design while Optimization Toolbox, which extends MATLAB with new algorithms, is recommended. Parameter Estimation requires Optimization Toolbox, with Genetic Algorithm & Direct Search Toolbox recommended.
The MathWorks also noted on Monday that Control System Toolbox has been upgraded with a better numerical engine, System Identification Toolbox adds the ability to validate dynamic system models with frequency-domain data and Simulink Response Optimization contains new algorithms for optimizing time-based signals in Simulink models. Users with current software maintenance plans can obtain these upgrades for free. Pricing for all of The MathWorks’ add-on tools starts at US$1,000 except System Identification Toolbox, which starts at $900.
MATLAB and Simulink require Mac OS X v10.3.2, a G4 or G5 processor, 400MB hard drive space and 256MB RAM (512MB recommended).