MapleSim has been delivering unique advantages in physical modeling and system simulation for many years. Today we release the latest iteration: MapleSim 5. Looking back at some of the earlier versions of our software, it is hard to believe that this is the same product; from the user interface to the component libraries to the simulation engine, every part of the system has experienced a striking evolution.

Like its predecessors, MapleSim 5 is based on the Maple mathematical engine and relies on the world’s strongest symbolics as well as a suite of state-of-the-art numeric solvers. System equations are generated automatically and are used for analysis as well as optimized code generation. MapleSim 5 introduces significant performance improvements in the symbolic simplification engine, producing faster code in less time. While for some simulation models, the symbolic preprocessing phase could easily have taken several minutes, this time is now typically down to just a few seconds. Simulations speed has also drastically improved over the past releases and MapleSim 5 simulates complex models that seemed intractable before.

The MapleSim library of prebuilt components has also grown tremendously from an initial set of just about 200 to over 570 in MapleSim 5. Support for the Modelica standard has evolved in parallel, with the Signal Flow, Electrical, 1-D Rotational and Translational, Magnetic, Thermal and Thermal Fluid domains all now supported in MapleSim 5. Added to that, MapleSim's own multibody library, which is based on linear graph theory, is able to automatically select coordinates to generate very compact equations, resulting in fast simulations. On top of this, MapleSim 5 makes it easier than ever to create your own custom components, straight from a set of equations, via the Maple environment.

Perhaps the most significant enhancement in MapleSim 5, though, is the ability to automatically generate very fast code for hybrid system models, which include event switches. Code for HIL or controller prototyping can be generated directly to a Simulink®, LabVIEW™, or dSPACE® (DS1104 R&D Controller Board) target, or you can choose to produce generic C code, which incorporates a differential equation solver and is ready to run in your environment. Here again, our unique symbolic simplification technology is used to generate compact and optimized code without loss of fidelity.

Analysis of system equations and simulation results has always been a strength of MapleSim with its tight integration with Maple. A new user API in MapleSim 5 makes such analysis tasks even easier and provides you with instant access to over 5000 mathematical functions and algorithms.

Finally, the MapleSim user interface has steadily evolved into what we believe to be the friendliest environment for physical modeling on the market.

MapleSim has come a long way. A lot of hard work and close collaborations with very dedicated customers have come together to make this release the best yet. Whether you are just getting started with physical modeling or you are looking at adding new and unique capabilities to your existing simulation toolchain, MapleSim 5 is worth a look!

Related links:

• MapleSim web site
• New features in MapleSim 5

Simulink is a registered trademark of The MathWorks,Inc. LabVIEW is a trademark of National Instruments. dSPACE is a registered trademark of dSPACE GmbH.