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Maplesoft Gets Visual with MapleSim2
New 3-D animation and visualization capabilities transform multi-body models into realistic animations, giving engineers greater insight
Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor -- Design News, September 10, 2009
With the powerful Maple technical computing software at its core and with new 3-D animation and visualization capabilities, Maplesoft's MapleSim 2 multi-domain modeling and simulation tool goes a long way to improving engineer's insight into designs.MapleSim2's new 3-D visualization and animation tools transform multi-body models into realistic animations, providing engineers an intimate look into system behavior when designing complex systems, including the kinematic and dynamic behavior of models. With this capability, for example, an engineer designing a complex robot could generate a 3-D animation of that robot to determine if something is disconnected or if there is a possible interference, according to Tom Lee, Maplesoft's chief evangelist.
Many of the other multi-domain simulation tool providers, including The MathWorks, are also adding 3-D animation and visualization capabilities to their products. Maplesoft is pushing the envelope with these visualization capabilities with a number of capabilities, including playback controls for making it easier to closely examine significant behavior; camera motion controls like panning and zooming to zero in on areas of interest; and the ability to add STL 3-D shape files from CAD systems to add more realism to the animations.
MapleSim2 combines an intuitive physical modeling environment with symbolic techniques to help reduce design engineers' time and effort in creating highly efficient models.
At the heart of MapleSim2 is Maple 13, the latest release of Maplesoft's technical software. Maple 13 includes a variety of new plotting features, including extensive annotation tools and fly-through animations, which make 3-D plots more meaningful and easier to interpret. In addition, this release adds new solvers to expand engineers' problem-solving abilities.
www.maplesoft.com
