Version 2.3 (R14SP3) SimMechanics™ Software Release Notes

Version 2.3 (R14SP3) SimMechanics Software

This table summarizes what's new in V2.3 (R14SP3):

New features and changes introduced in this version are described here.

• New Shared Environment Block

• Updated Body Spring & Damper Block

• Normalizing Rotations

• New State Vector Commands

• New import_physmod Dialog

• Demos Expanded

• Documentation Enhancements

New Shared Environment Block

The new Shared Environment block allows you to link two separate SimMechanics block diagrams with a nonphysical connection. The block enforces the same machine environment settings on both machines but adds no mechanical components (bodies or degrees of freedom) to either. Two machines so connected require exactly one Machine Environment block, rather than two.

See the Shared Environment block reference for further details.

Updated Body Spring & Damper Block

The Body Spring & Damper block no longer contains any degrees of freedom.

Previous versions of the Body Spring & Damper block contained six degrees of freedom (DoFs) represented by a Joint. This Joint had to be taken into account when counting DoFs and loops in your model.

The new Body Spring & Damper block instead uses a Shared Environment block to connect the two sides and contains no DoFs. See their respective block references for more information.

Normalizing Rotations

The Body dialog accepts various rotational forms (Euler angles, rotation matrix, quaternion). The Body block now interprets these rotational forms in a slightly different way, so that the standard normalization conditions on rotation matrices and quaternions are consistently enforced. As a result, you might now see slightly different simulation results from earlier versions.

New State Vector Commands

Four new SimMechanics commands allow you to manipulate the mechanical states of your models. See the command references for more.

• mech_get_states

• mech_runtime_states

• mech_set_states

• mech_transfer_states

New import_physmod Dialog

The import_physmod command generates SimMechanics models from Physical Modeling XML files. In addition to importing Physical Modeling XML through the command line, you can now set up the command through a dialog.

See the import_physmod command reference for further information.

Demos Expanded

Two new demos have been added:

• mech_flexible_four_bar models a flexible four bar machine.

• mech_pole_vault models a rigid pole vaulter, with a discrete event.

The second demo has an associated MAT-file.

Documentation Enhancements

The SimMechanics User's Guide has been enhanced.

• The review on representing motion has been revised.

• The analyzing motion has been revised.

• The computer-aided design (CAD) documentation (also available as a separate book) has been significantly revised. See the CAD chapter.

• A new chapter of case studies, based on the Stewart platform, has been added. The studies apply advanced methods and tasks to this system. SimMechanics software includes a related set of demo model and library files.

  • Degrees of freedom, states, closed topology, and constraints

  • Trimming and linearization

  • Designing controllers for the platform

  • Generating code versions of the model

  • Implementing code on dedicated hardware (hardware in the loop)

Version 2.4 (R2006a) SimMechanics Software

Version 2.2.2 (R14SP2) SimMechanics Software