Newsletters - MATLAB News & Notes

What's New in Release 12 of the MathWorks Product Family

Feature highlights for MATLAB^® 6, Simulink^® 4, Stateflow^® 4, and more

The Release 12 CD contains the entire MathWorks product family with several new products and hundreds of new features. The major features in this release include the MATLAB desktop, a new visual interface for the MATLAB environment; new interfaces to MATLAB Toolboxes for analysis and math; new Simulink tools that let you build and manage larger-scale models; new tools for acquiring data into MATLAB; and new tools for embedded code generation, communications design, and finance.

MATLAB^® 6 Major Release!

• Desktop front end with a portfolio of tools for managing the MATLAB environment, including the Command Window, Command History Window, Workspace Browser, Array Editor, and more
• Point-and-click tools for interactively editing and annotating graphics
• Mathematical computation and algorithm enhancements: optimized LAPACK library for faster matrix computations, faster FFT performance with the new FFTW library,
  Qhull-based functions, new differential equation solvers, and more accurate quadrature algorithms
• Interface for calling Java routines and using Java objects directly from MATLAB
• Serial port communication interface
• Data Statistics and Basic Fitting tools for quick analysis of plotted data
• Advanced visualization features: transparency support
  for 2-D images, surfaces, and volumes; interactive camera toolbar for controlling perspective; and faster rendering with OpenGL
• Enhanced GUI design tools (GUIDE) for developing
  state-of-the art interfaces and displays
• MATLAB add-in for Microsoft® Visual Studio development
  system enables automatic conversion of C and C++ code to MEX-files directly from Visual Studio

Simulink^® 4 Major Release!

• Graphical debugger to diagnose and debug modeling
  errors easily
• Matrix signal support and matrix propagation for most Simulink blocks
• Frame-based signal processing for faster DSP applications
• Features to support large model development, including updated navigation toolbar options
• Integrated Find dialog box that allows you to search easily for a component within a Simulink model and/or a Stateflow chart
• Simulink data objects for defining custom data structures
• Aerospace examples and block library
• Improved usability of Library Browser and Model Browser
• Library link disabling for easier editing of library blocks
• Improved configurable subsystems for making design alternatives easy to implement
• Advanced Lookup Table blocks with algorithm alternatives for fast, accurate, flexible simulations and generated code
• Single-window mode saves valuable screen real estate

Stateflow^® 4 Major Release!

• Temporal operators such as "before" and "every"
  simplify event scheduling and replace conventional
  software counters
• Subcharts create layers within your Stateflow charts to improve readability and hide complexity
• Graphical functions using flow graphs are easier to create, access, and manage than textual functions
• Toolbar and navigation enhancements let you navigate throughout the chart hierarchy easily and access shortcuts to common tasks
• Straight-line transitions
• Symbol Autocreation Wizard simplifies symbol declaration
• Explorer features let you define object characteristics faster and directly access MATLAB workspace variables

MATLAB Products

MATLAB Compiler and the MATLAB C/C++ Math and Graphics Libraries 2.1

• Improved optimization of generated C/C++ code
• Support for the inclusion of MEX-files in standalone applications
• Support for the compilation of M-files containing: - input calls with no workspace variable arguments
  - load/save
  - eval calls with no workspace variable arguments
  - pause
• Function handles (new MATLAB feature)
• MLIB file capability for packaging multiple compiled files
  as a single, shared library
• MATLAB add-in for Visual Studio allows M-files to be compiled, edited, and run from Microsoft® Visual Studio
• Folding for scalar and nonscalar valued array constants
• Support for integer data types enabling the conversion of image processing applications to C/C++ code

MATLAB Runtime Server 6

• buildp function generates runtime p-code for applications automatically
• depfun now locates Java class-dependent functions
  Math & Analysis

Statistics Toolbox 3

• Linear model functions, including: - Multivariate ANOVA, with graphics functions for examining data
  - Multiway and nonparametric ANOVA
  - Analysis of covariance (ANOCOVA)
• Multiple comparisons of means and other estimates
• Multiple response surface fitting
• Calculation of simultaneous confidence bounds
• Support for robust regression and generalized linear models
• Additional functions for distribution testing and plotting
• Fractional factorial design generation
• Multivariate t random number generationM

Neural Network Toolbox 4

• Graphical user interface for designing and managing
  neural networks
• Suite of new features, examples, and Simulink blocks for working with control system applications
• Performance benchmarks for selecting the appropriate algorithm for your application
• Functions that apply weight and bias learning rules in both batch and incremental modes

Spline Toolbox 3

• Visual interface GUI, allowing you to:
  - Create and manage various spline approximations
  - Add, delete, and move data or knots
  - Vary parameters that affect a spline fit
  - View the first or second derivative of a spline or its error
  - Save splines to the workspace
  - Observe the underlying toolbox commands that generate the spline
• Command-line option lets the approximation functions determine the knots
  Data Acquisition and Import

Data Acquisition Toolbox 2

• Tools for controlling and communicating with popular data acquisition boards from manufacturers including National Instruments, Agilent Technologies and ComputerBoards
• Direct interface to data acquisition devices for streaming data into MATLAB or sending data out
• Adaptor Kit for creating custom interfaces to unsupported hardware

Instrument Control Toolbox 1 New!

• GPIB (IEEE-488, HPIB) interfaces from Agilent, CEC, ComputerBoards, IOTech, Keithley, and National Instruments
• VISA (serial, GPIB, VXI, GPIB-VXI) interfaces from Agilent and National Instruments
• Graphical user interfaces for instrument setup and communication
• Reading and writing of binary and ASCII data
• Event handling for errors, timeout, bytes available, data written, and other events
• Recording of data transferred to and from instruments
• Synchronous and asynchronous (blocking and nonblocking) read and write
• Advanced serial port (RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485) support
  Signal & Image Processing

Signal Processing Toolbox 5

• GUI-driven Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool) provides functions for interactively designing, evaluating, and comparing filters
• SPTool can now play a selected portion of a signal to a sound card
• SPTool toolbar now includes quick access to the markers (rulers), with improved readouts
• FIR filter enhancements, including automatic order adjustment and improvements to the remez function
• Group delay (grpdelay) function returns more accurate results for IIR filters
• Hilbert function now supports all lengths, not just powers of two, eliminating zero-padding and making transforms exact for all lengths

Filter Design Toolbox 2

• Advanced techniques for designing, simulating, and analyzing digital filters
• Extended capabilities of the Signal Processing Toolbox, adding architectures and design methods for complex real-time DSP applications
• Simplified design of fixed-point filters and analysis of quantization effect
• Filter design and analysis tool for graphically designing advanced filters
• Upgrade of Quantized Filtering Toolbox

Wavelet Toolbox 2

• Wavelet families, including complex Morlet and Gaussian wavelet, real reverse biorthogonal, and discrete Meyer wavelets
• GUI tools for continuous and complex continuous wavelet 1-D transforms, signal and image denoising, density estimation and regression estimation, and signal and image extension/truncation
• Functions, including 1-D and 2-D discrete stationary wavelet transforms and their inverse, and 1- and 2-D threshold computation methods Control Design & Analysis

Control System Toolbox 5

• SISO Design Tool for interactive design of compensators for single-input/single-output linear systems
• LTI Viewer now includes data markers, better grids, and sharper plots for displaying data and system information
• Tools for setting preferences and customizing plots
• Getting Started book and tutorial

Fuzzy Logic Toolbox 2.1

• Now produces Simulink models from fuzzy structure
• Code generation for embedded systems

System Identification Toolbox 5

• Object-based syntax makes it much easier to perform analysis activities
• Free parameterization for state-space models is now supported
• Ability to add initial filter conditions
• Ability to use the SearchDirection and Advanced properties of idmodel objects to access several variants of iterative search algorithms
• Ability to focus the model approximation inherent in system identification to various frequency regions, by using the Focus property Finance and Economics

Financial Derivatives Toolbox 1

• Analysis of interest rate derivative instruments and portfolios
• Calculation of prices and sensitivities of derivatives
• Hedging analysis and visualizion Simulink Products Simulation and Modeling

Simulink Performance Tools 1

• Simulink Accelerator speeds up model simulations 2-10 times
• Model Differencing tool lists and graphically highlights the differences between two models
• Model Profiler collects simulation performance data and generates an HTML report
• Model Coverage reports the extent to which the simulation executes possible pathways through the model Code Generation & Embedded Development Tools

Real-Time Workshop^® 4

• Significantly faster Target Language Compiler™ (TLC) code generation process
• Optimizations in generated code include improved signal storage reuse, constant block elimination, and parameter pooling
• User interface improvements, including a ed
  Real-Time Workshop page and Model Parameter Configuration (tunable parameters) dialog
• Support for additional Simulink blocks, including Look-Up Table blocks, with very efficient generated code
• S-function target support for variable-step solvers and parameter tuning
• Support for frame-based processing for DSP Blockset blocks and matrix operations for most Simulink blocks
• Functionality to generate code and executables from subsystems

Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder 1

• Automatic code generation for memory-constrained embedded control systems
• User-definable Simulink data objects enable you to fully specify signal and parameter attributes
• Support for ASAM-ASAP2 data export for use with measurement, calibration, and diagnostics applications
• Subsystem-based code generation
• Code validation by automatically importing generated code into the Simulink environment
• RAM size of generated code comparable to optimized hand code
• Code generation for blocks using integer-only or floating-point parameters, as well as Fixed-Point Blockset blocks
• Capabilities for single-, multi-, and asynchronous-tasks
• Support for integrating legacy code using Simulink
  S-functions
• HTML report generation for documenting generated
  source code

Stateflow Coder 4

• High-quality code generation from Stateflow charts that rivals hand code and, in some cases, is 80% smaller than code generated by Stateflow 2
• Tighter integration with Real-Time Workshop
• Support for all new Stateflow features and semantics

Real-Time Workshop Ada Coder 4

• Generation of Ada 83 code, in addition to Ada 95 code
• Support for non-inlined Ada S-functions
• Support for including legacy Ada code in both Simulink simulations and generated Ada code
• Support for full logging (in Ada 95 only) and function-call subsystems

Real-Time Windows Target 2

• Enhanced I/O device driver GUIs to simplify selection of analog or digital I/O
• Retained I/O board settings, enabling easy selection of
  I/O available on your system
• Support for Microsoft® Visual C/C++ 5.0 and 6.0
• Support for Simulink's external mode
• Integration with Dials & Gauges Blockset for simulation monitoring

xPC Target 1.1

• Web interface provides communication with target through standard Internet browsers
• Target PC command-line interface
• Extensive I/O device driver library now supports over 70 standard boards including CAN bus Simulink Blocksets

Communications Blockset 2 Incorporates the functionality of the blocks that were included in the Communications Toolbox 1.5 with new features:

• New digital modulation libraries, including QAM (square and cross), PSK and DPSK, and a new continuous-phase modulation library (CPM), including MSK and GMSK
• An APP soft-output decoder for convolutional codes and
  a more general trellis description for the convolutional encoder and Viterbi decoders
• Interleaving libraries supporting general block interleavers and general multiplexed interleavers, as well as several special cases

DSP Blockset 4

• Easier generation and processing of matrix signals
• Complete, seamless support of multi-channel, frame-based, and matrix signals
• Multipurpose source and sink blocks for frame-based and sample-based processing

Fixed-Point Blockset 3

• Faster simulation speed
• 12 new blocks for a total of 31
• Explicit logging of overflows and saturations with GUI support
• Tapped Delay block and Dot Product block greatly reduce the number of blocks needed to model filters of any order

Power System Blockset 2.1

• Faster simulation of power system models
• Support for discretized power system models for code generation
• Enhanced and new blocks for machines, universal transformers, power electronics, and control 

Read more about MATLAB 6 or view product literature /products/matlab/
In the What New article:
/products/simulink/