Software turns to aerospace data analysis

Toolbox provides reference standards, environmental models, support for importing aerodynamic coefficients and three-dimensional visualisation capabilities in Matlab.

Recognising the needs of aerospace and defence engineers, The MathWorks will introduce a new product that accelerates the design and development of aerospace and defence systems.

By streamlining aerospace data analysis in Matlab with this product, engineers no longer need to spend time maintaining in-house aerospace utilities or updating environmental models.

The MathWorks has introduced Aerospace Toolbox, which provides reference standards, environmental models, support for importing aerodynamic coefficients and three-dimensional visualisation capabilities in Matlab.

With a built-in interface to FlightGear flight simulator, Aerospace Toolbox lets engineers visualise flight data in a three-dimensional environment and reconstruct behavioural anomalies in flight-test results.

By streamlining aerospace data analysis in Matlab, Aerospace Toolbox accelerates the design and development of aerospace and defence systems.

"Aerospace Toolbox includes a broad range of aerospace functions for Matlab so that engineers can focus on their areas of expertise instead of programming tasks", said Jason Ghidella, Technical Marketing Manager at The MathWorks.

"With Aerospace Toolbox, engineers no longer need to spend time maintaining in-house aerospace utilities or updating environmental models".

To ensure design consistency, Aerospace Toolbox comes with utilities for unit conversions, co-ordinate transformations and quaternion math, along with standards-based environmental models for the atmosphere, gravity and magnetic fields.

Flight parameter utilities calculate such common parameters as equivalent airspeed, Mach number and dynamic pressure.

Engineers can now easily import aerodynamic coefficients from the widely used US Air Force Digital Data Compendium (Datcom) into Matlab to carry out preliminary control design and vehicle performance analysis.

Previously, these coefficients had to be inputted manually.

Using the coefficients with Aerospace Blockset, available separately, lets engineers calculate aerodynamic forces and moments for their Simulink flight simulations.

"In my work to create compelling flight simulations and high-resolution synthetic environments, I use MathWorks products extensively", said Edward J Mayhew Jr, Matlab developer for George Mason University's Sensor Management System.

"Aerospace Toolbox is a welcome addition that will help me streamline aerospace data analysis and develop flight simulations faster and more efficiently".

Aerospace Toolbox is available immediately for the Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux and Macintosh platforms.

UK list prices start at GBP 800.

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