R12 Release Notes

Products with Major Upgrades

Release 12 includes major version upgrades to many products, highlighted in the following sections of these Release Notes:

• MATLAB 6.0
• MATLAB Runtime Server 6.0
• MATLAB Compiler 2.1
• Simulink 4.0
• Stateflow 4.0
• Stateflow Coder 4.0
• Real-Time Workshop 4.0
• Real-Time Workshop Ada Coder 4.0
• Real-Time Windows Target 2.0
• Communications Blockset 2.0
• Communications Toolbox 2.0
• Control System Toolbox 5.0
• Data Acquisition Toolbox 2.0
• DSP Blockset 4.0
• Fixed-Point Blockset 3.0
• Neural Network Toolbox 4.0
• Power System Blockset 2.0
• Signal Processing Toolbox 5.0
• Spline Toolbox 3.0
• Statistics Toolbox 3.0
• System Identification Toolbox 5.0
• Wavelet Toolbox 2.0

MATLAB 6.0

Major enhancements to MATLAB 6.0 include:

• MATLAB desktop - a new user interface for managing files, tools, and applications associated with MATLAB. The desktop includes:
• Command History for viewing or using previously run functions
• Launch Pad for launching product tools, demos, and documentation
• Help for viewing and searching documentation for the MATLAB product family
• Current Directory browser for viewing and operating on MATLAB files
• Other enhancements to the MATLAB environment, including:
• Easier printing, using redesigned Page Setup (Microsoft Windows) and Print (UNIX) dialog boxes
• Data statistics and basic fitting (curve fitting) added to the figure window
• A new context-based Tab completion feature that allows you to complete partially entered commands with the Tab key
• Import Wizard for importing and exporting data
• Source Control System Interface for interfacing MATLAB, Simulink, and Stateflow files with your source control system
• An enhanced, more stable, license manager, including:
• A new graphical control panel to simplify license manager administration
• Support for multiple license managers running on the same machine
• Improved performance (from twice to eight times faster) through:
• Use of the FFTW library for fast Fourier transform computations
• Use of the LAPACK library for matrix computations
• Language and math enhancements, including
• Use of the LAPACK library for matrix computations
• Conversion of the eigs function to use the ARPACK library
• New functions for n-dimensional Delaunay, Voronoi, and convex hull computations, as well as hypersurface fitting
• New functions for solving boundary value ordinary differential equation (ODE) problems and initial-boundary value problems for partial differential equation (PDE) problems
• Function handle data type for better performance, accessing more functions, and passing function references (similar to C++ function pointers)
• The new continue statement, which passes control to the next iteration of a for or while loop, allows more flexible control of program flow and facilitates conversion of algorithms from other languages such as Fortran
• Graphics enhancements, including:
• Transparency
• Handle Graphics® Property Editor
• 3-D visualization extensions
• OpenGL is now the default renderer. OpenGL is generally faster than the Painters or Z-buffer renderers and accesses graphics hardware on some systems
• MATLAB interface to Java
• Serial port interface for direct access to peripheral devices (e.g., modems)

MATLAB Runtime Server 6.0

All functionality from MATLAB 6.0 that is required to develop a runtime application is available in the MATLAB Runtime Server 6.0.

MATLAB Compiler 2.1

The MATLAB Compiler 2.1 has been enhanced so that it now supports:

• Several optimizations including folding scalar and nonscalar valued mxarray constants, as well as for loops with integer starts and increments
• MLIB files, which make it possible to produce a shared library out of a toolbox and then compile M-files that make calls into that toolbox
• int and uint datatypes
• Partial support for eval and input
• load and save without any variable names
• MEX-files in the stand-alone environment
• The MATLAB Visual Studio add-in, which integrates the MATLAB Compiler 2.1 into Visual C/C++ 5.x or 6.x
• Improved performance of all C/C++ Math Library applications
• Printing from the MATLAB C/C++ Graphics Library

Simulink 4.0

Major enhancements to Simulink 4.0 include:

• Several new or enhanced tools to facilitate model development and refinement, including:
• Library Browser enhanced
• Find dialog box added for searching Simulink models and Stateflow charts for objects satisfying specified search criteria
• A graphical user interface for the Simulink Debugger
• Single or multiwindow display options, for controlling whether you see the parent and subsystems, or just the current subsystem
• The icon for a block now optionally displays a number indicating the order in which it is executed relative to other blocks in the diagram.
• Context menus for blocks and signals, including help
• The new Simulink Preferences dialog box allows you to specify default settings for many diagramming and simulation options.
• Matrix operations on matrix signals are now supported for several blocks.
• You can now use simulation data objects to specify simulation and code generation options on a per-parameter and per-signal basis.
• Enhancements for working with subsystems, including:
• The enhanced Configurable Subsystem menu allows you to choose which block the subsystem represents.
• Atomic (true, as opposed to virtual) subsystem support
• Subsystem encryption (requires Real-Time Workshop)
• Library enhancements for editing and instantiation
• Ada S-functions are supported.
• Improved Simulink linearization

Note    The Simulink Performance Tools, introduced with Release 12, provide additional tools for working in the Simulink environment, including a Simulink Accelerator for faster simulation of models, via compiled code, as well as a Model Profiler, Model Differences tool, and a Test Coverage tool.

Stateflow 4.0

The major enhancements to Stateflow 4.0 include:

• Subcharts, for creating charts within charts
• Graphical functions (which you define with a flow graph), which are easier to work with than textual custom code functions.
• Temporal logic for expressing temporal order for Stateflow events and to enforce temporal properties such as upper and lower bound requirements in state transition systems
• You can now initialize all Stateflow data to the workspace and copy it back to the workspace at the end of a simulation.

Stateflow Coder 4.0

The Stateflow Coder 4.0 code generation has been significantly improved:

• The code looks hand-written.
• ROM and RAM size rivals hand-written code.
• Code generation is faster.

The new temporal logic feature is supported.

Real-Time Workshop 4.0

Major enhancements to the Real-Time Workshop include:

• General code generation enhancements, including:
• Faster code generation
• Matrix code generation
• Nonvirtual subsystem code generation, which replaces Function management code generation options; the new approach is more general and flexible
• Subsystem-based code generation support
• External mode enhancements, including:
• Simpler target program monitoring
• External mode is now supported in the Dials & Gauges Blockset, Display blocks, To Workspace blocks, XY Graph blocks, and S-functions. External mode Signal Viewing Subsystems (atomic subsystems that encapsulate processing and viewing signals received from the target system) have been added.
• S-function target support for variable step solver
• Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder replaces and enhances them embedded real-time (ERT) target. Enhancements include support for singletasking, multirate models.
• Target Language Compiler^TM (TLC) enhancements, including:
• Complete parsing of the TLC file just before execution
• Faster block parameter generation and other speed improvements
• New TLC Debugger commands
• New TLC Profiler
• Reduced model.rtw file size

Real-Time Workshop Ada Coder 4.0

Major enhancements to the Real-Time Workshop Ada Coder 4.0 include:

• Support for Ada83, in addition to Ada95, code generation
• Simulink now supports noninlined Ada S-functions. For Real-Time Workshop code generation purposes, you can create a wrapper S-function that calls an Ada S-function.
• Full logging support (in Ada95 only) and function-call subsystems

Real-Time Windows Target 2.0

Major enhancements to the Real-Time Windows Target 2.0 include:

• Support for Microsoft Visual C, Windows 2000, and Windows NT 5
• Additional device drivers
• Frame-based I/O support
• Integration with the Dial & Gauges Blockset and other external mode features

Communications Blockset 2.0

Major enhancements to the Communications Blockset 2.0 include:

• New digital modulation libraries, including QAM (square and cross), PSK, DPSK, and CPM
• New multipath Rayleigh and Rician fading channel blocks
• A new APP soft-output decoder for convolutional codes and a more general trellis description for the convolutional encoder and Viterbi decoders
• New interleaving libraries that include both block and convolutional interleavers
• Significantly rewritten documentation

Communications Toolbox 2.0

Major enhancements to the Communications Toolbox 2.0 include:

• New convolutional encoding and Viterbi decoding functions (these functions were implemented as Simulink blocks in the previous version of the Communications Toolbox)
• Significantly rewritten documentation

Note    The Simulink blocks formerly included in the Communications Toolbox now form the basis of a separate product, the Communications Blockset.

Control System Toolbox 5.0

Major enhancements to the Control System Toolbox 5.0 include:

• New SISO Design Tool for performing compensator design using root locus and frequency-domain (Bode) techniques
• LTI Viewer enhancements, including data markers for displaying data and system information, better grids, and sharper plots
• Tools to set preferences and customize plots
• Algorithmic enhancements, including:
• Stability margins (all crossovers, worst-case, delay margins)
• Sharper root locus plots
• New Getting Started with the Control System Toolbox manual, which introduces the main features of the toolbox through extended examples

Data Acquisition Toolbox 2.0

The Data Acquisition Toolbox 2.0 now supports ComputerBoards hardware.

DSP Blockset 4.0

Major enhancements to the DSP Blockset 4.0 include:

• Easier generation and processing of matrix signals
• Frame-based signals support and matrix signals support has been added to many blocks.
• Operations on both row and column dimensions of input are now supported for several blocks.

Fixed-Point Blockset 3.0

Major enhancements to the Fixed-Point Blockset 3.0 include:

• Fixed-Point Blockset Interface tool improvements, including better logging and information for scaling and ranges, as well as adding targeting options for embedded systems
• Code generation optimizations, including simple conversions, summations, and other simplifications
• New blocks to mirror Simulink's built-in capability (e.g., Multiport Switch, Bitwise Operator, Dead Zone, etc.)

Neural Network Toolbox 4.0

Major enhancements to the Neural Network Toolbox 4.0 include:

• A new visual interface for:
• Creating networks
• Entering data
• Initializing, training, and simulating networks
• Exporting and importing data
• Examples of control system applications

Power System Blockset 2.0

Major enhancements to the Power System Blockset 2.0 include:

• Visual interface improvements
• Faster setup for power system simulation
• Support for descretized power system models, using the fixed-step trapezoidal method
• Enhanced and new blocks relating to machines, universal transformers, power electronics, and control
• Expanded tutorial section of the Power System Toolbox User's Guide, with test cases and customization tips

Signal Processing Toolbox 5.0

Major enhancements to the Signal Processing Toolbox 5.0 include:

• New Filter Design & Analysis Tool (FDATool), for designing and analyzing filters
• SPTool now has a toolbar, which includes quick access to the markers (rulers). Marker readouts have been improved. The Signal Browser now supports playing portions of a signal.
• FIR filter now includes automatic order adjustment.
• Faster, more robust cross-correlation (with the xcorr function)

Spline Toolbox 3.0

Major enhancements to the Spline Toolbox 3.0 include:

• The splinetool command invokes a new visual interface for easy, interactive creation and manipulation of various types of splines.
• Rational splines can now be generated with rsmak and rpmak and operated on by function function commands (e.g., fn2fm, fnbrk, fnint, etc.).
• Automatic knot generation is supported with spapi and spap2.
• The documentation has been rewritten with more examples in the tutorial section and a new glossary.

Statistics Toolbox 3.0

Major enhancements to the Statistics Toolbox 3.0 include:

• Expanded support for linear models, including:
• N-way analysis of variance for unbalanced data
• Multivariate analysis of variance, with graphics functions for examining multivariate data
• Multiple comparison of means and other estimates
• Analysis of covariance, with a graphical user interface
• Generalized linear models
• Robust regression
• Distribution testing and plotting
• Better support for missing data and for grouping variables
• Importing numeric and text data from tab-delimited files

System Identification Toolbox 5.0

Major enhancements to the System Identification Toolbox 5.0 include:

• New data and model objects
• Simplified command line interface for manipulating time series and identified models

Wavelet Toolbox 2.0

Major enhancements to the Wavelet Toolbox 2.0 include:

• New visual interface tools for several kinds of analysis, including:
• Complex continuous wavelet 1-D transforms
• Wavelet coefficients selection tool for 1-D and 2-D
• Signal and image de-noising using the stationary wavelet transform
• Signal and image extension and truncation
• Scale to frequency converter
• New wavelets for complex and real wavelet families
• New data representation for wavelet packets using MATLAB objects
• Many new functions (e.g., for computing thresholds)

General Themes of Release 12

Products with Minor Upgrades