MatLab is a predictive analytics and computing platform based on a proprietary programming language. MatLab is used across industry and academia.
$49
per student license
Simulink
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
MathWorks offers the Simulink product family including the Simscape physical modeling suite, simulation, validation, and testing tool set, a 3D animation module, signal processing toolbox for wireless communication, control systems, and event-based monitoring, to aid in the design of complex systems.
Engineering, mathematical modeling, and machine learning are all fields where MATLAB will shine. It's fast, reliable, and relatively easy to use. MATLAB is the de facto standard when it comes to producing high-quality plots. If you need to deal with large data sets, and not take forever processing them, MATLAB may very well be the tool for you!
Simulink is a great tool for designing systems in the very early stages of projects. This lets you understand concepts and have a working model much faster, saving you time and money by being able to find errors really quick. On the other hand, when the projects reach a state of deployment you'll need to translate all the acquired knowledge and/or data from Simulink to the specific system you will be using. For example, you might design and validate a spacecraft propulsion system in Simulink, but when you build the real life model you will need to translate the designed algorithm/system to the actual code running aboard the spacecraft.
Has robust and easy-to-use debugging tools that can help one identify problems in one's codes.
Rich, well-developed and efficient library of mathematical and statistical functions that one might need to develop models or perform statistical analysis.
A very active online user community that is a great resource in terms of seeking help when you hit a snag.
Great help literature (and sometimes videos too) on all tools making it possible for all to train themselves.
MATLAB should have a full free version (without time limit) in order to be more accessible and thus have a greater user community.
The idea of having toolboxes to work directly with hardware (microcontrollers, single-board computers) is great, but one can tell it isn't updated very frequently and there isn't as much documentation available as with more common resources.
Our organization had a lot of trouble getting our network licenses to work properly and there wasn't any local service provider that could help us get it to work faster.
Learning curve for designing accurate models and getting useful results can be pretty steep for most people that aren't used to graphical based design and representation of systems.
Simulink requires a lot of CPU power and computer resources to run smoothly without crashing. Together with the MATLAB environment, a standard installation consumes a lot of disk space and becomes greater when more toolboxes are included.
Community for Simulink support and documentation is inferior to that of MATLAB and it isn't used as a standard tool by most of academia. I believe other tools such as Labview are far more common, making it easier to get help and find examples online.
The best thing about MATLAB is the variety of research and development fields it supports. The reason for this rating is that it is best used for medical images enhancement and signal processing, it is also used for speech to text conversion. This tool server is best when the demand is for machine learning.
The built-in search engine is not as performing as I wish it would be. However, the YouTube channel has a vast library of informative video that can help understanding the software. Also, many other software have a nice bridge into MATLAB, which makes it very versatile. Overall, the support for MATLAB is good.
The commands and coding language of MATLAB reads a lot more in plain English as opposed to all the periods and other special characters that are needed when typing in Python or Java. Additionally MATLAB has several different function packages that can solve all different categories of problems so you don't have to make a bunch of different code scrips from scratch.
Control blocks and more detailed algorithms can be run in Matlab Simulink. Simulation and PCB drawing of electronic circuit boards are performed in Proteus.
