MAGNET MIMIC
Capability: Magnum for 3D is used to simulate electromagnet and permanent magnet assemblies. The program has application in a range of areas, including the design of electric motors, industrial and laboratory magnets, particle-beam optics, and magnetic shielding. The integrated Magnum package includes a graphical solid-geometry editor, an automatic conformal mesh generator, a finite-element solution package, and an interactive post-processor. An instruction manual and a library of worked application examples are also supplied. The program cost represents a single-time purchase price with no continuing license fees and free updates.
Hardware: PC running Windows XP or Vista.
Developer: Field Precision LLC, P.O. Box 13595, Albuquerque, NM 87192; (505) 220-3975; fax (617) 752-9077; www.fieldp.com.
Cost: Less than $5,000.
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 CONTROL AND TEST
Capability: LabView 2009 is the latest version of the National Instruments’ graphical development environment for data acquisition, instrument control, and industrial automation. Virtualization technology makes it possible to run multiple operating systems side by side on the same multicore processing hardware. The upgrade includes compiler improvements that enhance field-programmable gate array design. The software now allows users to deploy code to wireless sensor networks. It features new solutions for testing multiple wireless standards on a single hardware platform. The program also features built-in math libraries that contain more than 1,000 functions.
Hardware: PC running the Windows, Macintosh, or Linux operating system.
Developer: National Instruments, 11500 N. Mopac Expressway, Austin, TX 78759-3504; (800) 258-7022; fax (512) 683-9300; www.ni.com.
Cost: From $1,249.
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TEST TAKING
Capability: Maplesoft-MAA Placement Test Suite 4.0 is a collection of mathematical placement tests developed by the Mathematical Association of America and administered through Maple T.A., a Web-based system that automatically assesses student responses and performance. In addition to standard and calculator-based tests, the Placement Test Suite now includes algorithmically generated tests, which are multiple forms of the same type of test. These tests allow for repeated testing of the same student population and eliminate the risk of answer sharing by students. Hardware: PC running the Windows operating system.
Developer: Maplesoft, 615 Kumpf Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, N2V 1K8 Canada; (519) 747-2373; fax (519) 747-5284; www.maplesoft.com.
Cost: Pricing is based on a per-student fee; $2 per student to start.
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PLOTTING SOFTWARE
Capability: Tecplot Focus is engineering plotting software designed to help users quickly plot, analyze, and present engineering and test data. Upgrade enhancements for Tecplot Focus 2008 revision 2 include the display of time and dates on any axis and the capability to create plots with absolute or elapsed times on any axis. The application now includes true-color AVI export, which PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 can read without third-party plug-ins or system modifications.
Hardware: PC running Windows Vista, XP, Macintosh OS X, or Linux.
Developer: Tecplot Inc., 3535 Factoria Blvd. S.E., Ste. 550, Bellevue, WA 98006; (425) 653-1200; fax (425) 653-9200; www.tecplot.com.
Cost: $1,500 to start.
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3-D PHONE
Capability: With the application NaviCAD, iPhone users can view Google 3D Warehouse. A user can search through thousands of 3-D models to view and navigate in 3-D. Models can be rotated with a single-finger swipe, zoomed with a pinch, and panned with a double-finger swipe. A double-tap on parts of some models will highlight the part and make it the area of focus. The application also senses the orientation of the iPhone to tilt the model up and down.
Hardware: iPhone or iPod Touch operating system 3.0 or later.
Developers: Independent developers Dan Halabe and Chuck Han have created this application, which is available at Apple App Store, www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone.
Cost: 99 cents.
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