Issue: Volume: 23 Issue: 12 (December 2000)

FemLab Adds 3D to Multiphysics Modeling



Joseph Vallino of the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA) has been using the prior version of FemLab in a project that involves defining the natural boundaries of an estuary. Though Vallino says he is not planning to use the 3D capabilities of Version 2.0-"The problem is pretty well formulated for 2D and the computational time for 3D would be too much," he says-he does appreciate the ease with which he can incorporate FemLab equations into his model. "It really speeds things up."

FemLab can also be used for entertainment-based applications such as the creation of realistically animated water, smoke, fire, etc. In the near future, the company hopes that the program will be employed to create realistic realtime animations, with possible applications including interactive programs or games.

FemLab 2.0 runs under Windows 95/98/NT, Solaris, Linux, AIX, Digital Unix, HP-UX, and Irix. It requires MatLab Version 5.3 or higher, and 256mb of RAM for 3D modeling. A single-user license for Windows costs $3995. A network license is available for Unix. (Comsol; Burlington, MA; 781-273-3322; www.comsol.com) -JD