MaxSim - Paul Fishwick, University of Texas at Dallas

VERSION 1.0 February 2015

http://www.utdallas.edu/atec/fishwick

License Type: Gnu Public License V3
License Information: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.htm
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What is MaxSim ?

MaxSim is a collection of patches, source code, and media files created
in Fall 2014. The goal of MaxSiM is to educate students in the general
area of modeling and simulation (M&S) of dynamic systems. The use of multimedia,
sound, images, animation, and video serves the main educational goal. There
is an emphasis on non-engineering students who may find the typical applications
found in engineering and operations research uninteresting.

Philosophy

M&S is generally divided into discrete and continuous time and
event systems. A “model” is a formal description of the system using some
type of language. While the language of mathematics is traditionally in
typographic symbols, many model languages are visual with arrows, blocks
and flow: both data and control. For this reason, Max/Msp and its related
packages (Gen, Jitter) are ideal in conveying system dynamics and modeling
concepts to students whose interests are in multimedia. The assumption is
that most university students prefer multimedia to application-specific
areas (e.g., manufacturing floor package routing for an industrial 
engineer, process management for a computer scientist, or an electronic 
circuit for an electrical engineer).

Related Modeling Packages

For teaching discrete event M&S there are many packages including Arena and Simio. 
In years gone by, we would use GPSS and SIMSCRIPT. For teaching continuous-time
simulation (sometimes with combined continuous/discrete support), we have visual 
languages such as MATLAB SimuLink, Modelica, LabView, Wolfram SystemsModeler, 
and Ptolemy. However, these languages are suited to teaching dynamic systems 
within engineering disciplines. The idea behind MaxSim is to cover the same 
systems-focused abstract material using a creative art/design-driven,
multimedia-centric, approach.

Further Reading

Fishwick, P. Simulation Model Design and Execution: Building
Digital Worlds, Prentice Hall 1994.

Fishwick, P., Ed., Aesthetic Computing, MIT Press 2006.