Simulink^® includes several tools for analyzing your system, visualizing results, and testing, validating, and documenting your models.

Visualizing Results

You can visualize the system by viewing signals with the displays and scopes provided in Simulink software. Alternatively, you can build your own custom displays using MATLAB^® visualization and GUI development tools. You can also log signals for post-processing.

To gain deeper insight into complex 3-D motion of your dynamic system, you can incorporate virtual reality scenes into your visualization using Simulink 3D Animation™ software (available separately).

Testing and Validating Your Models

Simulink includes tools to help you generate test conditions and validate your model's performance. These include blocks for creating simulation tests. For example, the Signal Builder block lets you graphically create waveforms to exercise models. Using the Signal & Scope Manager, you can inject signals into your model, as well as log and view signals, without adding blocks. Simulink also provides model verification blocks to check that block outputs conform to your design requirements.

You can formally link requirements to sections of your model, write custom model standards checks, and run model coverage using Simulink^® Verification and Validation™ software (available separately). You can generate tests for your model that satisfy model coverage and user-defined objectives and prove properties using Simulink^® Design Verifier™ software (available separately). To manage and store tests independently of your model, you can use SystemTest™ software (available separately) to develop test sequences and generate test reports.

Documenting Your Model

It is easy to add documentation to your Simulink model. Annotations, including hyperlinks to other documents and Web pages, can be added directly in the diagram. Detailed descriptions can be added to each block's properties as well as model properties, such as model history information. The DocBlock lets you include a text file document as a block within your model. Simulink also offers printing capabilities that let you easily document your model. With one command, you can create a HTML document that describes your entire model, including snapshots of the different levels of hierarchy, and all the block specifications.

Using the Simulink Manifest Tools you can create a report listing the files that your model requires to function and, additionally, compress those files for sharing with other users. Using Simulink^® Report Generator™ software (available separately) you can create customized reports that comply with specific document standards, as well as share interactive renditions of your models viewable in a Web browser.

Generating C/C++ and HDL Code

Models that are built in Simulink can be configured and made ready for code generation. Using Simulink Coder™ and Embedded Coder™ products (both available separately), you can generate C/C++ code from the model for real-time simulation, rapid prototyping, and embedded system deployment. Using the Simulink^® HDL Coder™ product (available separately), you can generate synthesizable, target independent Verilog and VHDL code, as well as test benches for code validation in external HDL simulators.