Aerospace Toolbox Release Notes

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Aerospace Toolbox Release Notes
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 Contents

R2021a

New Aero.FixedWing class to define fixed-wing aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

New object to create satellite scenario objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Functions to support spacecraft applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

R2020b

Updated igrfmagm function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

FlightGear support updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

geoc2geod and geod2geoc functions have new output arguments . . . . . . 2-2

geoidheight function change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Functionality being removed or changed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

igrfmagm function behavior changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Updated aeroiersdata.mat file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

R2020a

wrldmagm function support for World Magnetic Model 2020 . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

FlightGear interface supports Version 2019.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

geoc2geod and geod2geoc function updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Aerospace Toolbox Flight Instrument Gauges New Property . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

iii
 R2019b

wrldmagm function support for World Magnetic Model 2015v2 . . . . . . . . 4-2

FlightGear interface supports Version 2018.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

R2019a

Aerospace Toolbox flight instrument gauges available in App Designer

.......................................................... 5-2

FlightGear interface supports Version 2018.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

R2018b

Flight Instruments: Display measurements in UI figure windows using

standard cockpit instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Polar Motion: Calculate the movement of rotation axis with respect to the
Earth crust according to IAU2000A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Supersonic Airspeed Correction: Convert between equivalent, calibrated,

or true airspeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Celestial Intermediate Pole Location: Calculate adjustment to the

celestial intermediate pole location according to IAU2000A . . . . . . . . 6-2

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2018.1 through flight

simulator objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

R2018a

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2017.3 through flight

simulator objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Animation objects changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Direction cosine matrix validity checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Install FlightGear scenery during simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

iv Contents
Disable FlightGear shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3

R2017b

Difference Between UT1 and UTC: Calculate time difference with

deltaUT1 function according to the IAU2000A reference system . . . . . 8-2

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2017.1 through flight

simulator objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

quat2angle and rod2angle updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

R2017a

Euler-Rodrigues Functions: Convert to and from Rodrigues vectors . . . . 9-2

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2016.3 through flight

simulator objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

Aerospace Toolbox Software and MATLAB string . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

angle2quat Function Replaces euler2quat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

R2016b

Horizontal Wind Model 14 Function: Calculate meridional and zonal wind

components using U.S. Naval Research Laboratory HWM14 model
......................................................... 10-2

FlightGear Version 2016.1 Support: Interface with FlightGear through

flight simulator object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2

R2016a

Quaternion Interpolation: Calculate interpolation between two

quaternions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2

FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0 no longer supported . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2

v
 Unit conversion function precision changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2

R2015b

FlightGear Versions 3.2 and 3.4 Support: Interface to these FlightGear

versions through flight simulator object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2

igrfmagm Function: Calculate Earth magnetic field and secular variation

......................................................... 12-2

DATCOM 2014 Support: Import aerodynamic coefficients from this

version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2

Function and Function Element Being Removed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2

R2015a

tdbjuliandate function that calculates barycentric dynamical time for a

given terrestrial time date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

eci2aer function that converts Earth-centered inertial coordinates to

azimuth, elevation, and range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

Additional ephemerides coefficient support for celestial phenomena

functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

World Magnetic Model 2015 support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

New example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

R2014b

atmoshwm07 function for Horizontal Wind Model 07 data . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 3 . . . . . . . . 14-2

Additional ephemerides coefficient support for celestial phenomena

functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2

vi Contents
 R2014a

Functions to convert between latitude, longitude, altitude and Earth-

centered inertial coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.12 . . . . . 15-2

Add ephemeris and geoid data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2

R2013b

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.10 . . . . . 16-2

dcmeci2ecef function to convert Earth-Centered Inertial to Earth-

Centered Earth-Fixed coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2

Latitude inputs outside +90 and -90 degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2

Celestial navigation example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2

Phaseout of FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2

R2013a

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.8 . . . . . . 17-2

planetEphemeris function to implement position and velocity of Solar

System planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2

earthNutation function to implement nutation in longitude and obliquity

of Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2

moonLibration function to implement relative motion attitude of Moon

......................................................... 17-2

Recorded video of Aero.Animation or Aero.VirtualRealityAnimation

objects for playback later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2

Architecture selection support for Aero.FlightGearAnimation . . . . . . . . 17-2

vii
 R2012b

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear versions 2.4 and 2.6
......................................................... 18-2

R2012a

Support 2011 Version of DATCOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2

Using FlightGear Version 2.4.0 with Aerospace Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2

R2011b

Conversion of Error and Warning Message Identifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-2

Demos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-2

Function and Function Element Being Removed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-2

R2011a

New LLA to Flat Earth Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-2

New Flat Earth to LLA Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-2

New International Geomagnetic Reference Field 11 Function . . . . . . . . 21-2

The gravitysphericalharmonic Function Supports New Planet Model . . 21-2

R2010b

New Geoid Height Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-2

Support to Read File Types 6, 21, and 42 for 2008 Version of DATCOM
......................................................... 22-2

viii Contents
Support for FlightGear 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-2

Functions and Function Elements Being Removed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-2

R2010a

New Gravity Centrifugal Effect Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-2

New Spherical Harmonic Gravity Model Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-2

New Gas Dynamics Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-2

Updated World Magnetic Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-2

Demos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-2

R2009b

New Zonal Harmonic Gravity Model Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-2

Support for FlightGear 1.9.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-2

R2009a

Support to Read File Type 21 for 2007 Version of DATCOM . . . . . . . . . . 25-2

Using FlightGear Version 1.9.0 with Aerospace Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-2

R2008b

Support for 2007 Version of DATCOM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-2

FlightGear Version 1.0 with Aerospace Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-2

FlightGear Animation Object play Method Now Supports Custom Timers

......................................................... 26-2

ix
 R2008a

Support for 1999 Version of DATCOM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-2

Using FlightGear Version 1.0 with Aerospace Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-2

R2007b

Virtual Reality Toolbox Animation Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-2

Support for the COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere 1986 Model

......................................................... 28-2

Support for 2001 United States Naval Research Laboratory Mass

Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter Radar Exosphere . . . . . . . . . . . 28-2

Support for the EGM96 Geopotential Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-2

quat2angle Function Replaces quat2euler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-2

angle2quat Function Replaces euler2quat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-2

R2007a

New Aerospace Toolbox Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-2

New Aerospace Toolbox Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-2

R2006b

Introduction of Aerospace Toolbox Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-2

x Contents
 1

R2021a

Version: 4.0

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2021a

New Aero.FixedWing class to define fixed-wing aircraft

The new Aero.FixedWing class defines fixed-wing aircraft. Use this class in conjunction with
supporting classes Aero.FixedWing.Coefficient, Aero.FixedWing.State,
Aero.FixedWing.Surface, Aero.FixedWing.Thrust, Aero.Aircraft.Properties,
Aero.Aircraft.Environment, and Aero.Aircraft.ControlState to:

• Define aircraft dynamics.

• Define aircraft dynamics from DATCOM files.
• Perform static stability analyses.
• Generate state-space representation with linearization methods.
• Integrate more easily with Control System Toolbox™ workflows.

New object to create satellite scenario objects

Use the new satelliteScenario object to:

• Define satellites and their orbits.

• Define ground stations.
• Visualize satellites in orbit and ground tracks.
• Visualize satellite field-of-view on Earth.
• Analyze line-of-sight access between satellites and ground stations.
• View satellite scenario with playback animation.

For more information, see “Satellite Scenario Overview”.

Functions to support spacecraft applications

New functions support spacecraft applications in conjunction with Aerospace Blockset™:

• ecef2eci
• eci2ecef
• ijk2keplerian
• keplerian2ijk
• siderealTime

These functions were previously part of the CubeSat Simulation Library Add-On.

1-2
 2

R2020b

Version: 3.4

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2020b

Updated igrfmagm function

The igrfmagm function has been updated to support the International Geomagnetic Reference Field
13 (IGRF-13) model. For more information on the changes, see “igrfmagm function behavior changes”
on page 2-2.

FlightGear support updates

The Aerospace Toolbox FlightGear object no longer requires the specification of particular FlightGear
versions. Aerospace Toolbox supports FlightGear versions starting at V2.6. As a result, the
FlightGearVersion property has been removed from the Aero.FlightGearAnimation
Objects object and GenerateRunScript (Aero.FlightGearAnimation) method.

geoc2geod and geod2geoc functions have new output arguments

The geoc2geod function has a new output argument that enables the output of the mean sea-level
altitude (MSL).

The geod2geoc function has a new output argument that enables the output of the radius from the
center of the planet to the center of gravity.

geoidheight function change

Starting in R2020b, use a geodetic latitude for the geoidheight latitude argument. In previous
releases, you were directed to use a geocentric latitude. Using a geodetic latitude might output
different results.

Functionality being removed or changed

igrfmagm function behavior changes
Behavior change

The igrfmagm function has been updated to support the IGRF-13 model, which introduces these
changes:

• Results of the function might differ from previous releases.

• The function now accepts matrices as inputs. In previous releases, the function accepted only
scalar values.
• The function allows higher height value to 5.6 Earth radii (35,717,567.2 m). Previously, this value
was 600,000 m.
• The function allows a wider range of latitude values (greater than 90, less than -90). When
approaching the poles, the function generates more accurate data than in previous releases. The
igrfmagm function no longer generates NaNs when input values approach the poles.
• The function allows wider range of longitude values (greater than 180, less than -180).

Updated aeroiersdata.mat file

Behavior change

The contents of the aeroiersdata.mat file have been updated. Correspondingly, the output of the
deltaUT1, deltaCIP, and polarMotion functions will have different results when using the default

2-2
value ('aeroiersdata.mat') as the value of Source. The results reflect more accurate external
data from the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS).

2-3
 3

R2020a

Version: 3.3

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2020a

wrldmagm function support for World Magnetic Model 2020

The wrldmagm function now supports World Magnetic Model 2020 by default.

FlightGear interface supports Version 2019.1

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2019.1.

geoc2geod and geod2geoc function updates

The geoc2geod and geod2geoc functions no longer use a low altitude approximation.

Compatibility Considerations
The geoc2geod and geod2geoc functions no longer use a low altitude approximation. This change
results in geodetic latitude (geoc2geod) and geocentric latitude (geod2geoc) output being more
accurate at higher altitudes than in previous releases.

Aerospace Toolbox Flight Instrument Gauges New Property

The flight instrument gauge properties support a new property, uicontextmenu, which adds and
configures context menu components in apps and on the App Designer canvas. For more information,
see “uicontextmenu Function: Add and configure context menu components in apps and on the App
Designer canvas”.

3-2
 4

R2019b

Version: 3.2

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2019b

wrldmagm function support for World Magnetic Model 2015v2

The wrldmagm function now supports World Magnetic Model 2015v2 by default. In addition, you can
use the new argument, 'Custom', to directly specify a coefficient file provided by NOAA to the
function.

WMM2015v2 supersedes WMM2015(v1). Consider replacing WMM2015(v1) with WMM2015v2 when

used for navigation and other systems. WMM2015v2 was released by NOAA in February, 2019 to
correct performance degradation issues in the Arctic region for January 1, 2015 to December 31,
2019. Therefore, it is still acceptable to use WMM2015(v1) in systems below 55-degrees latitude in
the Northern hemisphere.

Existing applications have this behavior:

• If the wrldmagm function has the model argument set to '2010', '2005', or '2000', the
application continues to work as before.
• If the wrldmagm has the model argument set to '2015' or default, the application uses the
WMM2015v2 coefficient file.

FlightGear interface supports Version 2018.3

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2018.3.

If you do not download scenery in advance, you can direct FlightGear to download it automatically
during simulation using the InstallScenery property of the Aero.FlightGearAnimation object
for the GenerateRunScript (Aero.FlightGearAnimation) method.

Starting with FlightGear v2018.3 on Windows® systems, you may encounter an error message while
launching FlightGear with the InstallScenery option enabled:

Error creating directory: No such file or directory

This error likely indicates that your default FlightGear download folder is not writeable, the path
cannot be resolved, or the path contains UNC path names. To work around the issue, edit the
runfg.bat file to specify a new folder path to store the scenery data:

1 Edit runfg.bat.
2 To the list of command options, append --download-dir= and specify a folder to which to
download the scenery data. For example:

--download-dir=C:\Users\user1\Documents\FlightGear

All data downloaded during this FlightGear session is saved to the specified directory. To avoid
downloading duplicate scenery data, use the same directory in succeeding FlightGear sessions
3 To open FlightGear, run runfg.bat.

Note Each time that you run the GenerateRunScript function, it creates a new script. It
overwrites any edits that you have added.

4-2
 5

R2019a

Version: 3.1

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2019a

Aerospace Toolbox flight instrument gauges available in App Designer

Aerospace Toolbox flight instrument gauges are now available in App Designer in the component
library. Creation of applications using these flight instrument gauges requires an Aerospace Toolbox
license. For more information, see Flight Instrument Components in App Designer and App Designer
(MATLAB).

FlightGear interface supports Version 2018.2

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2018.2.

5-2
 6

R2018b

Version: 3.0

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2018b

Flight Instruments: Display measurements in UI figure windows using

standard cockpit instruments
Use these functions, representing standard cockpit instruments,and their associated property pages,
to display measurements:

Function Property Page

uiaeroairspeed AirspeedIndicator Properties
uiaeroaltimeter Altimeter Properties
uiaeroclimb ClimbIndicator Properties
uiaeroegt EGTIndicator Properties
uiaeroheading HeadingIndicator Properties
uiaerohorizon ArtificialHorizon Properties
uiaerorpm RPMIndicator Properties
uiaeroturn TurnCoordinator Properties

For an example of these components, see the Display Flight Trajectory Data Using
Flight Instruments and Flight Animation example.

For more information, see Flight Instruments.

Polar Motion: Calculate the movement of rotation axis with respect to

the Earth crust according to IAU2000A
Use polarMotion to calculate the movement of the rotation axis with respect to the crust of the
Earth for a specific Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), according to the IAU2000A reference system.

Supersonic Airspeed Correction: Convert between equivalent,

calibrated, or true airspeed
The correctairspeed function has been updated to now also work with supersonic airspeeds. The
function also now lets you choose a method for computing the conversion factor (table lookup or
compute on demand).

Compatibility Considerations
The correctairspeed function output may differ from the previous version of the function.

For a potentially more accurate output, consider using the equation method.

Celestial Intermediate Pole Location: Calculate adjustment to the

celestial intermediate pole location according to IAU2000A
Use deltaCIP to calculate the adjustment to the celestial intermediate pole location according for a
specific Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), according to the IAU2000A reference system.

6-2
FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2018.1 through
flight simulator objects
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2018.1.

6-3
 7

R2018a

Version: 2.21

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2018a

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2017.3 through

flight simulator objects
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2017.3.

Animation objects changes

Changes in the use of Aerospace Toolbox animation objects:

• Aerospace Toolbox animation objects saved in MAT-files in R2018a cannot load in previous
releases.
• The delete function for all Aerospace Toolbox animation objects now destroys the animation
object. In previous releases, the object was not destroyed.

Compatibility Considerations
Scripts or functions creating Aerospace Toolbox animation objects continue to work. Use these scripts
or functions to create new objects.

Function or File What Happens When Use These Functions Compatibility

You Use the Function or Files Instead Considerations
or File?
MAT-files that contain Warns Scripts or functions Animation objects saved
animation objects creating new animation in MAT-files in R2018a
objects will not load in previous
releases.
delete Object is destroyed None The delete function
for all animation objects
now destroys the object.
In previous releases, the
object was not
destroyed.

Direction cosine matrix validity checks

These functions can now verify the validity of the direction cosine matrix prior to conversion:

• dcm2alphabeta
• dcm2angle
• dcm2latlon
• dcm2quat
• dcm2rod

Each function now lets you specify the error tolerance level for the direction cosine matrix validation
and specify an action if the matrix is not valid.

Install FlightGear scenery during simulation

When you install the FlightGear software, the installation provides a basic level of scenery files. The
FlightGear documentation guides you through installing scenery as part the general FlightGear

7-2
installation. If you do not download scenery, you can direct FlightGear to download it automatically
during simulation using the InstallScenery property of the Aero.FlightGearAnimation object
for the GenerateRunScript (Aero.FlightGearAnimation) method.

Disable FlightGear shaders

Your computer built-in video card, such as NVIDIA® cards, can conflict with FlightGear shaders. You
can disable the FlightGear shaders by specifying the DisableShaders property of the
Aero.FlightGearAnimation object to the GenerateRunScript
(Aero.FlightGearAnimation) method.

7-3
 8

R2017b

Version: 2.20

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2017b

Difference Between UT1 and UTC: Calculate time difference with

deltaUT1 function according to the IAU2000A reference system
Use deltaUT1 to calculate the difference between principal Universal Time (UT1) and Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) according to the IAU2000A reference system.

To optionally create a file containing the current Earth orientation data for deltaUT1, use the
aeroReadIERSData function.

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2017.1 through

flight simulator objects
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2017.1.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

quat2angle and rod2angle updates

The quat2angle and rod2angle functions now return values for the middle angle of the 'ZYZ',
'ZXZ', 'YXY', 'YZY', 'XYX', and 'XZX' implementations. In previous releases, these functions returned
all zeroes for 0 degrees in the second rotation.

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 9

R2017a

Version: 2.19

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2017a

Euler-Rodrigues Functions: Convert to and from Rodrigues vectors

These functions convert Euler-Rodrigues vectors to and from direction cosine matrices, rotation
angles, and quaternions:

• angle2rod
• dcm2rod
• quat2rod
• rod2angle
• rod2dcm
• rod2quat

FlightGear Interface: Includes support for Version 2016.3 through

flight simulator objects
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2016.3.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

Aerospace Toolbox Software and MATLAB string

The Aerospace Toolbox software now supports MATLAB® string.

angle2quat Function Replaces euler2quat

The angle2quat function has replaced the euler2quat function.

Compatibility Considerations
The euler2quat function is no longer available. Use the angle2quat function instead.

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 10

R2016b

Version: 2.18

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2016b

Horizontal Wind Model 14 Function: Calculate meridional and zonal

wind components using U.S. Naval Research Laboratory HWM14
model
The atmoshwm function implements horizontal wind modes.

Compatibility Considerations
The atmoshwm replaces the atmoshwm07 function.

Function or Function What Happens When Use These Functions Compatibility

Element Name You Use the Function or Function Elements Considerations
or Element? Instead
atmoshwm07 Warns atmoshwm To use a specific
generation of the
Horizontal Wind Model,
specify the appropriate
year in the atmoshwm
function.

FlightGear Version 2016.1 Support: Interface with FlightGear through

flight simulator object
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v2016.1.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

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 11

R2016a

Version: 2.17

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2016a

Quaternion Interpolation: Calculate interpolation between two

quaternions
The quatinterp function interpolates between two quaternions. To support this function, the
following functions are also new:

The quatpower function calculates the power of a quaternion.

The quatlog function calculates the natural logarithm of a quaternion.

The quatexp function calculates the exponential of a quaternion.

FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0 no longer supported

The Aerospace Toolbox software no longer supports FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0. For a list of
FlightGear versions that the Aerospace Toolbox software supports, see Supported FlightGear
Versions.

Compatibility Considerations
If you are using a FlightGear version older than 2.0, update your FlightGear installation to a
supported version. The software returns an error if you use a non-supported version. Obtain updated
FlightGear software from www.flightgear.org in the download area.

Unit conversion function precision changes

These unit conversion functions may now generate values with better precision:

• convacc
• convang
• convangacc
• convangvel
• convdensity
• convforce
• convlength
• convmass
• convpres
• convtemp
• convvel

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 12

R2015b

Version: 2.16

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2015b

FlightGear Versions 3.2 and 3.4 Support: Interface to these FlightGear

versions through flight simulator object
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear v3.2 and v3.4.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

igrfmagm Function: Calculate Earth magnetic field and secular

variation
The igrfmagm function calculates Earth magnetic field and secular variation using the International
Geomagnetic Reference Field.

Compatibility Considerations
The igrfmagm replaces the igrf11magm function. For more information, see “Function and Function
Element Being Removed” on page 12-2.

DATCOM 2014 Support: Import aerodynamic coefficients from this

version
The datcomimport function has been enhanced to support the 2014 version of DATCOM files.

Function and Function Element Being Removed

The following table lists the function being removed for R2015b.

Function or Function What Happens When Use These Functions Compatibility

Element Name You Use the Function or Function Elements Considerations
or Element? Instead
igrf11magm Warns igrfmagm To use a specific
generation of the
International
Geomagnetic Reference
Field, specify the
appropriate year in the
igrfmagm function.

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 13

R2015a

Version: 2.15

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2015a

tdbjuliandate function that calculates barycentric dynamical time for

a given terrestrial time date
The tdbjuliandate function calculates Barycentric Dynamical Time (TDB) for a given Terrestrial
Time (TT) date.

eci2aer function that converts Earth-centered inertial coordinates to

azimuth, elevation, and range
The eci2aer function converts Earth-centered inertial coordinates to azimuth, elevation, and range.

Additional ephemerides coefficient support for celestial phenomena

functions
The moonLibration, and planetEphemeris functions now support the DE432t ephemerides
database.

World Magnetic Model 2015 support

The wrldmagm function supports the world magnetic model for 2015 to 2020 (WMM-2015).

New example
The Estimate Sun Analemma Using Planetary Ephemerides and ECI to AER
Transformation example shows how to estimate the Sun analemma using the eci2aer and
tdbjuliandate functions.

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 14

R2014b

Version: 2.14

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2014b

atmoshwm07 function for Horizontal Wind Model 07 data

The atmoshwm07 function implements the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory HWM™ routine to
calculate the meridional and zonal components of the wind for a set of geophysical data.

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 3

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear Version 3.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

Additional ephemerides coefficient support for celestial phenomena

functions
The planetEphemeris, earthNutation, and moonLibration functions now support the DE430
ephemerides coefficient.

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 15

R2014a

Version: 2.13

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2014a

Functions to convert between latitude, longitude, altitude and Earth-

centered inertial coordinates
The lla2eci function converts geodetic latitude, longitude, altitude (LLA) coordinates to Earth-
centered inertial (ECI) position coordinates, based on the specified reduction method and Universal
Coordinated Time (UTC), for the specified time and geophysical data.

The eci2lla function converts Earth-centered inertial (ECI) position coordinates to geodetic
latitude, longitude, altitude (LLA) coordinates, based on the specified reduction method and Universal
Coordinated Time (UTC), for the specified time and geophysical data.

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.12

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear Version 2.12.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

Add ephemeris and geoid data

Use the aeroDataPackage function to add ephemeris and/or geoid data for these Aerospace Toolbox
functions and Aerospace Blockset blocks.

Aerospace Toolbox Functions Aerospace Blockset Blocks

geoidheight Geoid Height

Note Only for the EGM2008 Geopotential Model. Note Only for the EGM2008 Geopotential Model.
Aerospace Toolbox provides EGM96 Geopotential Aerospace Toolbox provides EGM96 Geopotential
Model data. Model data.
earthNutation Earth Nutation
moonLibration Moon Libration
planetEphemeris Planetary Ephemeris

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 16

R2013b

Version: 2.12

New Features

Bug Fixes

Compatibility Considerations
R2013b

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.10

The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear Version 2.10.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

dcmeci2ecef function to convert Earth-Centered Inertial to Earth-

Centered Earth-Fixed coordinates
The dcmeci2ecef function calculates the position direction cosine matrix (ECI to ECEF), based on
the specified reduction method and Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), for the specified time and
geophysical data.

Latitude inputs outside +90 and -90 degrees

These functions now correctly take into account latitude inputs that are outside +90 and -90 degrees.

• atmosnrlmsise00
• geoc2geod
• geod2geoc
• flat2lla
• lla2flat
• geoidheight
• gravitywgs84

Celestial navigation example

The Marine Navigation Using Planetary Ephemerides example shows how to perform celestial
navigation of a marine vessel using the planetary ephemerides and Earth-Centered Inertial to Earth-
Centered Earth-Fixed (ECI to ECEF) transformation.

Phaseout of FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0

The Aerospace Toolbox software will not support FlightGear versions earlier than 2.0 in a future
release of Aerospace Toolbox. For a list of FlightGear versions that the Aerospace Toolbox software
supports, see Supported FlightGear Versions.

Compatibility Considerations
If you are using a FlightGear version older than 2.0, update your FlightGear installation to a
supported version.

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 17

R2013a

Version: 2.11

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2013a

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear Version 2.8

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation.

planetEphemeris function to implement position and velocity of Solar

System planets
The planetEphemeris function implements the position and velocity of an astronomical object.

earthNutation function to implement nutation in longitude and

obliquity of Earth
The earthNutation function implements the nutation in longitude and obliquity of Earth according
to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) 1980 nutation series.

moonLibration function to implement relative motion attitude of Moon

The moonLibration function implements the relative motion attitude of Earth’s Moon.

Recorded video of Aero.Animation or Aero.VirtualRealityAnimation

objects for playback later
You can now record flight data animations for Aero.Animation and
Aero.VirtualRealityAnimation objects. The following properties are new for both classes:

Property Description
VideoRecord Enable video recording.
VideoFileName Specify video recording file name.
VideoCompression Specify video recording compression file type.
VideoQuality Specify video recording quality.
VideoTStart Specify video recording start time for scheduled recording.
VideoTFinal Specify video recording stop time.

Architecture selection support for Aero.FlightGearAnimation

You can specify the architecture the FlightGear software is running on. GenerateRunScript takes
this setting into account when generating the run script. These architecture settings are available.

Architecture Setting
Windows (32-bit) 'Win32'
Windows (64-bit) architecture. 'Win64'
Mac OS X (64-bit) architecture. 'Mac'
®
Linux (64-bit) architecture. 'Linux'

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 18

R2012b

Version: 2.10

New Features

Bug Fixes
R2012b

FlightGear animation object support for FlightGear versions 2.4 and

2.6
The Aerospace Toolbox product now supports FlightGear Versions 2.6 and 2.4.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects.

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 19

R2012a

Version: 2.9

New Features
R2012a

Support 2011 Version of DATCOM

The datcomimport function has been enhanced to support the 2011 version of DATCOM files.

Using FlightGear Version 2.4.0 with Aerospace Toolbox

Aerospace Toolbox Version 2.9 does not support FlightGear Version 2.4.0. Use this procedure as a
workaround.

1 In the MATLAB Command Window, create a FlightGear animation object.

h = Aero.FlightGearAnimation;
2 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearVersion to 2.0.

h.FlightGearVersion = '2.0';
3 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearBaseDirectory to the location of
FlightGear Version 2.4.0.

h.FlightGearBaseDirectory = 'C:\Program Files\FlightGear240'

4 Generate the run script.

GenerateRunScript(h)
5 Save and close this file.

For more information, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

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 20

R2011b

Version: 2.8

New Features

Compatibility Considerations
R2011b

Conversion of Error and Warning Message Identifiers

For R2011b, error and warning message identifiers have changed in Aerospace Toolbox.

Compatibility Considerations
If you have scripts or functions that use message identifiers that changed, you must update the code
to use the new identifiers. Typically, message identifiers are used to turn off specific warning
messages.

For example, the Aero:FlightGearAnimation:NeedTimeData identifier has changed to

aero:FlightGearAnimation:NeedTimeData. If your code checks for
Aero:FlightGearAnimation:NeedTimeData, you must update it to check for
aero:FlightGearAnimation:NeedTimeData instead.

To determine the identifier for a warning, run the following command just after you see the warning:

[MSG,MSGID] = lastwarn;

This command saves the message identifier to the variable MSGID.

Note Warning messages indicate a potential issue with your code. While you can turn off a warning,
a suggested alternative is to change your code so it runs warning-free.

Demos
The following demos are new:

• Visualizing World Magnetic Model Contours for 2010 Epoch — Visualize contour
plots of the calculated values for the Earth's magnetic field using World Magnetic Model 2010
(WMM-2010) overlaid on maps of the Earth.
• Visualizing Geoid Height for Earth Geopotential Model 1996 — Calculate the
Earth Geoid height using the EGM96 Geopotential Model.

Function and Function Element Being Removed

The following table lists the function and function element name being removed for R2011b.

Function or Function What Happens When Use These Functions Compatibility

Element Name You Use the Function or Function Elements Considerations
or Element? Instead
wrldmagm '2000' or Warns For model years For model years
'2005' epoch year between 2000 and the between 2000 and the
start of 2010, use start of 2010, use
igrf11magm. For model igrf11magm. For model
years between 2010 and years between 2010 and
the start of 2015, use the start of 2015, use
wrldmagm. wrldmagm.

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 21

R2011a

Version: 2.7

New Features
R2011a

New LLA to Flat Earth Function

The lla2flat function estimates a flat Earth position from geodetic latitude, longitude, and altitude
coordinates.

New Flat Earth to LLA Function

The flat2lla function estimates geodetic latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates from a flat
Earth position.

New International Geomagnetic Reference Field 11 Function

The igrf11magm function calculates the Earth's magnetic field using the 11th generation of the
International Geomagnetic Reference Field.

The gravitysphericalharmonic Function Supports New Planet Model

The gravitysphericalharmonic function now supports the EIGEN-GL04C gravity field model.

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 22

R2010b

Version: 2.6

New Features

Compatibility Considerations
R2010b

New Geoid Height Function

The geoidheight function calculates the height of geoid undulations/height using one of three
geopotential models.

Support to Read File Types 6, 21, and 42 for 2008 Version of DATCOM
The datcomimport function has been enhanced to read file types 6, 21, and 42 for 2008 DATCOM
files. In previous releases, the Aerospace Toolbox read only file type 6 and 21.

Support for FlightGear 2.0

Aerospace Toolbox now supports FlightGear Version 2.0.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the
Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

Functions and Function Elements Being Removed

Function or Function What Happens When Use This Instead Compatibility
Element Name You use the Function Considerations
or Element?
geoidegm96 Warns geoidheight Replace all existing
instances of
geoidegm96 with
geoidheight.

22-2
 23

R2010a

Version: 2.5

New Features
R2010a

New Gravity Centrifugal Effect Function

The gravitycentrifugal function implements the centrifugal effect for eight planets and the
Moon, plus the capability to customize this effect.

New Spherical Harmonic Gravity Model Function

The gravitysphericalharmonic function implements the spherical harmonic gravity models for
Earth (EGM2008, EGM96), Moon (LP100K, LP165P), and Mars (GMM2B), plus the capability to
customize these models.

New Gas Dynamics Functions

New gas dynamics functions, including isentropic flow (flowisentropic), normal shock
(flownormalshock), Rayleigh flow (flowrayleigh), Fanno flow (flowfanno), and Prandtl-Meyer
flow (flowprandtlmeyer).

Updated World Magnetic Function

Updated wrldmagm function to include world magnetic model for years 2010-2015 (WMM-2010).

Demos
The Comparing Zonal Harmonic Gravity Model to Other Gravity Models demo has been
updated to include comparison of other gravity models.

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 24

R2009b

Version: 2.4

New Features
R2009b

New Zonal Harmonic Gravity Model Function

The gravityzonal function implements the zonal harmonic gravity model.

Support for FlightGear 1.9.1

Aerospace Toolbox Version 3.4 now supports FlightGear Version 1.9.1.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the
Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

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 25

R2009a

Version: 2.3

New Features
R2009a

Support to Read File Type 21 for 2007 Version of DATCOM

The datcomimport function has been enhanced to read file type 21 for 2007 DATCOM files. In
previous releases, the Aerospace Toolbox read only file type 6.

Using FlightGear Version 1.9.0 with Aerospace Toolbox

Aerospace Toolbox Version 2.3 does not support FlightGear Version 1.9.0. You can use this procedure.

1 In the MATLAB Command Window, create a FlightGear animation object.

h = Aero.FlightGearAnimation;
2 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearVersion to 1.0.

h.FlightGearVersion = '1.0';
3 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearBaseDirectory to the location of
FlightGear Version 1.9.0.

h.FlightGearBaseDirectory = 'C:\Program Files\FlightGear190'

4 Generate the run script.

GenerateRunScript(h)
5 Open the custom FlightGear run script with a text editor and change the input parameter '--
airport-id=' to '--airport='.
6 Save and close this file.

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the
Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

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 26

R2008b

Version: 2.2

New Features
R2008b

Support for 2007 Version of DATCOM File

The datcomimport function has been enhanced to support the 2007 DATCOM file in addition to the
1976 and 1999 DATCOM files.

FlightGear Version 1.0 with Aerospace Toolbox

Aerospace Toolbox Version 2.2 now supports FlightGear Version 1.0. To access this version of
FlightGear, you can use this procedure.

1 In the MATLAB Command Window, create a FlightGear animation object.

h = Aero.FlightGearAnimation;
2 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearVersion to 1.0.

h.FlightGearVersion = '1.0';
3 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearBaseDirectory to the location of
FlightGear Version 1.0.

h.FlightGearBaseDirectory = 'C:\Program Files\FlightGear10'

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the
Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

FlightGear Animation Object play Method Now Supports Custom

Timers
The FlightGear animation object play method now supports custom timers.

In previous releases, you needed to create your own play method if your FlightGear animation object
was used with custom timers. This is no longer necessary.

26-2
 27

R2008a

Version: 2.1

New Features
R2008a

Support for 1999 Version of DATCOM File

The datcomimport function has been enhanced to support the 1999 DATCOM file in addition to the
1976 DATCOM file.

Using FlightGear Version 1.0 with Aerospace Toolbox

Aerospace Toolbox Version 2.1 does not support FlightGear Version 1.0. You can use this procedure.

1 In the MATLAB Command Window, create a FlightGear animation object.

h = Aero.FlightGearAnimation;
2 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearVersion to 0.9.10.

h.FlightGearVersion = '0.9.10';
3 Set the FlightGear animation object property FlightGearBaseDirectory to the location of
FlightGear Version 1.0.

h.FlightGearBaseDirectory = 'C:\Program Files\FlightGear10'

For more information on working with FlightGear, see Aero.FlightGearAnimation Objects in the
Aerospace Toolbox User's Guide.

27-2
 28

R2007b

Version: 2.0

New Features

Compatibility Considerations
R2007b

Virtual Reality Toolbox Animation Object

This release introduces the following new objects and their associated methods to visualize flight data
using the Virtual Reality Toolbox™ product:

• Aero.VirtualRealityAnimation
• Aero.Node
• Aero.Viewpoint

Support for the COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere 1986

Model
The atmoscira function implements the COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA) 1986
environmental model.

Support for 2001 United States Naval Research Laboratory Mass

Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter Radar Exosphere
The atmosnrlmsise00 function implements the 2001 United States Naval Research Laboratory
Mass Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter Radar Exosphere (NRLMSISE) environmental model.

Support for the EGM96 Geopotential Model

The geoidegm96 function implements the 1996 Earth Geopotential Model (EGM96).

quat2angle Function Replaces quat2euler

The quat2angle function converts spatial representation from any of 12 standard sequences of
rotation angles to quaternions.

Compatibility Considerations
The quat2euler function is deprecated. Applications that contain this function continue to be
supported, but an error message will be displayed. Use the quat2angle function instead.

angle2quat Function Replaces euler2quat

The angle2quat function converts spatial representation from quaternions to any of 12 standard
sequences of rotation angles.

Compatibility Considerations
The euler2quat function is deprecated. Applications that contain this function continue to be
supported, but an error message will be displayed. Use the angle2quat function instead.

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 29

R2007a

Version: 1.1

New Features
R2007a

New Aerospace Toolbox Objects

This release introduces the following new objects and their associated methods to create a six–
degrees–of–freedom animation of multiple bodies that have custom geometries:

• Aero.Animation
• Aero.Body
• Aero.Camera
• Aero.Geometry

New Aerospace Toolbox Demo

The Aerospace Toolbox product has a new demo, Overlaying Simulated and Actual Flight Data, which
illustrates the use of the Aero objects.

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 30

R2006b

Version: 1.0

New Features
R2006b

Introduction of Aerospace Toolbox Product

This product extends the MATLAB technical computing environment by providing reference
standards, environment models, and aerodynamic coefficient importing for performing advanced
aerospace analysis to develop and evaluate your designs. An interface to the FlightGear flight
simulator enables you to visualize flight data in a three-dimensional environment and reconstruct
behavioral anomalies in flight-test results. To ensure design consistency, the Aerospace Toolbox
software provides utilities for unit conversions, coordinate transformations, and quaternion math, as
well as standards-based environmental models for the atmosphere, gravity, and magnetic fields. You
can import aerodynamic coefficients directly from the U.S. Air Force Digital Data Compendium
(DATCOM) to carry out preliminary control design and vehicle performance analysis.

The toolbox provides you with the following main features:

• Provides standards-based environmental models for atmosphere, gravity, and magnetic fields.
• Converts units and transforms coordinate systems and spatial representations.
• Implements predefined utilities for aerospace parameter calculations, time calculations, and
quaternion math.
• Imports aerodynamic coefficients directly from the U.S. Air Force Digital Data Compendium
(DATCOM).
• Interfaces to the FlightGear flight simulator, enabling visualization of vehicle dynamics in a three-
dimensional environment.

The Aerospace Toolbox software has the following limitation:

• The FlightGear animation object cannot be compiled with the MATLAB Compiler™ software to
create a standalone application.

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