Programming physical simulations with Java is easy.

Physolator is an object oriented, Java based framework for physical simulation. Physical systems with their variables, formulas and derivation relationships are implemented in pure Java. The Physolator framework executes your physical system. It simulates your physical system step by step using numerical procedures.

Programming physical simulations has never been that easier. Give it a try! Get your first physical simulation up and running in ten minutes. The video tutorial explains how to do it.

video tutorial (10 min)

Physolator Free Edition Download

installation instructions

The Physolator is aimed at both beginners and advanced programmers. Simple programming skills and knowledge of physics from school are sufficient to realize your first physical simulations. The video tutorial does not require any more and explains within 10 minutes how to program a simple physical simulation. With the Physolator you can also master complex physical systems. Design reusable physical components and use them in different physical systems. As an advanced programmer, you can use all the modern object-oriented Java language constructs that have proven themselves in different software projects: class, instance, inheritance, generics, lambda, etc..

The Physolator supports you in a modular design of physical systems. The structure of your physical system with its multi-level hierarchy of physical components and subcomponents is displayed in a tree structure within the physolator. In this tree structure, you can also see the derivation relationships between the physical variables and the cross-references between the physical components.

Recorder, Plotter

During a simulation, the physical variables change their values. The recorder automatically records the history of a simulation. You can use the recorder to go back to any simulation point in time and work through the simulation step by step, if necessary.

The physolator contains a built-in plotter that displays the temporal course of selected physical variables on the screen. All you have to do in your physical system is to specify which variables are to be displayed and the plotter of the physolator draws the function graphs on the screen.

recorder

plotter

Visualization, graphic components in 2D and 3D

Physical simulations gain in clarity when the state of the physical system is graphically displayed. The Physolator supports this in a systematic way. Create interactive graphics in 2D and 3D with Physolator and view the graphics components during simulation. Program generic graphics that are not only designed for a specific physical system, but for an entire class of physical systems.

Real-Time Simulations

The Physolator allows you to perform simulations in real time. The simulation time then runs either at exactly the same speed as the real time or in fast motion or slow motion. The physolator automatically controls the execution speed.

Performance

Advanced physical simulations sometimes require a lot of computing time. The Physolator includes built-in tools to monitor performance. With the performance monitor, you can continuosuly watch the total load, the processing load and the speed of your screen updates in the frames per second. The Activities Monitor shows you which of the activities in the simulation require the most time. Are these the numerical methods for calculating the variable values? Or is it the visualization of the physical system? Or is the load produced by the activities of the Physolator framework?

performance monitor

activities monitor

Pictures, Movies

The graphics produced during the simulation can be saved directly as images using a built-in snapshot function. The snapshot function is included in both the plotter and in the graphics components. Bitmaps in PNG format can be created for 2D and 3D graphics. 2D graphics can also be saved as vector graphics in SVG format.

With the movie engine you can also save a simulation run as a video and later on play the video file with an ordinary video player. Of course, you can also post the videos on the Internet.

Movie Engine