Aptus is a graphical user interface (GUI) written in MATLAB designed to be a three-dimensional visualization tool for the determination of the orientation of a spacecraft or aerospace vehicle.
This software is a perfect tool for engineering and physics students and professors of introductory dynamics.
It is also an excellent tool for use in industry for quick visualizations and analysis of vehicle orientations and motions.
The user interface is intuitive and powerful. It takes only seconds to generate a new vehicle orientation then utilize the stunning 3-D graphics to animate the change in attitude.
This processing tool allows the user to define the types of attitude representations to be used, such as Direction Cosine Matrices, Quaternions (Euler Parameters), or Rodrigues Parameters. Generated attitude values can be integrated into user’s own simulations, or use Aptus to display your own simulation outputs.
Students of dynamics have found this software especially useful in their attempts to visualize the three-dimensional motion of a vehicle.
Teachers have found that using Aptus as part of their instruction greatly enhances the student experience and quick understanding of this challenging subject. Example homework problems using Aptus have been found to be beneficial to students of all ages!
