Universal software packages to model the distributed-parameter systems

Consideration was given to the universal software packages for modeling objects and distributed-parameter systems obeying the partial differential equations. The packages may serve as important tools for industrial automation because the majority of industrial objects have distributed parameters. The review presented the results of comparing a number of commercial packages against a set of user-defined criteria. Its final part was devoted to some freeware packages. Conclusions were drawn, and recommendations for using the considered packages were given.