Solved: Re: Mathcad worksheet?

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

Hi all,

I want to ask what are Mathcad worksheets and why they are so expensive? Are worksheets like 'add-ons' for example in Matlab there are small downloads you make to the program for specific purposes.

The full Mathcad prime 6 package is about 600MB so, are the worksheets like add-ones similar to matlab and will allow Mathcad to perform calculations the standard prime cannot?

Here standard prime refers to prime 6 licensed not express. I know express is the free version.

StuartBruff · ‎Mar 10, 2021

@AS_9824434 wrote:

So the worksheets do not add anything new in functionality they are just ready-made mathcad files?

As far as I'm aware, yes, that is correct. I think one of the Libraries covers making extensions in C, but again nothing that a suitably-trained or adventurous user couldn't do.

So the worksheets do not add anything new in functionality they are just ready-made mathcad files?

Not sure what you are referring to 'tool bars' in Matlab, I have Matlab opened right now on my computer. The add-ons or apps in Matlab add functionality that is otherwise not possible in the regular Matlab but most(or maybe all) come with Matlab subscription and you don't pay extra, its your choice to download specific ones.

I think I referred to "Toolboxes" rather than "tool bars". Looking at the example you gave, I suspect that what you are calling "add-ons" are actually formally called Toolboxes - the DSP System Toolbox probably provides the example function you gave.

These add-ons are generally not free with the standard Matlab and will usually be purchased separately or as part of more expansive licencing deal. Your licence number will determine which Toolboxes you have access to.

See:

https://uk.mathworks.com/products.html?s_tid=gn_ps

https://uk.mathworks.com/products/dsp-system.html

Pricing will depend upon your commercial status and you will need both standard Matlab plus the Signal Processing Toolbox to make use of the System DSP Toolbox. Relatively cheap if you are student (£29), a bit pricier if a Home user (£105) and eye-watering if you a Standard User (£448 for an annual licence, £1,120 for a permanent licence) plus the (similarish) costs of Matlab itself and the Signal Processing Toolbox ... oh, and don't forget to add on another 20% Value Added Tax in the UK.

https://uk.mathworks.com/pricing-licensing.html?prodcode=DS&intendeduse=comm

View solution in original post

LucMeekes · ‎Mar 10, 2021

What 'worksheets' are you referring to?

Please provide a link.

Success!

Luc

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

PTC Webstore

(Press control+left mouse click)

StuartBruff · ‎Mar 10, 2021

As far as I'm aware, these "Worksheets" are standard Mathcad worksheets (just like the ones a user creates). They are just collections (libraries) of worksheets written to make it easier for a user to write their own, domain-specific worksheets. In this sense, they are akin to the Matlab Toolboxes / Octave Packages. I don't think there is much special about most of them and they'll probably be written using standard Prime functions.

Stuart

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

Hi Stuart,

The add-ons in MATLAB allow you to perform calculations that regular MATLAB cannot. For example, digital signal processing(DSP) add-on allows you to plot Nyquist-plot of a transfer function very quickly. If this is performed in the regular MATLAB, it will give you an error telling you to download DSP add-on which is about 500mb or something.

So, are the Mathcad worksheets like that? Or can you do everything in the regular version(full licensed prime versions that is.)

LucMeekes · ‎Mar 10, 2021

If they are 'standard' worksheets, then they do NOT add functionality that you could not add yourself.

Success!

Luc

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

Well I am asking you 😅

How do I know if they are standard or not? I have sent you the link to them.

StuartBruff · ‎Mar 10, 2021

As Luc says, (vast majority, at least, of) the worksheets are written in standard Mathcad Prime and, effectively, provide you with a bunch of user-defined functions and data that you wouldn't otherwise have, unless you wrote them yourself. In this respect, they are like the Matlab Toolboxes (or libraries in pretty well any other language).

I don't know whether Mathcad explicitly identifies these additional functions/data as belonging to a specific library, or simply flags them up as undefined.

Stuart

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

So the worksheets do not add anything new in functionality they are just ready-made mathcad files?

Not sure what you are referring to 'tool bars' in Matlab, I have Matlab opened right now on my computer. The add-ons or apps in Matlab add functionality that is otherwise not possible in the regular Matlab but most(or maybe all) come with Matlab subscription and you don't pay extra, its your choice to download specific ones.

LucMeekes · ‎Mar 10, 2021

"you don't pay extra"...

That's how it used to be for most worksheets provided with (real) Mathcad more than 10 years ago. This is the collection of handbooks that I collected over the years:

"McadHandbook\ProgrammingMathcad15.zip"
"McadHandbook\AppliedStatistics"
"McadHandbook\AstronomicalFormulas"
"McadHandbook\AstroUtilities2000"
"McadHandbook\BuildingThermalAnalysis"
"McadHandbook\CivilEngineeringSolvedProblems"
"McadHandbook\CRChandbookChemistry&Physics1992"
"McadHandbook\CreatingAmazingImages"
"McadHandbook\CreatingAmazingImages_14"
"McadHandbook\DSPwithMathCad"
"McadHandbook\ElectricalEngineeringSolvedProblems"
"McadHandbook\Material&EnergyBalances"
"McadHandbook\MathcadProgramming"
"McadHandbook\MathcementHandbook"
"McadHandbook\MechanicalEngineeringSolvedProblems"
"McadHandbook\MobileChannels"
"McadHandbook\ODEsolveblocks"
"McadHandbook\PersonalFinance"
"McadHandbook\PracticalStatistics"
"McadHandbook\RealWorldMath"
"McadHandbook\TopicsinElectricalEngineering"
"McadHandbook\TopicsInMath"
"McadHandbook\VisualElectromagnetics"
"McadHandbook\VisualQuantumMechanics"

In total this is a huge collection of Mathcad sheets, assembled per topic in handbooks. Note that part of these handbooks were created not by Mathsoft, but by others.

I would imagine that PTC has converted a lot of the Mathcad sheets to Prime 3, and now wants to make money out of it.

Apart from these, Mathsoft provided extensions to the program, using .DLL files that would add additional functions for Signal processing, Data analysis and Image processing, to name a few. These you could buy. Most of this functionality was included in the application since Mathcad 14 or 15.

Luc

AS_9824434 · ‎Mar 10, 2021

Then that would mean that the full Mathcad prime subscription (which is very expensive) would include all the .dll files and functions whereas the student edition would not? Is that correct.

StuartBruff · ‎Mar 10, 2021

@AS_9824434 wrote:

Then that would mean that the full Mathcad prime subscription (which is very expensive) would include all the .dll files and functions whereas the student edition would not? Is that correct.

I'd be interested in a referenced answer to this question. My understanding is that the Student edition is a full Mathcad Prime, just priced for students.

StuartBruff · ‎Mar 10, 2021