IMAT™, the Interface between MATLAB®, Analysis, and Test, is a toolbox that allows MATLAB to exchange data with a variety of software including I-deas®, NASTRAN®, Femap®, and Abaqus®, as well as other software packages. It provides a powerful means for manipulating test and analysis data in MATLAB while preserving data attributes. IMAT's capabilities are extended even further through several extensions that are grouped according to the type of functionality they contain. All of the capabilities and their documentation are included in the IMAT package, but the extended functionality requires an additional license. Please contact us for more information.
IMAT+FEA™ allows the user to interface with several different analysis packages including NASTRAN®, Femap, and Abaqus. In most cases bi-directional support is provided. IMAT+FEA functions are marked with a +FEA next to the documentation. You can read more about IMAT+FEA here.
IMAT+Modal™ provides functionality geared toward the modal test engineer. IMAT+Modal provides capabilities for generating Test Analysis Models (TAMs) in NASTRAN through the TAMKIT™ functionality, optimal accelerometer selection using a genetic algorithm (GA) and a brute-force method (selectASET™), and many routines for processing modal test data. OPoly™ is an orthogonal polyreference modal parameter estimator. SDOFit™ is a single degree-of-freedom modal parameter estimator that is also included. IMAT+Modal functions are marked with a +Modal next to the documentation. You can read more about IMAT+Modal here.
IMAT+Signal™ extends IMAT by providing functionality that facilitates signal processing, both with stationary and rotating signals. In addition to command-line functions, spFRF™ is a GUI that provide an easy-to-use interface for processing stationary signals. spView™ is a GUI that allows users to easily compare results from multiple datasets. RTK™ is a GUI that encapsulates the process of obtaining response characteristics and finding insights into the mechanics of rotating events. It applies the Vold-Kalman filter technique to order-tracking of rotational events. IMAT+Signal functions are marked with a +Signal next to the documentation. You can read more about IMAT+Signal here.
Sources of Help for the IMAT ToolboxIn MATLAB, you can type "help function" on any IMAT function to get a description of the syntax and usage of that function. If you type "help imat", you will get a list of most available functions.
Please review the Compatibility Considerations for any compatibility changes between releases.
If you have not yet installed the IMAT toolbox, start here for detailed installation instructions.
This document gives an overview of the IMAT toolbox, including IMAT+FEA, IMAT+Modal, and IMAT+Signal.
Please note that the complete IMAT User’s Guide is a collection of several user guides, so using the search feature at the top of this page will not find content contained in the additional user guides. If you search for something in this user guide and do not find a match, please check the additional user guides listed below. These are also described on the IMAT+Modal Extended Functionality and IMAT+Signal Extended Functionality pages.
IMAT+Modal User Guides
IMAT+Signal User Guides
All IMAT toolbox functions are described in more detail in this reference. You can look for functions either by subject groupings or alphabetically.
If you need information on the data attributes of functions, mode shapes, results, or FEM data, look in these references.
Please visit our issue tracking database at tier.ata-e.com. You can search through the existing issue database to see if your issue has been previously reported, and if a solution is available. This is the best way to communicate to us any problems you find in the software.
The best way to get support for IMAT is to email us at imat AT ata-e DOT com. You may also call ATA's main phone number (858.480.2000) to request support, but it is usually faster to route your question to the proper support personnel through the email address.
IMAT InformationThe revision history lists the enhancements and bug fixes for each IMAT release to date.
The FAQ lists some commonly asked questions regarding the IMAT toolbox.
For more information on IMAT, and to check for the latest available version, please visit the IMAT web site at www.ata-e.com/software/imat. You may also email us at imat AT ata-e DOT com.
Known Limitations of the IMAT ToolboxPlease see the README file in the IMAT distribution for platform-specific issues.
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