myPhysicsLab vs OpenSim
myPhysicsLab
myphysicslab.comOpenSim
opensim.stanford.eduSide by side
| Figure | myPhysicsLab | OpenSim |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.8 (#4) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Audience | The simulations include explanations of their underlying mathematics and the site describes the project as an online science museum effort. | The project describes OpenSim as suitable for research and teaching and welcomes academic and commercial applications. |
| Authoring tools | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | hybrid | desktop |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lesson library | Yes | Yes |
| License | The software is open source under the Apache 2.0 License, and its source code is available on GitHub. | The GUI and API are open source under Apache 2.0, while models, examples, and plugins may have their own licenses. |
| Purpose | myPhysicsLab provides interactive, real-time animated physics simulations that users can change by dragging objects and adjusting parameters. | OpenSim models humans, animals, robots, and the environment, and simulates their interaction and movement. |
| Support | The author identifies himself as Erik Neumann and provides an email address on the home page; no support plan is listed there. | OpenSim provides documentation, tutorials, and a discussion forum where users can seek help from experts. |
| 3D visuals | No | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
myPhysicsLab
myPhysicsLab is a free, open-source project with interactive physics simulations and JavaScript classes for building animated models. Simulations run in real time, and users can drag objects or change parameters such as gravity. Its library includes examples such as pendulums, springs, colliding blocks, roller coasters, billiards, and molecular models. Many simulation pages explain the mathematics behind the models. Users can customize simulations with EasyScript or JavaScript in a browser and text editor, then share a setup through a URL that embeds EasyScript. Numeric results can be retrieved through VarsHistory, JavaScript, or collision-data scripts. Downloadable versions can be used offline. The source code is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 License. The simulations do not specify measurement units, so values need to be used consistently within each model. Building from source requires TypeScript, esbuild, Perl, and GNU Make. The project began in 2001, and its maker is based in Seattle, Washington.
OpenSim
OpenSim models and simulates how humans, animals, robots, and their environment move and interact. Its graphical interface displays models and supports creating and analyzing simulations. Models can contain rigid bodies, joints, constraints, contact, muscles, and other actuators. Movement analysis tools include inverse kinematics, inverse dynamics, static optimization, and forward dynamics; Computed Muscle Control can generate muscle-driven forward simulations. The API is usable through Matlab, Python, Java, and C++, and GUI scripting uses an embedded Jython shell. Plugins can add analyses and model components, but must be built for the same OpenSim version and platform. The graphical interface is distributed for 64-bit Windows and Mac, while there is no public Linux GUI distribution; the API source can be built for Linux. OpenSim is free and open source under Apache 2.0, though models, examples, and plugins may have separate licenses. It is intended for research and teaching and welcomes academic and commercial applications. Documentation, tutorials, and a discussion forum are available. Downloading requires a SimTK account.