SimStructure

SimStructure is a physics simulation program that is educational and fun. It comes with several scenarios you can experiment with, some of which are like minor action games. You can also use SimStructure to create new scenarios.

There are two types of scenarios -- regular scenarios and design scenarios. Regular scenarios are very non-structured. They present a simulation of real world objects and you do what you like. You can freely modify the objects and the settings such as universal constants. For example, one scenario involves a lunar lander. There is no score built-in to this scenario, so you just fly it around and land on various terrain. You can modify the lander, change the gravity of the planet or maybe change the density of the air.

The second type of scenario is a design scenario. In design scenarios, you will be asked to design something to meet a goal such as minimum cost or maximum strength with limited materials. For example, you may be asked to build a suspension bridge to span a certain distance with only certain pieces.

Vehicles are the strong point of SimStructure. There is a programming language similar to C/C++ built-in to simstructure where you specify the control system for the vehicle. You can design a rocket and adjust the feedback from it's guidance sensors so that it flys as you like, perhaps, under joystick control.

Beginners may enjoy playing the scenarios and learning about physics by building structures. Intermediate users with programming knowledge can design control systems for vehicles through trial and error. Advanced users, who have studied control system theory can use SimStructure to test systematically designed controls.

Developer:Terry Davis (Creator of TempleOS)

Development period:The 1990s, early in his career, while employed at Ticketmaster

Software type:Professional commercial engineering software

Core Functionality:Building structure analysis and simulation, specifically Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for earthquake engineering

github:https://github.com/Terry-Davis-Archive/SimStructure

Direct Download: afcd3755-8101-41e4-a46a-de22e0f214b5

Terry Davis and the SimStructure Software (AI generated)

Terry Davis (1969-2018) was a legendary yet tragic American programmer. He is best known as the creator of TempleOS, a complete operating system developed entirely by himself, originally intended as "God's Temple." As Davis lived with severe schizophrenia, much of his behavior and projects (including TempleOS) were heavily influenced by religious delusions.

SimStructure was a commercial software product he developed early in his career, before his mental illness completely altered his life, while he was working as a professional engineer.

SimStructure Software Introduction

SimStructure was a professional engineering software application developed by Terry Davis during the 1990s while he was employed at Ticketmaster.

• Function and Purpose: SimStructure was used for analyzing and simulating building structures, specifically in the field of earthquake engineering. It performed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on structures to simulate their behavior under various stresses and vibrations (particularly seismic waves), ensuring their design stability and safety.
• Technical Context: This software demonstrates that Davis was an immensely talented and capable engineer before his illness. Developing such a tool required deep mathematical knowledge (especially linear algebra and differential equations), an understanding of physics, and advanced programming skills.
• Historical Significance:
  1. Proof of Professional Competence: SimStructure is concrete evidence that Terry Davis was once a productive and successful professional programmer. This stands in stark contrast to his later, isolated work on TempleOS.
  2. Contrast with His Later Work: His later project, TempleOS, is technically astounding (a single person writing an entire OS) but is highly personal, filled with religious symbolism, and has virtually no practical commercial application. SimStructure, on the other hand, was a serious piece of commercial software with a real-world industrial purpose.
  3. A Tragic Footnote: The mention of SimStructure often deepens the sense of tragedy surrounding his life—a genius once capable of developing complex professional software was ultimately consumed by mental illness, channeling his talents into an isolated and delusion-driven project.

Summary: SimStructure itself is not a groundbreaking software title, but it is a crucial window into understanding Terry Davis as a person. It represents a rational, professional, and socially integrated chapter of his life, which he later lost during the TempleOS era. This software serves as a reminder that behind the label of the "mad prophet of TempleOS" was once an engineer of exceptional talent.