Simulation

Simulation and Engineering Software

Physics Models

Imagine you built a simulator so that when you added weight to the climber, the ribbon dimensions got bigger. If a spreadsheet created calculations that boiled down to simple algebraic formulas, those could be put into a video game.If someone improves the spreadsheet, they can swap in a different algebraic constant.

There is also Finite Element Analysis software: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_finite_element_software_packages

Dynamics, basic principles relationships, materials properties,...

Codebase_Analysis#Physics_Engines

Spreadsheets

Ribbon dimensions, performance trade-offs, overall interactions matrix.

3-D Design Files

Sketchup, Cinema 4-D, others

Other Software

NASA's free code: http://opensource.arc.nasa.gov/