Release 11 Now Available for Both Mathematica & Wolfram Language: 3D Printing Greatly Enhanced

Programmers who rely on Mathematica, a leading software in technical computing and known for its functionality as well as surprising user-friendliness, should be thrilled to hear that this system is continuing to expand with today’s release of Version 11 of Mathematica and the Wolfram Language. With the addition of Mathematica Online, this world class programming software is now available through the cloud, desktop, mobile, and embedded systems.

Forging even further ahead (with this marking 28 years since the first release), Wolfram is offering greater advances in areas like 3D printing, machine learning, neural networks, audio processing, and more.

“We’re extremely proud of the ever-growing technology stack that Mathematica has become. Over time, we’ve dramatically expanded its capabilities, taking ever-larger steps and covering ever more kinds of computation and knowledge,” said Director of Research and Development Roger Germundsson.

While the platform already offers much to its users, this release could definitely be termed massive as it includes 500 new features. What does this mean for coders? An even more user-friendly environment. And according to Wolfram, this new release means that anyone will be able to work in areas such as neural network methods, geometric computation, systems programming, and more.

“The Wolfram Language is arguably the highest-level language that’s ever been created,” states creator Stephen Wolfram in his latest blog. “But in Version 11 we’ve added a bunch of capabilities for ‘reaching all the way down’ to the lowest level of computer systems.”

Other highlights out of the 500 features include:

• Greatly enhanced 3D printing, allowing for highly automated processes that enable both models and plots to be manufactured either locally on cloud-based 3D printers, building on the new Mathematica Online platform capabilities.
• Machine learning functions that are now extended even further. This means users can look forward to expanded potential as they innovate in making artificially intelligent models capable of environmental interpretation and more.
• A much ‘richer space’ for neural networks in regards to computational structures supporting access to GPU-accelerated deep learning.
• Progressive functionality in audio processing means users have greater facility in making music, speech, and other communication applications.

Founder Stephen Wolfram

Offering a unique and powerful system in technical computing, Mathematica relies on the use of unprecedented algorithms in a high-level yet very user-friendly and efficient environment. The Wolfram Language is easy to learn on all levels, and with the Notebook Interface feature, you can organize everything in a streamlined manner from text and runnable code to dynamic graphics and user interfaces.

“Yes, one can do systems programming in pretty much any language—or even for example in a shell. But what I’ve found is that doing it in the Wolfram Language is incredibly more powerful,” states Stephen Wolfram.

“Let’s say you’re exploring the performance of a computer system. Well, first of all, everything you’re doing is kept nicely in a notebook, where you can add comments, etc. Then—very importantly—everything you do can be immediately visualized. Or you can apply machine learning, or whatever. Want to study network performance? Use PingTime to generate a list of ping times; then immediately make a histogram, correlate with other data, or whatever.”

To elaborate more on the 3D printing aspects within Wolfram, the founder describes these enhancements as particularly ‘meaty.’

“I made my first 3D printout (which didn’t last long before disintegrating) back in 2002,” stated Wolfram. “And we’ve had the ability to export to .stl for years. But what’s new and exciting in Version 11 is that we’ve built a complete pipeline that goes from creating 3D geometry to having it printed on your 3D printer (or through a printing service).”

Here, in fulfilling a vision that Stephen Wolfram had, printing a 3D plot is also now entirely possible, along with other models of complex geometries.

Users also have access to the Wolfram Knowledgebase, offering ‘trillions of data elements,’ along with an enormous amount of algorithms for methods and models in virtually every field. Spanning so many realms of knowledge, new data is constantly being added to the Wolfram cloud knowledgebase. The company stresses however, that it’s through their language that the data becomes ripe for ‘full computation.’ And one small yet amazing feature amidst all the others? In 28 years of expanding and innovating, this version is still compatible with the first, created in 1988.

For more information, check out Wolfram, as well as the highly detailed blog by Stephen Wolfram, outlining nearly everything you could want to know about this release. You can also read about some stories we’ve reported on previously where innovators have used both the Wolfram and Mathematica platforms while working on projects such as an experimental jewelry collection and a truly fascinating 3D printed Mars ring, respectively. Discuss this new release further over in the Wolfram Offers Ehanced 3D Printing forum over at 3DPB.com.