Acoustic simulation work log

I started with trying to use i-Simpa to do acoustical analysis on hadrosaur nasal passages. I'm using Windows bootcamp on my work laptop to run it. Windows is the devil, but I took a stab -- and determined that trying to built it in arm64 OSX 10.12 is an exponentially worse time sink that I do not actually need to do. 

First, I have to export the model in 3ds format. That means I have to simplify it to MAX_INT vertices. It's a specific number, but hey, it's the 16-bit int max, so that's what I remember. 

I'm simplifying in Meshlab.... 

A second later, I realize it does open stl. Dur. However, simplified vertices are probably better for this kind of thing.

Okay! I ran into some early problems, and although there are some comments on the webpage it can be used for any 3D object, i-Simpa is designed for rooms only after. And I stumbled on this recommendation:
https://acousto.sourceforge.net/

It works on OS X. 

OKAY! I'm going to do that. 
++had to replace the config.guess & config.sub
++mired in build errors with BLAS, SCALAPACK, etc. 
++tried to install via dockerfile 
++dockerfile starts with the same config.guess & config.sub errors
++realized last update was 2017. sigh......... free software... you know. anyways, of course everything is hosed.
++running 6yo docker image. I can test v.1.6 out at least. maybe tomorrow tho, feeling fed up

And then I found this: 
https://computational-acoustics.gitlab.io/website/posts/0-modelling-acoustics-with-open-source-software/

http://www.openpstd.org/index.html
A plug-in for blender

http://www.k-wave.org/
plug-in for matlab -- apparently can be used with "tissue-related media"
it may work in octave:
http://www.k-wave.org/forum/forum/octave
their list of alternative acoustics software:
http://www.k-wave.org/acousticsoftware.php

______

1. Once you use the same OS and UI for 20 years others are almost always clumsy and horrible no matter what. I do every now and then have to do Windows stuff and code in Windows and get my software working on Windows. BUT IMO, objectively horrible things about Windows are the registry tree, writing Windows installers, and how it handles hardware drivers. Also, some of the old Windows API was really needlessly convoluted. I haven't seen it in 10-15 years, so I expect that has improved with changing software standards, etc. And to be very, writing installers or making anything work across multiple machines and OS's is something I find super tedious, error-ridden, and annoying across the board.