matlab for simulation code?

I TA'd at UC Davis for a Numerical Methods class, and the professor was big into MATLAB. The problem is that it's extremely slow for complex problems. If you are comfortable with C++ and coding good algos, I'd say stick with C++.

what MATLAB has is guaranteed nice linear solvers, etc.

We use the Simulink package that comes with Matlab for labs in my Systems Engineering class, and it works really well. Of course this is only an introductory course on dynamic systems so we haven't gotten into anything extremely complex yet. The reason your advisor said he's use Matlab for the simulation math instead of C++ was probably because Matlab already has a bunch of solvers for linear systems and ODEs, in addition to the whole application frontend, so you wouldn't have to worry about that stuff yourself. And you know they're robust and well-tested.

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Original post by Zipster Matlab already has a bunch of solvers for linear systems and ODEs, in addition to the whole application frontend, so you wouldn't have to worry about that stuff yourself. And you know they're robust and well-tested.

exactly. if you do go the c++ route, there are plenty of libraries, for example lapack++

My opinion is that MATLAB is fantastic, wonderful for research for implementing simplish problems that change all the time, and to prototype new algorithms. There are a few free sort of clones:

Octave
SciLab

What I would have given to have these nice free packages available when I was in school! I paid for a super-crippled student version of MATLAB that was useless outside of the most elementary of linear algebra classes.

But, for games and real-time applications that need essentially a solid, very fast fixed functionality, you're better off with C++ or another compiled language.