FlexSim 2018 Update 1 Beta Available

[#1]

FlexSim 2018 Update 1 Beta is available. (updated 28 March 2018)

To get the beta, log in to your account at www.flexsim.com, then go to the Downloads section, and click on More Versions. It will be at the top of the list.

If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email dev@flexsim.com or create a new idea in the Development space.

Release Notes

• Added a Database Connector tool and Database FlexScript API.
• Updated the Emulation module and added it to the toolbox.
• Updated object triggers to be dynamically added and executed to improve performance and flexibility.
• Added an option to store StatisticsCollector bundle data on the hard drive.
• Added a global preference for date and time formats, which will default to the system's locale settings.
• Updated the stick() command to be able to get information about the VR headset by passing -1 for the stick number.
• Added a Box Plot chart type.
• Added a visual Walls object, which can be connected to A* as a member.
• Added an option to reverse rows on a gantt chart.
• Updated how the gantt chart handles colors.
• Added a time window option to several charts.
• Improved axis title options on several charts.
• Added a y-axis range option to the time plot.
• Output, system, and compiler consoles now wrap lines.
• Fixed a bug with using local variable "a" within FlexScript lambda commands, such as findmatch().

Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave.

• Removed FlowNode, Reservoir, WatchList, and other unused library class objects.
• Changed transportincomplete() to be more fail-safe so that it only affects the object when called correctly.
• Fixed an issue with the Rack sometimes receiving items out of order when the upstream object is using a transport.

Process Flow

• Added a Variable shared asset.
• Updated the Event-Triggered Source and Wait for Event activities to be able to match values.

People

• Added a Waiting Line object and a Wait in Line activity.

AGV

• Fixed a bug with preempting an AGV during a pre-arrival event.

Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave.

• Improved AGV proximity detection for stop-space-based accumulation.
• Fixed an issue with reversing direction on accumulating paths.

A*

• Added a routing mode for traveling at right angles only.
• Added an option for stopping and turning when changing directions.
• Added an option for routing by travel time.
• Improved the usability of creating and editing barriers and dividers.
• Added an option for snapping dividers between grid points.
• Fixed some visual issues with various components.
• Fixed a bug with distancetotravel().

Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave.

• Improved the accuracy of the calculation of which grid points are affected by dividers.
• The mechanism for recovering from deadlock has been changed.
• The path costing system was slightly changed to allow for travel-time-based routing.

[matt_long]

Known issues:

• Emulation - OPC UA protocol has not yet been implemented.
• Emulation - Browsing for OPC servers in 64-bit FlexSim does not work.

[matt_long]

For those interested in Emulation, here is a sample model showing how to use Emulation in your model. This model leaves blank the OPC Server address and OPC Tag IDs. This information would be added in once the controls engineer has added ladder logic to a PLC and you wish to verify.

emulationsample.fsm

emulationsample.fsm

[mischa_spelt]

Looking very good, there are some very useful new features in there.

I do have a request right off the bat: in the new triggers page, could you support merged picklists like before? Meaning that if the picklist node in the eventinfo has subnodes, you show the lists referenced in the subnodes in the "Add trigger logic" popup? Thanks 🙂

[philboboADSK]

Yeah, that's a bug. They should be supported. We'll look into it. Thanks.

[clair_augsburgerZGWRZ]

Hello Matt,

Are your comments related with this error I get when installing the beta ?

[matt_long]

No that is not related. That's something to do with installing the OPC Redistributable. I haven't seen that error before. Do you already have OPC installed on your computer? The installer should have still finished as the OPC install is not vital.

[philboboADSK]

This should be fixed now in the 13-March beta.

[philboboADSK]

Also, the 13-March beta includes an Emulation tutorial in the User Manual section Tutorials > Additional Tools Tutorials > Tutorial 4 - Emulation.

[axel_kohonen]

Hi,

I do like the new functionality with adding walls easily and connecting to AStar! This makes it unnecessary to do it on some other software which is much more flexible.

A few comments

1. It would be great if one could connect two pillars belonging to two wall segments for example with the A-connection so that FlexSim would then draw a wall between these two pillars. It is possible now by selecting the walls tool and then drawing from one pillar to the other, but A-connection would be much faster if building complex walls with walls connecting to each other at multiple locations as would be if one wants to have doorways etc.
2. There is no easy very intuitive way to set the height of the walls now. One can change the height of a pillar and then the wall uses that height from there on. But it would be great if one could change and apply the height to all walls as one can do with the texture and opacity.
3. It would be great if it would be possible to make sure that the walls are straight, or corners are at 90 degree angles, or snapping to a .dwg or something when drawing the walls.

Thank you!

Kind regards,

Axel

[clair_augsburgerZGWRZ]

Yes I already had OPC installed on my computer:

Maybe this was installed when I used a previous version of the 17.2 beta emulation module.

So I uninstalled OPC and then reinstalled 18.1 beta, I didn't get the error message again.

Thanks @Matt Long

[mischa_spelt]

It is, thanks! If you'll allow me to hijack my own comment: Is there any mechanism for removing certain triggers from the list? So suppose that I have an object which derives from FlexSimObject but I don't want to see the Pick Offset trigger in the list (shouldn't that be on FixedResource actually?), is there an easy way to hide it? I can probably bind it again in the model without the flag, but that feels like the wrong way around.

[philboboADSK]

Pick/place offset aren't FixedResource functions. You can load/unload items to/from any FlexSimObject, including TaskExecuters.

For the next beta release (20-March), we've split out the bindEvents() cppfunction into multiple functions so that subclasses can inherit specific trigger sets rather than an all-or-nothing approach.

For example, the Source will only get Pick Offset and the Sink will only get Place Offset. Certain other classes, such as NetworkNodes, will not get either.

Once the next beta is built, you can see how we've updated our classes and update your objects accordingly as well.

[Jacob_Gillespie]

In the next beta release (20-March) we added 1 and 2.

Number 3 can be accomplished by red selecting the pillars and changing their position in the quick properties.

[axel_kohonen]

Hi @Jacob Gillespie

Great! Thank you! I think this will make it easier to create walls quickly 🙂

For number 3 I assume that you mean that you select multiple pillars and then set their coordinates?

I was thinking more like in drawing programs like e.g. Sketchup where the program somehow tracks the coordinate of the previous point and snaps to the same coordinate in both x and y directions. This would mean to improve the snapping in FlexSim to also snap to the previously placed wall pillar x or y coordinate if the user tries to place the pillar close to it. Not sure how hard this would be to do as what is the previous coordinate might be unclear at times.

And which would also be needed to use the above: Currently the walls are not drawn until the next pillar is inserted (that is when the user clicks the left mouse button). To use snapping the wall would need to be drawn constantly between the previous pillar and the current mouse position. Then there could be some indicator, e.g. a color, when the wall is straight compared to the previous x/y coordinate.

So my idea might be hard to fulfill and it can be okay to let the user use a drawing program to create the walls in case he/she wants full control of the exact placement of the walls. But this kind of removes the purpose of having the walls elements in the model altogether. Alternatively one can of course create a script to which give the coordinates of the pillars and the walls and the script draws the floor plan if one wants to get it exactly right.

So do what you want with the proposal, the walls elements is anyhow a great improvement for quickly drawing good looking walls into the model and getting the operators etc. to navigate in the corridors!

Axel

[Matthew_Gillespie]

That sounds like a good idea, but I don't think that will be added in this version. You should create an idea or send an email to dev@flexsim.com