FlexSim 2019 Update 1 Beta Available

[#1]

FlexSim 2019 Update 1 Beta is available. (Updated 11 April 2019)

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

The 15-Mar beta installer has a bug that causes the current installer to hang during the Cleaning Up stage when upgrading from the 15-Mar beta to a newer beta version. We have resolved the issue for future installers, but to avoid the error now, uninstall the 15-Mar beta using Add/Remove Programs before installing the new version.

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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 new graphical interface to the Calculated Table for building queries.
• Updated the UI for editing rack dimensions.
• Added more options for customizing people visuals.
• Moved operator shape options from the Operator tab to Quick Properties.
• Improved edit modes by using right-click to cancel the current action instead of immediately exiting the mode.
• Added global preferences for process flow and dashboard library options.
• Added the FlexScript API reference to the user manual and made it accessible outside of FlexSim.
• Added toolbar support for adding multiple model background drawings.
• Adjusted how the floor Z and grid Z settings work to improve multi-floor modeling.
• Updated the table view to show more helpful information for certain data types.
• Added support for pointer data in bundles.
• Added a pointer type to tracked variables.
• Added support for the NULLIF SQL keyword.
• Added support for linking combo boxes to nodes with pointer data.
• Improved the gantt chart.
• Updated how tree files are saved to improve saving certain datatypes.
• Updated pulling from lists to throw an exception when passing a bad query.
• Fixed a bug with the normal map lighting calculation.
• Fixed an issue with the picking focus when using drawsurrogate within a drawsurrogate object.
• Fixed exceptions on an array table that doesn't have column header information.
• Fixed an issue related to moving items that had not been released.

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

• Updated the internal structure of the Rack object's variables.
• Removed the rackgetcontenttable() command.
• Removed support for running the simulation from a loaded state file.

Process Flow

• Added an option to the container to center its title when the contents are hidden.
• Added a limit to the number of activity panels displayed in quick properties.
• Added a Milestone activity.

People

• Added a Healthcare environment option.
• Added an Elevator Bank object.
• Added a Prop object and more options for object visuals.
• Added tables that automatically collect statistics for people models.
• Added people chart templates.
• Added a People Settings object to the toolbox for people models.
• Improved the names of people created with the Create Person activity.

AGV

• Updated the distancetotravel() calculation to work with moving AGVs.

A*

• Added support for multiple grids.
• Adjusted how conditions are defined to improve performance.

[philboboADSK]

Known Issue

The step/iges/jt importer was not working correctly with the 15-Mar Beta. It was displaying the following error when it tries to connect to the OCCT.dll, and then the shapes were not loading correctly:

We've fixed this bug in the 29-Mar beta.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi Guys,

Looks good with some nice features. I found a small visual bug in the rack gui:

[Jacob_Gillespie]

Thank you for telling us about this. I just fixed this bug in the 29-Mar beta.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi all,

There seems to be a bug that crashes FlexSim in the UnLoad task in ProcessFlow. When you sample a task executer or an item FlexSim crashes. The two fields are also not filled in when you dropped the activity in the ProcessFlow.

[philboboADSK]

Thanks for pointing this out. We have fixed this in the 29-Mar beta.

[Matthew_Gillespie]

Known Issue

The shapes of entrance and exit objects when opening a previous model aren't showing. This has been fixed in the 29-Mar beta.

Related FYI

The entrance and exit objects can now be found in the Prop object list of shapes rather than the list of Location shapes.

[amerloQ2XZU]

Probably you already know: the help on Calculated Table isn't updated and the help button in GUI doesn't work. Please, don't forget it! Thanks!

[JordanLJohnson]

Thanks so much! This has been fixed in the 29-Mar beta.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

When I add a waitingline object and wait in line activity in processFlow the visualization of the walking person goes wrong. Attached is a small example model where the people don't walk directly from the entrance to the waiting line (but travel the distance as if they would come from the origin).

This is only in 19.1 and not 19.0. I guess something like updatelocations needs to be used.

Thanks

waitingline.fsm

waitingline.fsm

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

In the latest Beta the people-base model tutorials are missing.
Can you add those again?

[philboboADSK]

Thanks for pointing this out. We're in the middle of updating those tutorials, and we didn't update the table of contents before releasing that beta version. We'll be sure to fix this for the next beta version.

[Matthew_Gillespie]

This will be fixed for the next beta. Thanks!

[patrick_zweekhorst]

If you add a people location object, lets say a chair and later change the 3d shape of that location to another shape, lets say CT object, something goes wrong with the size of the object. The location object becomes as big a the CT object should be, however when you press reset the object takes the size of the chair again. It would be nice if the object would not reset its size back.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

In the 19.1 GUI of the A* navigator I can't find how to change the node spacing.
Is this now somewhere else, or is it a bug that it is missing?

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Found it, it is on the grid. It just needs to be updated in the user manual.

[Jacob_Gillespie]

Thanks for finding this! We will get this fixed.

[Jacob_Gillespie]

We will update the documentation

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

When testing the elevator bank I found some bugs:

-The patients who went with the elevator takes a strange path towards its destination. This can be seen in the gif below and in the attached example model:

The same problem applies to the situation where you would use the default A* bridge, when the patient arrives at the end of the bridge something goes wrong with the path is takes to go to the destination. You can see this in the second attached model.

-In the trigger tab of the elevator bank I was only able to add the traveler arrival trigger. When trying to add one of the other triggers nothing happend.

tutorialelevatorproblem.fsm
tutorialbridgeroblem.fsm

tutorialelevatorproblem.fsm

tutorialbridgeroblem.fsm

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi

When you copy an A* grid you get an exeption:

exception: Exception caught in SimpleDataType::bindSDTNode() on /Grid23. A module's class bind() methods may not be implemented correctly.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

We are not sure if it is a bug or if we are missing something, but when we add a labelSet in the PeopleSetting GUI we are not able to select that label set in the create person activity. We expected that all possible label sets would pop up at the create person activity such that we could select the one we want.

Is this a small bug?

[Jacob_Gillespie]

Thank you. This has been fixed for the next beta release.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

I found a small bug in the Beta:

When you press the binoculars or select button at the labels part of the quick properties of an object nothing happens:

Thanks for fixing this.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

After you added a multiloction and checked the edit mode box and changed the number of locations and press Ctrl Z it does not change back. Is it possible to also add this change to the Ctrl Z function?

[philboboADSK]

Thank you. This has been fixed for the next beta release.

[philboboADSK]

This behavior is the same in 19.0 as well. I'll add a case to the dev list about this.

Thanks.

[philboboADSK]

The first two issues have been fixed for the next beta release.

That triggers tab should only show On Traveler Arrival and On Traveler Continue. The On Elevator... events have a requirement so they shouldn't be shown in that list. We'll look into it.

Thanks.

[Matthew_Gillespie]

Thank you. This has been fixed for the next beta release.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi,

When you add a people prop, open the properties page and change the enter or exit template to Lab you get an exception:

exception: FlexScript exception: Method find() called on node that does not exist at VIEW:/active/PropParameters1740766624/tabcontrol/ExitInstructions/ChooseTemplate>eventfunctions/OnSelect c: VIEW:/active/PropParameters1740766624/tabcontrol/ExitInstructions/ChooseTemplate

[Matthew_Gillespie]

Thank you. This has been fixed for the next beta release.

[patrick_zweekhorst]

Hi @phil.bobo,

The elevator looks much better. However in my example model the persons take the wrong path when they leave the elevator. It looks like the elevator is only connected to the A* grid at the ground level floor. They walk through the elevator on the second floor. Should we add an extra barrier at the second floor, or is this a small bug?

[philboboADSK]

This isn't particular to the second floor. They'll do this on the first floor as well if they want to travel to the front of the elevator.

I'll add a case to the dev list to consider automatically adding barriers for the elevator bank.

Right now, you would need to manually add those barriers if you wanted them to not walk through the elevator like this.