Neste Tutorial iremos demonstrar em um exemplo como funciona a biblioteca AStar Navigator no FlexSim. O AStar Navigator, também conhecido como A*, é um algoritmo de busca usado para encontrar um caminho entre pontos, e serve para determinarmos o trajeto pelo qual os executores de tarefas podem se movimentar pelo modelo. Esta biblioteca permite que você crie e defina barreiras físicas para a correta movimentação dos executores de tarefas em seu modelo. Nós iremos usar o seguinte modelo para mostrar como o A* Navigator pode ser usado em um modelo simples. astar-example-model.fsm Crie o A* Navigator Primeiro, um objeto AStarNavigator deve ser adicionado ao modelo. Somente um objeto AStarNavigator faz-se necessário e permitido por modelo. Crie um objeto AStarNavigator ao clicar e arrastar da biblioteca para qualquer posição na superfície de simulação em 3D. Conectando os Membros Neste modelo, existe apenas um objeto executador de tarefa (TaskExecuter), no entanto, nós também queremos incluir o Rack como uma barreira. Faça um conexão com o 'A' entre o AStarNavigator e o operador. Isto pode ser feito mantendo a tecla A pressionada e clicando/arrastando do AStarNavigator para o operador, ou do operador para o AStarNavigator (não importando a ordem ou sequência de onde tem que partir a conexão). Um círculo em azul irá aparecer abaixo do operador. Faça uma conexão com o 'A' entre o AStarNavigator e o Rack. Um retângulo em azul irá aparecer abaixo do Rack. Adicione um Source e um Queue próximo ao operador conforme você pode visualizar em outra imagem mais abaixo. Criando Barreiras (Barriers) Junto com o Rack, vamos também criar um par de barreiras para representar paredes ou obstáculos que o operador não pode caminhar através. Clique no ícone do Divider na biblioteca para entrar no modo de criação. Clique em algum lugar ao lado direito do Queue (buffer) para criar um novo Divider. Clique duas vezes mais próximo dos pontos para mostrar a imagem abaixo para finalizar o Divider. Clique com o botão direito do mouse para sair do modo de criação. Adicione os Processors e um Sink conforme imagens abaixo. Faça a conexão deste o Source até o Sink usando a conexão com “A”. Clique sobre o ícone Barrier na biblioteca para entrar no modo de criação. Clique uma vez onde o canto esquerdo inferior do Barrier estará como mostrado abaixo. Clique novamente no canto direito superior para completar a configuração do Barrier. Clique com o botão direito para sair do modo de criação. Coloque o Barrier abaixo do Rack. Execute o Modelo Você pode agora resetar e executar o modelo para ver como será a performance do operador. Lembre-se, se você fizer qualquer mudança nas suas barreiras, o modelo obrigatoriamente deve ser resetado antes de ser executado novamente. Note que o operador encontrou o menor caminho para movimentar-se por cima e por fora do Divider. Embora exista diversas formas de alterar os caminhos do operador (por exemplo, estender ainda mais o tamanho do Divider), nós iremos modificar o caminho percorrido pelo operador, usando o Preferred Path. Crie Preferred Paths Preferred paths não são caminhos “configuráveis”, em vez disso, dará aos nodes associados com o caminho preferido, um peso maior no algoritmo de busca. Isso vai nos afetar, e puxar o operador para o caminho preferido. Clique sobre o ícone Preferred Path na biblioteca para entrar no modo de criação. Crie os dois seguintes Preferred Paths conforme mostrado na imagem abaixo. Preferred paths são unidirecionais e além do mais precisa ser posicionado no layout na ordem correta. Clique com o botão direito do mouse para sair do modo de criação. Execute o Modelo Resete e execute o modelo. Se o seu operador continuar a movimentar para cima e fora do Divider, você pode ou movimentar o Preferred Path ou alterar o Preferred Path weight na janela de propriedades do objeto AStarNavigator. Os Resultados do seu modelo podem variar deste exemplo conforme você posiciona suas barreiras e objetos, o que pode fazer a diferença no cálculo dos caminhos do operador. AStar Navigator Library O AStar é acessado na Biblioteca principal a esquerda: View Menu / Drag-Drop Library Existem 5 tipos de barreiras usada pelo A* Navigator. Estas barreiras modificam a grade usada no algoritmo de busca. Nota: Uma vez que as barreiras são criadas ou modificadas, o modelo precisa ser Resetado para recalcular o node table. Solid Barrier A mais simples das barreiras, a barreira sólida modifica a grade para remover uma área retangular, prevenindo os membros de viajar e (travel members) se movimentarem dentro da barreira. Divider Dividers desconectam os nodes ao longo de seu caminho, prevenindo os travel members de atravessarem o divider. Dividers podem ser modificados na superfície de simulação 3D ao arrastar o ponto final e intermediário. Qualquer número de pontos pode ser adicionado ao divider. One-Way Divider O One-way divider funciona de forma muito similar ao divider, no entanto, travel members são permitidos se movimentarem através do divider na direção das flechas em verde, neste caso, em direção ao topo da página. O one-way dividers pode ser modificado na superfície de simulação em 3D ao arrastar os pontos finais ou intermediários. Qualquer número de pontos podem ser adicionados em um one-way divider. Preferred Path Embora o preferred path não é uma barreira real, ele funciona da mesma forma que as barreiras fazem para modificar a tabela de nodes do A* Navigator. Em vez de modificar os nodes removendo os seus indicadores de direção, o caminho preferencial dá um peso maior a todos os nós associados com o percurso. Este valor de Path Weight pode ser alterado através da janela de propriedades do A * Navigator. O Path Weight tem de ser maior do que 0 e menor que 1, a fim de funcionar adequadamente. Valores acima ou abaixo deste podem causar resultados não intencionais. Os preferred paths podem ser modificados na visualização em 3D, arrastando os pontos do fim ou do meio. Preferred paths são unidirecionais. Qualquer número de pontos pode ser adicionado a um preferred path.

Neste Tutorial iremos demonstrar como importar um Layout do AutoCad no FlexSim. Desenhos do AutoCAD e outras imagens podem ser usadas como planta baixa para a montagem do modelo de simulação no FlexSim, sendo facilmente importadas usando o Background Drawing Wizard. Isto facilita a construção do modelo de simulação fazendo com que o modelador possa posicionar os objetos de forma rápida e em escala. O Background Drawing Wizard pode ser acessado clicando em: Tools / Visual / Model Background , ou na Biblioteca de Objetos / Visual / Background arrastando o objeto para o plano. O assistente abre uma nova janela, e irá pergunta-lo se você quer importar um desenho CAD ou um arquivo de imagem. Assegure-se que "AutoCAD Drawing" está selecionado e então clique em "Next". A próxima tela irá pedir a você que especifique o caminho do arquivo CAD que você quer usar; busque o arquivo em seu computador e clique em "Open". Veja que você está usando um arquivo .dwg; arquivos .dxf e .dwg podem ser importados para o FlexSim. Clique em "Next" novamente para ir para a próxima tela. Nesta tela você poderá definir detalhes sobre o posicionamento do seu layout no plano de trabalho do FlexSim. Existem três colunas representando os eixos X, Y e Z e três linhas para cada um que correspondem a posição, rotação e tamanho ao longo de cada eixo. Configure a posição para cada eixo em "0" e você verá a posição original do desenho, localizado no canto esquerdo inferior, mostrando exatamente que está no centro do seu modelo. Clique em "Next" para seguir para a próxima tela. Nesta tela você pode customizar qual layers de seu desenho CAD estarão visíveis, e ainda alterar a cor de cada layer. Se você tiver algum recurso no desenho que não é necessário para o modelo de simulação, como por exemplo, uma parede ou uma porta, talvez possa ser uma boa idéia fazer com que estes layers fiquem invisíveis e então o espaço visual não se torne confuso. Clique em "Next" para ir para a tela final. Clique em Finish e pronto! Agora você já pode começar a montar seu modelo utilizando o Layout em AutoCad como planta baixa.

O artigo "Using Fixed Resource Process Flows" que descreve algumas funções do Fixed Resource Process Flow tem um modelo de exemplo. O exemplo está em anexo e mostra como podemos utilizar do Fixed Resource Process Flow para multiplicar lógicas de fluxo e de trabalho. Esse representa uma área de despacho de produtos onde o produto vem de um estoque transportado pelo empacotador (Packer) e é preparado em uma paleteadora. Depois o produto é levado em lotes pelo empacotador para uma estação e dali ele vai ser despachado pelo carregador (Shipper). A função do Fixed Resource Process Flow facilita a replicação da lógica dessas paleteadoras e dos funcionários envolvidos. Alguns teste como se aumentássemos o número de recursos conseguiríamos suprir melhor a demanda podem ser realizados por esse recurso. Nesse artigo descreveremos o passo a passo desse modelo. A descrição segue no arquivo exemplo FR Flow em anexo.

One of the most powerful commands in FlexSim is the query() command. It allows you to run SQL-like queries on virtually any data structure in the tree. If you don't know what that means, or what SQL is, or why it would be good to have SQL in FlexSim, this article is for you. If you have general ideas, but you would like to know more, then this article is for you. This article is not about connecting FlexSim to an external database. If that is your goal, then this article is not for you. Basics - Tables Data is often arranged in a table, which very loosely means that data is organized into rows and columns. However, SQL (and therefore the query() command) was designed to work only on certain kinds of tables, that look something like this: Name Age Fur Color Scooter 6 Brown Spot 3 Brown Whizby 4 Black Notice the following points about this table: Each column has a unique name There are no row headers (although if your table in FlexSim has data in the row header, that's okay; we'll get to that later) The table is a list of things, and each row in the table represents a single thing. The columns tell you the data that is stored about each thing. In this table, each thing is a pet, and each row stores the name, age, and hair color (the columns) of each pet. If our data included another pet, it would make another row in the table. In database lingo, a row in a table is called a record. One other thing you need to know about this table is that it has a name (in this case, "Pets"). All tables in SQL have a name, and follow the format described previously. Basics - Tables In FlexSim FlexSim has several different ways you can store data. Most users employ Global Tables and Lists (found in the toolbox) to manage data in their model. More advanced users sometimes create tables or bundles on labels. Then there's the model itself, which stores your object's locations in a tree data structure. All the data about where and object is, and how big it is, is stored in the model tree. So which of these data structures meet the standards for a SQL table? As far as the query() command is concerned, all of them do. The query() command is flexible enough to handle any data structure. The trick is to imagine your data as a table. To do this, you need to be able to answer the following questions: How many rows are there? What columns will the table have? How do you get the data for each cell? Phrased another way, given a row and a column, how do you put data in the table cell? If you can answer these questions, you can use the query() command. Let's apply these questions to two data structures in FlexSim: the Global Table, and the Global List. For the Global Table, the answers are very straightforward, but follow along to get the hang of it: Q: How many rows are there? A: The number of rows in the Global Table. Q: What columns with the table have? A: The same columns as in the Global Table. Q: How do you get the data for each cell? A: Given the row and column, look up the value in the Global Table For the Global List, things get a little more interesting: Q: How many rows are there? A: The number of entries on the list. Q: What columns with the table have? A: There is a value column, and there is a column for each field on the list. Q: How do you get the data for each cell? A: Remember that each row represents an entry on the list. For the value column, I get the value that was pushed on to the list to create the entry. For each field column, I get the value of the field for that entry. For example, suppose you have this list: Then supposed that you pushed a 5, 23, -12, 7, and 2 on to this list. When you view the entries on the list, you can see the data on this list laid out as a table: Notice that the value column has the values that were pushed on the list. The field columns (Doubled, Tripled, OddOrEven, and IsNegative) are each filled with the values of that field. The query() command has built-in support for Global Tables and Global Lists. However, it is always important to remember that to the query() command, the data is laid out in a table. If the data is not laid out in a table, you can still use the query() command, but you will need to use the methods explained in the Explicitly Defined Tables section. Basics - Queries SQL stands for Structured Query Language, so we can guess that it is a language for making queries. So what is a query? In a general sense, a query is a question. In SQL, a query is a question with two parts: who are you asking, and what do you want to know? There is a general answer to both parts of the question, and this is where tables come in. The answer to the first part (who are you asking?) is always a table. A SQL query is always directed at one (or more) tables. The answer to the second second part (what do you want to know?) is usually a new table. A SQL query takes in a table, and gives back a new table. The power in SQL comes from the new tables you can make. You can make a table that is a sorted version of the old table, like sorting data in excel. For example, if you have a list of items that need to be processed, you can sort that list by the item's priority. You can also make a table that is a filtered version of the old table, meaning you only kept certain rows. For example, if certain operators can only do certain tasks, you can make sure to only include the tasks that operator can do. In fact, you can make a table that is filtered, sorted, and modified in several other ways all with one query statement. Basics - Queries in FlexSim Let's look at examples of the query() command. You can follow along using the attached model ( numberlist.fsm). That model has a script that pushes values on to the list, and then queries the list. It also puts the result into the Global Table called QueryResult. Let's look at the line of that script with the query() command: int newTableRows = query("SELECT value FROM NumberList"); This line has a lot of new material. You can see that the query() command takes at least one argument, which is the text of a SQL query. We'll discuss the query itself in a moment. The query() command takes in the SQL query, and creates an internal (and invisible) temporary table that contains the result of the SQL query. It then returns the number of rows in the temporary table. Since you can't readily see the new table made by the query() command, you may want to copy the temporary table to a global table, using the dumpquery() command, as the script does: dumpquery(reftable("QueryResult"), 1); The temporary table lasts until you run the query() command again. Now for the query itself. You can see two parts of this query. The question "What do you want to know?" is answered by the SELECT statement. The question "Who are you asking?" is answered by the FROM clause. In this case, the FROM clause just lists one table, the NumberList. Recall that even though the NumberList isn't technically a table, you can visualize it's data as a table, which is what the query() command does (you can always right-click the NumberList in the Toolbox and choose the "View Entries" option to see the data as a table). In this example, the SELECT statement lists a column name. This means that the resulting table will have 1 column, because only one is required by the SELECT statement. When you run the script, it will put the result of the query in the QueryResult table: Notice that this table has only one column, the value column. If you look at the NumberList entries, you will see that this column is identical to the value column in that table. Examples To give you a general idea of what you can do with queries, these examples show a few common tasks. The examples all query the NumberList, which can be visualized as the following table: Selecting Multiple Columns SELECT value, IsNegative FROM NumberList Filtering SELECT value, IsNegative FROM NumberList WHERE IsNegative == 1 SELECT value, OddOrEven FROM NumberList WHERE value >= 5 Sorting SELECT value, Doubled FROM NumberList WHERE value >= 5 ORDER BY value Advanced - Callback Values It is often necessary to create a dynamic query. In FlexSim (not in regular SQL), you can do this by replacing a value in a query with a $n variable. This variable corresponds to additional parameters in the query() command. If you specify $1, then the value in the query will be the first additional parameter in the query() command, $2 will correspond to the second, and so on, up to $9. For example: query("SELECT Col1, Col2 FROM MyTable WHERE Col1 > $1 AND Col2 < $2", 10, 20) This query creates a table with Col1 and Col2, but only the rows where Col1 is greater than 10, and Col2 is less than 20. It is possible to include the values 10 and 20 in the query text. However, the $ variables allows you to easily change the value in the query, and replace them with more complicated expressions. Note that using callback values in a query where the FROM value is a Global List is not supported before versions 16.0.6/16.2.1. Advanced - Explicitly Defined Tables and the $iter() command Another FlexSim-specific feature of the query() command is the ability to explicitly define a table. This means you can query data that isn't arranged in the table format. In order to do so, you will need to answer the questions posed above, but shown again here: How many rows are there? What columns will the table have? How do you get the data for each cell? Once these questions are answered, the query() command can treat your data like a table. Each of the following subsections will answer these questions in detail. Defining the Number of Rows Let's start with a simple example: query("SELECT 1 FROM $1", 5) Notice that we are selecting from a number, not a Global Table or Global List. When the query() command sees a number instead of a table in the from statement, it assumes that you are querying a table with that number of rows. The statement above yields the following table (after a call to the dumpquery() command): This table has five rows, because $1 (the first additional parameter) evaluates to 5. All the rows have the value 1 because SELECT can handle expressions as well as column names (or expressions involving column names). Note that defining a table will only work if you use callback variables. A from statement like FROM 5 is not valid. To determine the number of rows in the table, use callback variables in the FROM statement. Defining the Columns To define the columns of your table, use the SELECT statement. Each expression in the SELECT statement will result in a column. When you are explicitly defining a table, you will often use callback variables as columns. This is where we can take advantage of the query() command. The query() command is very different from most other commands, because most commands only evaluate their parameters once. The query() command, however, can evaluate its parameters as many times as it needs to. Let's look at another example: query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", 5, normal(0, 1)) The result of this query is the following table: Notice that the second parameter, corresponding to $2, was re-evaluated as many times as the query needed it. Getting the Value in Each Cell Finally, we need a way to access the correct value for a given row and column. To do that, we need a way to know which row we are currently dealing with. This is where the $iter() command comes in. For example: query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", 5, $iter(1)) The $iter() command accepts an argument. That argument should match the value of the callback variable, e.g. if you used FROM $1, then the $iter() command should take a one as an argument. The $iter() command is linked to the query() command, so that its return value depends on which row is being evaluated. The above query results in the following table: Notice that $iter(1) returned the row number for each row. Now we can begin to query the tree, as if it were a table. Let's start with a simple example. Suppose you wanted a table of all the names of the first-level subnodes of the model tree. Let's start by answering the three questions: Q: How many rows are there? A: The number of first-level subnodes of the model Q: What columns with the table have? A: A column for the name of each of those subnodes Q: How do you get the data for each cell? A: Given the row number, get the name of that object Let's translate those answers into a query. First, we need to query something that isn't in table format already, so we know we need to use callback variables in the FROM statement: query("SELECT ... FROM $1", ..., ...) Next, we need a column for the names of all the subnodes, so we add one to the select statement: query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", ..., ...) Next, we need to answer the question of how many rows there are. Since this is the number of subnodes, you can write that as content(model()): query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", content(model()), ...) Finally, we need a way to get the name of each of the subnodes. We know that $iter(1) will give us the values from 1 to content(model()), so we can use those values in the rank() command, and we can pass the result of the rank() command to the getname() command: query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", content(model()), getname(rank(model(), $iter(1))) ) After dragging in a few random objects into the model, you can run that query. If you use the dumpquery() command, you can get a table like this: In the previous example, we used the value from $iter(1), and passed it in to rank(), and from rank() to getname(), all to get the name of the nth subnode of the model. Since querying a node in this way is fairly common, the query() command also allows you to specify a node as a table, rather than a number. In this case, $iter(1) will iterate over all the subnodes of $1, rather than the values 1 to $1. This makes our query much simpler: query("SELECT $2 FROM $1", model(), getname($iter(1))) Advanced - Flattening Data There is another option for what you can query in a FROM statement. If you use a callback variable (like $1) as your table, then you can use flattening syntax, shown in the following example: query("SELECT $3, $4 FROM $1x$2", 3, 2, $iter(1), $iter(2)) This query makes the following table: Notice that for every possible value of $1, there is a row for every possible value of $2. That is the purpose of the x (called the flattening operator); it ensures that there is a row for each permutation of all the callback variables involved. A query containing FROM $1x$2x$3x$4 would produce a table with enough rows for each unique combination of $iter(1), $iter(2), $iter(3), and $iter(4), and then execute the query on that table. The user manual contains an excellent example of when flattening syntax might be helpful, shown in the help manual in Miscellaneous Concepts > SQL Queries > Example.

[ FlexSim 2016 ] FlexSim 2016, version 16.0.5, is available. To download the installer log in to your account at www.flexsim.com, then go to the Downloads section and click on More Versions. 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 Fixed sin() command not displaying in the Command Helper. Fixed a bug when shift-selecting entire rows and columns of global tables. Fixed C++ Variant comparisons where the primitive is on the left side. Fixed the return values for CURRENT_MINUTE, CURRENT_SECOND, and CURRENT_MILLISECOND in getmodelunit(). Fixed a bug with SQL parsing of FlexScript functions returning doubles in 32-bit FlexSim. Fixed some pin buttons in the Stats window. Fixed a bug in a Pull From List pick option. Fixed Crane and Robot speeds not scaling with model units. Fixed a bug with the From/To Lookup Table popup not putting quotes around table names. Fixed a bug with exporting Custom Chart data as CSV sometimes not working. Fixed some UI issues with the Edit Name box for User Libraries. Fixed an exception in the Set Label trigger popup. Conveyor Fixed header for OnMessage trigger of Photo Eyes. Fixed decision point rotation in a rotated container. Fixed a bug with calculating the time that items will split off from each other when an ahead item speeds up. Fixed a rare crashing issue with accumulated items. Fixed an issue with resuming nonaccumulating conveyors that weren't stopped. Process Flow Fixed a UI bug with the process flow variable panel in Quick Properties when opening a model. Fixed some instance references from showing just the name to now showing the path to better distinguish objects in containers. Fixed an extra line being added in the token Shared Assets list when requesting a Zone. Fixed the Quick Library so you can collapse sections. AGV Fixed issue with click-creating AGV control points before creating paths. Fixed issue with calling stopobject() on an agv when it has arrived at a control point at (near) zero speed.

FlexSim Answers is designed to make information available to the FlexSim community. However, there are times when you will need help with a model or project that contains proprietary or otherwise confidential information. Here are a couple ways of getting the help you need while protecting sensitive information. Private Questions When you create a question you can mark it as Private. The question is then only viewable to FlexSim employees. A lock icon will show up next to the question for those who can see the question Comment Visibility (Currently this option is only available to moderators, but moderators may use it to make comments visible only to you and other FlexSim employees) You can also post private comments by setting the visibility level of your comment. Setting the visibility of the comment to Viewable by Moderators will make the comment visible only to FlexSim employees. Posting private comments is useful for posting confidential information to questions that aren't private.

I'm attaching a user library and an example model that contains process flows for two types of merge controller. The main advantage of both of these is that the release strategy is consolidated into a single list pull query, so that you can have incredible flexibility in defining custom release strategies just by adjusting a single query. Several query examples are included and explained. The DPClearingMergeController uses the standard merge controller mechanism that utilizes decision points and the merge controller's lane clear table to determine when slug lanes are clear for release. Alternatively, the FixedGapMergeController customizes lane release times for an optimal target gap between released slugs. This, combined with a good release strategy, can maximize total merge throughput. Here's a view of the fixed gap merge control running. Notice how it tries to time the releases so the slugs line up pretty close on the take away lane (the target gap here is 3 feet). And below is a screenshot of the fixed gap merge control process flow. mergecontrollerprocessflows.zip This model and library were created in 16.1.0.

Finding the right answer should be easy. Together we can build and maintain a well organized, growing knowledge base by practicing a bit of good Question and Answer hygiene. Below are 12 tips for using Answers in a way that will help the whole FlexSim community get maximum value from the site, and keep our content organized, efficient, and intuitive. These tips are adapted from this Devada article. Devada makes AnswerHub, which powers this site. Search existing questions before asking. Use the advanced search functionality to look for a question you may have before asking it. You may find your question has already been asked and answered. This saves you and other community members time and effort. Please also search our online user manual. Your answer may be in FlexSim's documentation. Post a model that demonstrates your question. The best case is to make a simple model that demonstrates the question or issue. 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Visit the community often. The more we contribute to the community, the more valuable it becomes for everyone. Have an article you want to share? Post it. Want to share an idea and generate a discussion among other FlexSim users? Answers is a great place to facilitate "ideation" and collaboration. Additional pointers for using answers.flexsim.com: Use the latest version of your internet browser. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and other modern browsers should be fully compatible with this Answers site. For the safest, fastest, and most compatible browsing experience, please keep your browser version up-to-date with its latest release. Internet Explorer is an older browser and is not supported. Preparation We expect you to have some foundation of FlexSim knowledge and experience before asking a question. If you're new to FlexSim, before asking questions here, please take the time to go through the in-software tutorials. Topics - when you create a post, whether it's a question, article, or idea, you must tag your post with at least 1 topic (and up to 5 topics) to help identify the main issues of your post. As you add topics, autocomplete will suggest preexisting topics. Please select a preexisting topic if it is a good match, rather than creating a new, slightly different spelling of an existing topic. Also, please try to keep new topics to only 1 or 2 words. Ask one question at a time. When composing a new question, limit yourself to a single question. Don't include multiple questions in one post. Each question deserves its own place. When you separate multiple questions into individual posts, it's more likely that more users will participate in your questions, getting you more answer options more quickly, often from multiple individuals. It also makes each post smaller and easier to digest, encouraging more participation. Follow-up questions. Sometimes it's tempting to ask a follow-up question as a comment to an answer, or even more inappropriately, as a new answer to your first question. New questions that can stand alone should be posted as brand new questions. Only clarifying questions should be asked that expand on the original question/answer/comment that is being discussed. This keeps each question post laser-focused on the top question, and each answer directly pertaining to the main question. An answer should really be an answer. Each answer should directly address the top question in a post. An answer is never a 'thank you', a comment, or another question. Those each have their place (usually as a comment), but none of them should be posted as an answer. A question can have multiple answers. The question asker (or 'OP' - original poster) should 'accept' the answer that worked best for them. Users can up-vote answers that are helpful, or down-vote those that are not. The top answers will bubble up to the top. Conversations go in comments - If you need to clarify a part of someone's question ("what version of the software are you using?"), add a comment to that question. If you want to respond to someone's answer ("thank you!" or "that didn't work for me because..."), add a comment to that answer. Need to respond to someone else's comment? Reply specifically to that comment. Simple and specific questions are best. Simplify your question by creating a sample model that shows the issue, rather than posting a large model (perhaps containing proprietary information) where only one small part of it pertains to the question. Use images to show what is going on and what should be happening. Animated GIFs are even better (example). Public questions are best. They add to the public knowledge base. They will get community participation, and thus get more answers, faster responses, and broader participation. They can help others in the future. Whenever possible, simplify your question for a general audience. Private questions are for private information. If you have a question pertaining to your specific license, make it a private question. Only FlexSim US can see the contents of private questions. AnswerHub takes reasonable measures to help protect information (see their privacy policy's Security heading) but this AnswerHub community should not be considered a secure site. Be sure to follow your organization's rules regarding posting of proprietary data, and when in doubt use approved methods to share confidential information. Consider reaching out directly to your local FlexSim representative for phone or email support. Post attachments: Attachments types - If you find that you can't upload a particular file type, simply compress it to .zip and upload that way. Make a note of that in your post so that we can consider allowing your file type. Attachment sizes - We've tried to be quite generous with total allowable upload sizes. If you find that your attachment(s) are too big to upload, first try compressing to .zip. If that still doesn't get your attachments small enough to post, you may be able to use a 3rd party file hosting service such as Dropbox or SugarSync, and include a link to your uploaded file in your post. Make a note of that in your post so that we can consider increasing the file size limit if this becomes a common problem. Attachment count - Again, we've tried to be quite generous with the total number of attachments that can be added to a post, primarily because images count against your attachment count. Let us know if you're trying to make a post but run into the max attachment limit. Advanced search functions: Simple search A search that uses one or more words, separated by spaces. For example: Enter transporter resource to perform a search for transporter, resource, or transporter resource. Refined search You can refine your search by adding different symbols (+, -, [, or ]) to your search. For example: Entering transporter +resource in the search bar returns results that include transporter and resource, but resource is a required term. Entering transporter -resource in the search bar returns results that include the term transporter, but excludes any that contain the term resource. Entering in the search bar returns only results that are tagged with the transporter topic. Entering [resource] in the search bar returns only results that are tagged with the transporter and resource topics. Google search This Answers community includes Google Custom Search to easily enable the use of Google's powerful search engine across all FlexSim web sites, including this Answers community, our old, archived community, our online user manual, and more. Please see this question and answer for details. If you have any questions, comments, or tips of your own that you'd like to share, please start a discussion in the comments below. We can update the article above with the best suggestions or illuminate anything that might be confusing.

When installing FlexSim, has the installer ever quit, saying "Installation Cancelled" or "FlexSim must close"? Installation Canceled Installation was cancelled by user. Or has your FlexSim installation ever had errors upon starting the software? FlexSim has encountered a problem. Your work is saved in recovery files. Please notify FlexSim Technical Support. Retrieve your recovery files, then email FlexSim. Do you want to restart? FlexSim encountered an unrecoverable error and must close. Please notify FlexSim Technical Support about this issue. This can be frustrating any time, let alone for a brand new FlexSim installation. Here are some possible solutions that may help FlexSim install or start properly: 1. Meet the System Requirements Make sure that your computer meets FlexSim's minimum system requirements. If your computer's hardware or operating system is out of spec, you may not be able to install FlexSim, or it may not start or work properly. Don't overlook the disk space requirement. You'll need about 2.5 GB free for the installer and the completed installation in order to install FlexSim. Low disk space will cause the installation to fail. Graphics specifications are particularly important, as incompatible/nonexistent graphics hardware or out of date graphics drivers may cause strange graphics behavior or other issues. See this article for more graphics considerations, tips, and guidance for installing or upgrading graphics drivers. 2. Windows Updates, Driver Updates FlexSim relies on some newer Windows components and libraries provided by Microsoft in patches and updates. Make sure your computer is up to date with all Windows updates. In addition to Windows updates, be sure to upgrade your system's graphics drivers, as FlexSim relies on fixes and features found in the latest graphics drivers from NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD. It is not enough to just use Windows Update to check for new graphics drivers - you should check the websites for your system manufacturer or graphics vendor specifically for updated graphics drivers. See our graphics article for more detailed information. 3. Reboot your computer Windows has improved enormously over the years, but even with modern Windows sometimes a good, old-fashioned reboot can do the trick, especially if you have recently installed or uninstalled other software or Windows updates. 4. Run as Administrator Software Installation: Ensure that you have the proper privileges on your PC to install new software. Install FlexSim by right-clicking the installer file and choosing Run As Administrator. If you don't have admin rights, you will be prompted to enter credentials with admin rights. Enter the proper credentials to allow the software installation to proceed. Startup Issues: Try starting FlexSim with higher permissions by right-clicking the program icon and choosing Run As Administrator. If you don't have admin rights, you will be prompted to enter credentials with admin rights. Enter the proper credentials and the software should start with elevated permissions. Does this solve the problem? Some users have reported that some FlexSim components are blocked by default, but can run properly when FlexSim is started with elevated privileges. If you find this is the case for you, work with your IT group to determine how to unblock the DLLs or other components required by FlexSim. 5. Delete FlexSim's saved settings Sometimes when FlexSim has trouble starting up, it can be due to a corrupted prefs.t file. FlexSim's prefs.t file stores your FlexSim settings and preferences and is located at: %APPDATA%\Flexsim\FlexSim <version> The %APPDATA% address is a shortcut to your Windows user account's Roaming directory. This animation shows how to get to your %APPDATA% directory: With FlexSim closed, delete this prefs.t file. Then try starting FlexSim. Are the problems resolved? 6. Reinstall FlexSim Completely uninstall FlexSim and try a new installation. It may be worth downloading a new copy of the full installer to ensure there was no corruption in the install package. You could also try the .msi installer, instead of the .exe. When installing using the .msi you can save a log of the install process. This could help with debugging if there are still problems. Whichever method you use when reinstalling FlexSim, be sure to right-click the installer and choose to Run as Administrator (see the Run as Administrator section above). 7. Update your computer's .NET installation FlexSim relies on Microsoft's .NET Framework for some functionality. Windows 10 includes a compatible .NET version, or if a compatible version is missing the FlexSim installer will try to download and install .NET directly from Microsoft. If your computer/network does not allow this you may need to update .NET yourself. Click here to download the .NET framework directly from Microsoft. After installing the .NET Framework, please revisit the Windows Updates section above. Microsoft may provide new security fixes that should be applied to your .NET installation. 8. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable These are run-time components provided by Microsoft that are required to run FlexSim. Normally these components are installed during FlexSim's installation process. If FlexSim is encountering errors, it could be caused by a broken or out of date C++ redistributable. Click here to download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable directly from Microsoft. After reinstalling the Visual C++ Redistributable, please revisit the Windows Updates section above. There may be new security fixes for the redistributable. 9. Antivirus We have seen instances where FlexSim is blocked by an overzealous Antivirus software. If FlexSim doesn't start up at all, despite a new installation, this could be the case. To test this, temporarily disable your antivirus and try to install or start FlexSim. If the problem clears up then your antivirus may indeed be blocking FlexSim. In this case, work with your IT department to configure the appropriate settings to allow FlexSim to run alongside your antivirus solution. Remember to re-enable your antivirus software after this test. 10. Windows Event Viewer If FlexSim still won't install or start, try checking the Windows Event Viewer to see if there are any errors related to installing or starting FlexSim. If so, please send those our way so that we can troubleshoot further. In case you've never used it before, here is a tutorial covering the Event Viewer. Add your comments below on what did or didn't work for you, other problems or symptoms you encountered, or tips and tricks that helped you solve them. Fixes for older versions The following suggestions apply to outdated versions of FlexSim. Update OpenSSL DLLs Applies to FlexSim versions 7.0.0-20.2.0 (excluding LTS versions 20.0.9+) Some older FlexSim installations may crash shortly after FlexSim opens, when FlexSim's start page contacts our remote servers for dynamic content, due to a new system incompatibility with the openssl library that shipped with these older FlexSim versions. Newer versions of FlexSim include updated files that resolve this problem. Install the latest version of FlexSim to obtain updated versions of the following two files: C:\Program Files\FlexSim <version>\modules\Emulation\openssl\libeay32.dll C:\Program Files\FlexSim <version>\modules\Emulation\openssl\ssleay32.dll Copy those updated DLLs to your affected FlexSim installation, under its program\Webkit folder, overwriting the older version of those files. Alternate workaround: disconnect your computer from the Internet, both wired networks and Wi-Fi. Start FlexSim. Go to File > Global Preferences > Dynamic Content tab. Deactivate all of the options there. You can now reconnect to the Internet and FlexSim may work properly the next time you start the application. Uninstall KB4571756 Applies to FlexSim versions 7.7.0-16.2.2 A Windows 10 patch released in September 2020 may prevent FlexSim versions 7.7.0-16.2.2 from starting. If you are using one of these older versions of FlexSim and the program will not start, try removing this Windows update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4571756/windows-10-update-kb4571756

FlexSim requires modern graphics support to run well. Most modern computers from the last few years have no problem running most FlexSim models, but sometimes there are graphics configuration issues that keep FlexSim from working properly. Common symptoms The model 3D view is black or blank. You should see the model view default to a 3D grid. The 3D grid appears, but does not respond to user interaction. You should be able to click and drag the grid to pan (left-click-drag) and rotate (right-click-drag) the view. Click the grid to select it then scroll your mouse wheel - this should zoom the 3D view in and out. Unable to drag an object onto the grid. You should be able to click and drag an object from the Library and drop it onto the 3D grid. It should appear at the location of your mouse. Unable to interact with objects in the 3D view. You should be able to double-click an object to bring up its properties window, or single click to highlight, or click and drag to move it about the 3D grid. Conveyors or other objects are not drawing to the view. Unable to create connections between objects. User interface elements and other GUIs are not displaying correctly. Solutions If you are experiencing any of these issues, it is most likely a graphics compatibility issue. Here are common steps you can take to solve the problem: Open FlexSim's default workspace to reset any potentially corrupted view windows. To do so, from FlexSim's main menu, go to View > Open Default Workspace. Any open windows will be closed and the default 3D view and tool panels will be opened. This could clear up potential issues with 3D or Process Flow views, tools panels, or properties windows. Check that your computer meets FlexSim's minimum system requirements. Review FlexSim's minimum and recommended system requirements. Check this article for an in-depth explanation of hardware considerations. Update your graphics driver to the latest version. This almost always solves graphics issues and is the preferred solution whenever possible. It enables the maximum performance from your graphics hardware and eliminates bugs and glitches in previous drivers. Check out HowToGeek.com's article for a primer on updating graphics drivers. Always go directly to your graphics manufacturers website ( Intel, AMD, or Nvidia) to get the latest drivers for your graphics hardware. Do not trust that Windows Update always gives the latest graphics drivers - in fact it rarely does. Not every user has the proper administrator privileges on their computer necessary to update drivers, so you may need to contact someone in your IT department for help. Try a different graphics driver. If the graphics aren't working correctly and you downloaded the latest driver for your hardware directly from Intel, AMD, or Nvidia, try instead using the latest driver from the computer manufacturer such as HP/Dell/Lenovo/Asus/Acer, etc. If you are already using the latest driver from your computer manufacturer, try using the latest driver from the graphics card manufacturer: Intel, AMD, or Nvidia. Try starting FlexSim with higher permissions by right-clicking the program icon and choosing Run As Administrator. If you don't have admin rights, you will be prompted to enter credentials with admin rights. Enter the proper credentials and the software should start with elevated permissions. Does this solve the problem? Some users have reported certain linked libraries used by FlexSim are blocked by default, but can run properly when FlexSim is started with elevated privileges. If you find this is the case for you, work with your IT group to determine how to unblock the DLLs required by FlexSim. Try turning off Shadows by going to File > Global Preferences > Graphics tab, and uncheck the option Use Shadows. Click the Apply button, then close. Restart FlexSim to see how it responds with this changed setting. Try switching to a different OpenGL Context by going to File > Global Preferences > Graphics tab, and make a new selection for OpenGL Context. Hit Apply, then close. Restart FlexSim and see how it responds. Start with Recommended, then try Core Profile (3.3). If Core Profile (3.3) still doesn't work, try Generic. The Generic context is the last resort option, and is equivalent to the Compatibility mode option in versions of FlexSim previous to 2017. Compatibility mode/Generic Context is not intended for long term use. Revert to this mode only if you must use a computer that doesn't meet FlexSim's minimum system requirements. Test with other 3D applications. Your computer hardware or operating system may have an underlying problem that is causing your graphics issue. You may be able to test this by starting different 3D-accelerated applications or games on your computer. Do other applications besides FlexSim have graphics issues? If so, and you have already tried upgrading your graphics drivers as described above, you may need to contact your IT department or your computer's manufacturer for support. You may have hardware or other issues that prevent your 3D graphics from working properly. Contact FlexSim to let us know that your computer meets FlexSim's minimum system requirements you have installed the latest drivers for your graphics card other 3D-accelerated applications on your computer work just fine but your FlexSim installation still has graphics issues. If this is the case, there may be a software problem in FlexSim that should be addressed. When contacting us about your graphics problem, please include the following: Describe your symptoms in detail. Screenshots are very helpful. For each of the troubleshooting suggestions above, what did you try? What was the result? Please include a screenshot of your FlexSim installation's About FlexSim popup (from FlexSim's main menu > Help > About FlexSim...). This gives us info about your FlexSim version, your graphics hardware, and your graphics driver: A screenshot of your Windows Device Manager, with Display Adapters expanded, is also helpful for our troubleshooting. This gives us additional information about your graphics hardware: Special Cases Nvidia Quadro cards have many different driver versions. We have had good success using the ODE driver (‘Optimal Drivers for Enterprise’). Another option that sometimes improves Quadro compatibility with FlexSim is to open your Nvidia Control Panel and change 3D settings to "3D App - Game Development": Your laptop may have both Intel Integrated graphics and Nvidia/AMD accelerated graphics, and the ability to automatically switch between them depending on the application's 3D requirements. This is a great feature and helps to maximize your battery life. FlexSim should be automatically recognized as a program that should use discrete graphics acceleration, but in case it is not, you may need to set it manually within the Nvidia or AMD Control Panel. Here is the Nvidia Control panel. You can specify an acceleration profile for FlexSim under 3D Settings, Manage 3D settings, Program Settings tab: Click 'Add' and browse to the flexsim.exe executable (default install path is C:\Program Files\FlexSim <version>\program\flexsim.exe). You then have the ability to tweak any and all settings for your FlexSim graphics. The defaults are usually fine, but feel free to play around to tweak things to your liking.

Recommended System Requirements This article complements FlexSim's System Requirements. We'll go over each of the major components, discuss their importance to a FlexSim model, and make recommendations to help you decide on the right hardware for your situation. CPU Single Model Run A single run of a FlexSim model (ie not an experiment or optimization run) is single threaded, which means it runs on only 1 CPU core. Buying a processor with more cores won't speed up a single simulation run. To complete single model runs more quickly, use instead a processor with a faster single core clock speed (gigahertz, or cycles per second) or better efficiency (instructions per cycle). In short, for the fastest individual model runs, you want the fastest processor possible, regardless of the number of cores. Experimenter or Optimizer - Multiple Simultaneous Replications When you're doing multiple simultaneous model runs using the Experimenter or Optimizer, FlexSim takes advantage of multiple CPU cores to run simulation replications in parallel. By default, FlexSim spawns as many replications as you have cores; for example, a Quad core processor enables four single-threaded simulation runs to process simultaneously, one on each core, getting you results four times faster than by using a single core processor at the same speed/efficiency. If necessary, you can manually limit the number of concurrent replications by setting the Max Cores value from FlexSim's Main Menu under Statistics > Experimenter > Advanced tab > Max Cores input field. Each replication consumes some amount of system RAM, so if you run out of RAM before you run out of cores, it may be necessary to limit the number of cores used to run replications. Conclusion If you’re primarily doing single simulation runs, choose a faster processor speed regardless of the number of cores. If you’re primarily doing experiments, choose a processor with a high number of processing cores (and make sure your system has enough RAM to support them - see Memory below). If you’ll be doing both, choose a processor that strikes a good balance between core speed and core count. Memory Considerations Random Access Memory, or RAM, is a PC's fast "working" memory, where it stores the data and programs it is currently running (don't confuse this with your much slower hard drive, where data is stored "at rest"). Most consumer Windows computers top out at 32 or 64 GB of RAM, though Windows is capable of supporting much more when coupled with high-end hardware (see limits per OS here). Your computer is always doing many other things besides just running FlexSim. Your operating system itself has memory needs for all the processes it is constantly running. You probably have an antivirus solution, maybe a backup software, and often other utilities running invisibly in the background. Then there are all the applications you currently have open - your email, a web browser, music streaming, etc. All of these are consuming RAM. As you plan your FlexSim hardware, be aware that you should have enough RAM to run all these other applications, plus your FlexSim model, plus have a good amount of extra RAM as a buffer. FlexSim's Requirements Many FlexSim models will use less than 4 GB of RAM in a single model run, but it all depends on your simulation and data. Some large and complex models can and do go above 4 GB of RAM utilization (sometimes well above). If FlexSim's RAM utilization starts approaching a high percentage of your total available system RAM, your computer will turn sluggish or totally unresponsive as it runs out of memory and begins paging out to disk for its memory needs (which is orders of magnitude slower than RAM). A FlexSim system should have 8 GB of RAM as a minimum. For the best experience we recommend 32 GB of RAM or more. Many modern high-end consumer PCs meet this recommendation. See FlexSim's latest minimum and recommended system requirements here. Experiments and Optimizations Experiments and optimizations run several replications of your model simultaneously, so make sure you have enough total memory in your system so that each replication can hit its peak memory needs, while still leaving enough memory for the system and other running applications (OS, antivirus, other background processes, etc.). In addition, the experimenter saves statistics data for each replication by default. Each completed replication will send its statistics collectors' data to the main FlexSim thread, where it will ultimately be stored in the results database file on the hard drive. However, several stages of the transfer process require two copies of the data. In addition, all child processes can transfer data simultaneously. So, if you have a model that generates 100MB of statistics data, and you run an experiment with 8 CPUs, and all 8 CPUs finish a replication at roughly the same time, you'll need at least 1600MB (100 MB x 2 x 8) to transfer the data successfully, on top of all the other RAM utilization. Example Scenario I've developed a simulation model and now I'd like to run multiple replications using the Experimenter. Watching my simulation run normally, while monitoring FlexSim's memory usage with Windows Task Manager, I see that over the entire course of its run my simulation peaks at about 2.1 GB of RAM at its highest utilization. My computer system has 16 GB of RAM. When FlexSim is not running at all, the system uses about 20% of its resources for the operating system and other background processes. This leaves about 12.8 GB of RAM free. How many concurrent replications of FlexSim can my PC support? 12.8 GB / 2.1 GB per replication = 6.1 concurrent replications So, I might get by with allowing 6 concurrent replications of FlexSim, but I feel like 5 is a safer bet to give the system a bit of headroom, and because running the experimenter and collecting results data also requires some additional memory overhead. Since my computer has a quad-core processor and uses simultaneous multithreading (SMT) (which allows each core to run two FlexSim replications at once), FlexSim's default would be to run 8 concurrent replications. My calculations showed that 8 concurrent replications would be too many, and will probably bog down my PC, slowing or halting the entire process. I will limit the number of concurrent replications the experimenter will use by setting the Max Cores value to 5. This option is set from FlexSim's Main Menu under Statistics > Experimenter > Advanced tab > Max Cores input field. Your settings will differ from this example. Check your computer's amount of RAM, the peak memory needs of your simulation models, and your baseline RAM utilization when you're not running any simulations. Factor in a reasonable % as a buffer. Use these values to determine how many concurrent FlexSim replications your computer may support. When allowing FlexSim to use its default of running the max number of replications your CPU supports, please keep in mind that many multi-core CPUs actually run multiple threads simultaneously per core (simultaneous multithreading - SMT). To fully take advantage of all the simultaneous replications that your PC could run at once, be sure to get enough RAM for all the replications your CPU is capable of. For example, a 4-core CPU with support for SMT could run 8 simulation replications at once. Make sure you have the memory to do so! If not, be sure to use the Max Cores option to limit the number of concurrent replications. Conclusion A system meeting FlexSim's minimum RAM requirement will have enough memory for a single model run of most simulation models. If your simulations are large or complex, or if you intend on running experiments or using the optimizer, you should meet the higher recommended spec of 32 GB of RAM or more. Disk Space Requirements The FlexSim installer may be up to 1.2GB in size, depending on the FlexSim version. After installation, FlexSim's program files use up to 1.2GB of disk space. Your model files, CAD layouts, images, custom 3D shapes, import data, exported reports, and other simulation related assets that you provide will take disk space in addition to the software's installation footprint. Disk Speed Most FlexSim models will run from memory, so hard drive speed isn't really an issue. However, if you're reading/writing with files/databases while the model is running, disk speed could make a huge difference; a Solid-State Drive (SSD) is a must in that case. Alternatively, try to do data reading and writing before and after the simulation run, if possible. FlexSim recommends SSDs in general because they make every interaction with your computer feel faster and more responsive. You won't regret an upgrade from a regular, spinning hard drive to an SSD. Conclusion Consider upgrading your hard drive to an SSD if you will be reading or writing to files or databases during a model run, or to generally improve system responsiveness. Graphics Recommended Graphics The better/newer/bigger/faster the graphics processor, the better the performance. Integrated graphics, where a smaller GPU is packaged into the CPU, have gotten much better in recent years, but a discrete GPU remains the most powerful graphics solution. FlexSim works best on Nvidia GeForce RTX or GTX GPUs, but Nvidia Quadro and AMD Radeon are also good solutions. Most recent integrated graphics solutions meet FlexSim's minimum graphics requirements, but in general will not perform as well as discrete graphics. Graphics Driver Updates It is also important to note that you should keep your graphics drivers updated to the latest version. If your graphics hardware meets FlexSim's minimum requirements but you are experiencing graphical issues in FlexSim, a graphics driver update may solve the problem. Please check out this article for some common symptoms and solutions to graphics issues within FlexSim. Virtual Reality FlexSim supports Oculus Rift/Meta Quest 2, HTC Vive, and Windows mixed reality virtual reality platforms (see demo models). Be sure to meet FlexSim's higher recommended specifications if you plan to use VR. Conclusion While recent integrated graphics solutions meet FlexSim's minimum requirements, a discrete graphics solution is a better choice. For maximum performance, FlexSim recommends a recent NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU.