In addition to the animations that are on the Operator and Person flowitem by default, you can easily download and add more animations from Mixamo. Below are the steps to do that. If you want to create new characters with animations, see Bone Animations 1. Download the attached two files: FlexSim_Operator.fbx and FlexSim_F_Operator.fbx. These are the versions of the male and female operator shapes as exported from Mixamo originally, before they were modified and optimized in 3ds Max. 2. Log into your account at https://www.mixamo.com and press the Upload Character button in the Characters section of the site. 3. Drag the FlexSim_Operator.fbx or FlexSim_F_Operator.fbx shape from step 1 onto the window that appears. A progress bar will appear as the shape uploads to Mixamo's server. Once it is finished uploading, press the Next button: 4. On the Animations section of the site, select an animation you want to apply. Adjust the parameters as desired and press the Download button: 5. Select "Without Skin" in the Skin section and press the Download button. This will download just the animation file rather than the animation, the mesh, and the bones. The mesh and bones are already in the software so you only need the animation if you are editing the standard male or female operator shapes. 6. In FlexSim, edit the Animations for an Operator or a Person flowitem: 7. In the Animations and Components window, select Edit Animation Clips: 8. In the Animation Clips window, press the Plus button to add the animation you downloaded in step 5 above. Optionally, you can edit the animation clip's name and press Apply. You can also edit the clip's length or split the animation into multiple clips using this window. 9. Close the Animation Clips window when you are done. 10. In the Animations and Components window, add a new Animation and name it. Then add an Animation Clip to that animation. Then select the clip and set its Animation and Clip values to the animation/clip set in step 8: 11. Now you can use the new animation in your model on this operator or person flowitem.

Preparation   You will need to be able to transfer plaintext XML license files to and from your offline computer.   Create manual return requests   Open FlexSim Software. In FlexSim's main menu, Go to Help > License Activation. Click the Advanced tab. Go to the Manual Return sub-tab. Each of your activated licenses is listed in the dropdown selector. Select a license you want to return. Click the Generate Request button. You will be prompted to save an XML file. Choose a location and filename to save your XML return request. Repeat for all licenses you wish to return, so that all your XML return request files can be transferred at one time.   Submit your manual return requests   Transfer your XML return requests to a computer with Internet access. From your Internet-connected computer, open a web browser and login to your FlexSim Account. Click the Licenses link in your FlexSim Account's page header. Click the Manual XML link in the submenu. Upload your XML file by dragging it onto the drop zone, or click the drop zone and browse to your XML file. Your uploaded XML request will be processed. Upon completion, you will be prompted to download the XML response. Download the response XML file. Repeat for any licenses you are manually returning, so that all your XML return response files can be transferred back to your offline PC at one time.   Process your manual return responses   Transfer your downloaded XML return responses to the offline computer you are un-licensing. In FlexSim, using the same licensing interface where you generated your request, click the Process Response button. Browse to an XML return response file. FlexSim should give you an indication of successful processing of your return, and your return will be complete. Repeat to process the XML return responses for any other licenses you are manually returning.   If you have any questions or problems, please search our Answers Community for possible solutions. There is a good chance someone else has already asked your question. Still not finding what you're looking for? Submit a new question and we'll check it out. If you're including any confidential information, such as license codes, be sure to mark your question as private! You can also contact your local FlexSim distributor for live phone, web, or email help.

Update (22 December 2017): Version 18.0.1 now again allows you to double click in Process Flow to open the activities popup. FloWorks 18.0.0 is now available (18 December 2017). This version of FloWorks is intended for use with FlexSim 2018. In addition, FloWorks 17.2.2 and 17.0.7 have been released, containing bug fixes for FlexSim 2017 Update 2 and FlexSim 2017 (LTS) users, respectively. These will be the final 17.x releases of FloWorks. All versions can be found in the Downloads section of your FlexSim account on the 3rd party modules tab. Please do not hesitate to report any bugs, usability improvements and feature requests to support@talumis.com. About FloWorks FloWorks is a 3rd party module developed and maintained by Talumis BV ( talumis.com). It provides faster and more accurate modelling and calculation of fluid systems than the default FlexSim fluid library. It is especially useful within the oil, gas, and bulk industry both for production and supply chain optimization. This module requires a FloWorks license with active maintenance. For any questions, please email support@talumis.com. Release notes Changes in FloWorks 18.0.1 Bug fix: FloWorks broke double click in the Process Flow view to open the quick library Changes in FloWorks 18.0.0 Quick Properties panels added. Added three FloWorks tutorials to user manual. Added impact , stop and resume functions on FlowObject . Added FLOW_STATE_* constants for use in stop and optionally impact . Bug fix: In unlicensed version, license info is now correctly shown instead of “Unknown”. All bug fixes in version 17.2.2 and 17.0.7 listed below. Changes in FloWorks 17.2.2 (for FlexSim 2017 Update 2) Bug fix: FlowTank 's isEmpty and isFull return 0 and 1. Bug fix: Statistics collectors pick up content changes by content property setter. Bug fix: Cannot change mixer recipe while running. All bug fixes in version 17.0.7 listed below. Changes in FloWorks 17.0.7 (for FlexSim 2017 LTS) Bug fix: FloWorks objects remove pending events from the list when they are destroyed. Bug fix: Fixed an issue in the LP solver. Bug fix: Minor fix to internal treenode naming on reset. Bug fix: Avoid a rounding issue in utilization calculation. Bug fix: Mixer correctly resets visuals to empty in manual mode. Bug fix: Can start mixer recipe from Reset or On Empty trigger. Bug fix: Fixed reset error when opening model without flow trucks in a FlexSim installation without FloWorks.

Post a Question Post your bug report as a question if you want a response from us; for example, if you are looking for a workaround or a fix for your model. When creating your question, consider putting it into the Bug Reports space: Post an Idea You can also post it on this forum as an idea. This lets other users in the community vote on the idea and gives us an idea of how much demand there is. This also creates a place where the idea can be discussed by users and developers. Summary Feature requests and bug reports will be monitored by support and development teams. For confirmed bugs, we will create an issue on our development list. The issue will then be discussed by the developers in our next sprint meeting where we will determine when, relative to the other issues, we want to work on it.

FlexSim 2018 is available. 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 People module. (Try out the Sample Models.) Added new dashboard chart templates to quickly collect and display statistics. Legacy charts are hidden by default in the Library and can be enabled through Global Preferences. Removed the basic Person flowitem and renamed the TaskExecuterFlowItem to Person. Added functionality to the List's pull method to allow you to pull an object/node directly (without writing SQL). Updated ODA to be compatible with DWG 2018 shapes. Updated Assimp to be compatible with the latest FBX file format. Added a RegExResult class for iterating over the matches in a regular expression. Lists can now use arrays as partition ids. Added a mechanism for automatically setting the reset position of objects after moving them by setting their resetposition variable to 1. Added a By Lazy Interval update mode to the calculated table. Improved calculated table performance by reducing the amount of table updates. Improved statistics collector performance by reducing the number of updates to Always columns. Table views can now be set as read-only using the grayed attribute. Added an Ignore Warmup option to statistics collectors. Updated OptQuest so that it can run more than 10,000 solutions. Added a pick option for restoring default values in the Global Table's On Reset trigger. The Query test field is now a multi-line text box. The Source now adds labels to items before calling the OnCreation trigger. Updated the table selection for the Excel Import/Export. Improved color options in various dashboard charts. Changed the model update dialog to be able to autosave the model with an incremented number. Added many new animations for the operator and the person flowitem. Updated many stochastic pick options to use getstream() as the default stream parameter. Updated the TaskExecuter to connect to the DefaultNavigator when created. Improved the Group UI. Updated the Library view to not change when clicking on the User Manual view. Changed the Tree view's Explore > As Code so that it closes the tree's edit view. Fixed a bug with list initial contents having old values in label fields. Fixed a bug with the statistics collector chart interface checkboxes. Fixed an OnDropWindow exception. Fixed some exceptions in the Table View when viewing an Array that no longer exists. Process Flow Added a Date Time Source activity. Added a Wait for Simultaneous Arrivals Before Entry option to the Zone. Added autocomplete for instanced flow labels (current). Added a zoneistokeninsubset() command. Conveyor Added a Round Robin destination option to the Send Item pick option. AStar Added a visual option to show the travel threshold for objects. Improved the draw performance and fixed the timing of some graphical updates. AGV Fixed a bug with redirecting AGVs at times other than On Pre-Arrival of way points.

Você tem dúvidas sobre a picklist Values by case? Este Tutorial vai apresentar uma visão geral e fazer um rápido exemplo. Acesse o link : https://youtu.be/d0XVlQlRvmA

Nesse exemplo nós vamos construir um modelo que usa listas para relações básicas de roteamento de itens. Os itens serão enviados de três filas para um dos quatro processos. Nós vamos usar uma Lista de itens (item list). As filas irão empurrar os itens para a lista e os processos irão puxar os itens da lista e processa-los. Inicialmente, vamos implementar um simples puxado, mas depois iremos experimentar o puxado com restrições e priorizações. Passo 1. Montar Layout Para esse exemplo, criaremos um novo layout. A Figura 1 mostra quais objetos devem estar presentes nesse layout. Observe que NÃO há ligação entre as filas e os processos. Figura 1- Layout exemplo 2 Passo 2. Configurar source Na janela de propriedades do source, em inter-Arrivaltime coloque exponential (0 ,2.5,0). Figura 2- Inserir inter- arrival time 2.Na aba FLOW, em send to port abra a lista de opções e escolha a opção random port. Figura 3- Sent to port 3.Na aba trigger, adicionar uma Oncreation trigger para configurar o tipo e a cor. OnCreation> Data > Set item type and color Figura 4- Configurar tipo e cor Passo 3. Adicionar lists Para adicionar a lógica é preciso criar um item list. Em Toolbox> > Global list> Item list(Figura 5). Figura 5- Adicionar item list Ao clicar em Item list irá abrir janela de propriedades da lista (Figura 6), por agora apenas feche a aba. A sua lista está nomeada como ItemList1. Figura 6- Janela de propriedades Itemlist Não é necessário definir nenhuma das configurações agora. Apenas feche a janela de propriedades. Passo 4. Configurar queue Para configurar a queue para empurrar os itens para a lista, clique sobre cada uma das filas> Aba Flow> Send to port> abra a lista de opções> Escolha use list> Push to item list. CONFIRA se o o nome da lista corresponde ao nome da lista que você criou. Figura 7- Push to item list OBS: Fazer o Passo 4 para (((TODAS))) as filas Passo 5. Configurar Processos Para fazer com que os processos puxem da lista, nós precisamos configurar cada input de processos para todos os 4 processos. Clique em um dos processos, na aba Flow vá na parte de input, marque a opção pull strategy. Na aba de escolha da estratégia >Use list>Pull from item list. Você pode deixar o campo QUERY em branco. E confira se o nome da lista escolhida é o mesmo da lista que você criou no Passo 3. Figura 8- Estratégia puxada Obs: Não esqueça de fazer o passo 5 para todos os processors. Salve seu modelo como Exemplo 2 e ele está pronto para ser executado. Mas antes de fazer isso vamos dar uma olhada no que está na lista. Para verificar se até aqui as coisas estão funcionando da maneira correta. Vamos fazer um test rápido. Nas propriedades do ItemList1, vá na aba General e clique no botão a esquerda “ Back Orders”, sua lista deve estar parecida com a da Figura 9. Mudando apenas os nomes dos processos de acordo como os seus estão nomeados. Figura 9- Janela de pedidos pendentes A Figura 9 representa que os processos começaram a puxar da lista, mas como não há itens que foram empurrados para a lista, eles estão aguardando para poderem puxar e se tornarem fulfilled(preenchidos). Execute o modelo e você perceberá os itens vão entrar nas filas e serão empurrados para a lista (View entries) fazendo com que os pedidos pendentes sejam atendidos e então começam a ser processados. Quando um item é empurrado para a lista e existe pedidos pendentes o item será imediatamente puxado da lista. Dessa forma o pedido pendente irá se tornar Fulfilled e será removido da lista de pedidos pendentes. Eventualmente, todos os processos irão puxar os itens e dessa forma a lista de pedidos pendentes se tornará vazia, já que todos estão em operação. Então a lista de entradas vai crescendo(Figura 10) até que um dos processos termine o processamento e requisite puxar um item da lista. Figura 10- Entradas na lista aguardando serem puxadas Quando os itens são empurrados para a lista, eles são adicionados no fim da lista. Assim se o sistema puxado não utilizar prioridades como parte da sua tomada de decisão, os itens irão ser puxados como FIFO( first-in-first-out), ou seja, seguindo uma ordem de quem chegou primeiro sai primeiro. O mesmo acontece com os pedidos pendentes pendentes. A primeira máquina que ficar disponível irá puxar o primeiro item que entrar na lista. exemplo2.fsm Experimentos Agora vamos experimentar diferentes configurações das operações puxadas. Cenário 1- Filtrar por tipo de item Vamos considerar que um dos processos pode apenas processar o tipo de item 2. Nós podemos vincular essa lógica na simulação utilizando uma simples Query nesse processo. Clique sobre o processo que deseja restringir a entrada ao tipo 2 de item, na janela de propriedades, vá em FLOW > >Pull strategy >em Query digite a restrição WHERE itemtype == 2 (Figura 11). Figura 11- Adicionar query para tipo de item Salve o modelo como Exemplo2_cenario1. Reset seu modelo e execute. exemplo2-cenario1.fsm Cenário 2- Puxar pelo LIFO Vamos supor que agora queremos que todos os processos puxem seguindo a ordem último a chegar primeiro a sair (LIFO) ao invés do padrão FIFO, o que significa que o item mais recentemente adicionado na lista deve ser o primento a ser puxado da lista. Nós podemos criar essa lógica na simulação, implementando uma simples puxada Query. Abra o arquivo do exemplo 2, e salve como exemplo2_cenario2. Para cada um dos 4 processos faça o seguinte: 1)Clique no processo >vá em FLOW > Pull strategy > em Query digite a restrição ORDER BY age ASC (Figura 12). Figura 12- Lógica LIFO Repita 1) para TODOS os processos. Salve o modelo e coloque para executar. exemplo2-cenario2.fsm Use a ferramenta avançada view entry Nessa ferramenta você pode verificar se o seu modelo está rodando de acordo com a lógica planejada. Por exemplo, se você quiser testar o seu query de order by age asc para você ter certeza de o que você quer antes de implementar no modelo. Você pode usar a ferramenta avançada para fazer isso. Execute o modelo até que tenha um número significativo de itens na lista. Nas propriedades do ItemList1, vá na aba General e clique no botão a esquerda “ View entries”. Pressione botão para mostra as ferramentas avançadas (Figura 13). Figura 13- Ferramentas avançadas view entry Agora teste colocar a Query por ORDER BY age ASC e pressione enter (Figura 14). Figura 14- Itens ordenados por tempo Na Figura 14 você pode notar que os itens na lista estão agora reorganizados com as idades ascendentes. A ordem puxada que usa a query order by age asc, vai puxar do topo dessa lista. No caso o primeiro a ser puxado seria o Queue5/Box~3 com itemtype de 3 e age de 0. 18, o último a entrar na fila.

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.

FloWorks 2018.0.0 will be released in parallel with FlexSim 2018. This new version of FloWorks adds two features that have been sitting on our wish list for a while: support for Quick Properties and a brand new set of tutorials. Therefore we are releasing it as a public beta. The latest beta version, released December 8, can be found in the Downloads section of your FlexSim account on the 3rd party modules tab. Click "More Versions" to show the Beta release. Along with FloWorks 18.0.0, we will provide a final bug fix release for versions 17.2 and 17.0, with the changes listed below. Please do not hesitate to report any bugs, usability improvements and feature requests to support@talumis.com. About FloWorks FloWorks is a 3rd party module developed and maintained by Talumis BV ( talumis.com). It provides faster and more accurate modelling and calculation of fluid systems than the default FlexSim fluid library. It is especially useful within the oil, gas, and bulk industry both for production and supply chain optimization. This module requires a FloWorks license with active maintenance. For any questions, please email support@talumis.com. Release notes Note: the bug fixes will also be available in versions 17.2.2 and 17.0.7, where applicable. New features in FloWorks 18.0.0 Quick Properties panels added. Added three FloWorks tutorials to user manual. Bug fixes in FloWorks 18.0.0 and 17.2.2 Bug fix: Fixed an issue in the LP solver Bug fix: Minor fix to internal treenode naming on reset Bug fix: FlowTank.isEmpty and FlowTank.isFull return 0 and 1 Bug fix: Avoid a rounding issue in utilization calculation Bug fix: Statistics collectors pick up content changes by content property setter Bug fix: Cannot change mixer recipe while running Bug fixes in FloWorks 18.0.0, 17.2.2 and 17.0.7 (LTS): Bug fix: FloWorks objects remove pending events from the list when they are destroyed. Bug fix: Fixed an issue in the LP solver Bug fix: Minor fix to internal treenode naming on reset Bug fix: Avoid another rounding issue in utilization calculation Bug fix: Mixer correctly resets visuals to empty in manual mode. Bug fix: Can start mixer recipe from Reset or On Empty trigger.

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

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.

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.