FlexSim Knowledge Base
Announcements, articles, and guides to help you take your simulations to the next level.
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FlexSim 2019 Update 1 Beta is available. (Updated 11 April 2019) IMPORTANT NOTE: The 15-Mar beta installer has a bug that causes the current installer to hang during the Cleaning Up stage when upgrading from the 15-Mar beta to a newer beta version. We have resolved the issue for future installers, but to avoid the error now, uninstall the 15-Mar beta using Add/Remove Programs before installing the new version. To get the beta, log in to your account at www.flexsim.com, then go to the Downloads section, and click on More Versions. It will be at the top of the list. If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Development space. Release Notes Added a new graphical interface to the Calculated Table for building queries. Updated the UI for editing rack dimensions. Added more options for customizing people visuals. Moved operator shape options from the Operator tab to Quick Properties. Improved edit modes by using right-click to cancel the current action instead of immediately exiting the mode. Added global preferences for process flow and dashboard library options. Added the FlexScript API reference to the user manual and made it accessible outside of FlexSim. Added toolbar support for adding multiple model background drawings. Adjusted how the floor Z and grid Z settings work to improve multi-floor modeling. Updated the table view to show more helpful information for certain data types. Added support for pointer data in bundles. Added a pointer type to tracked variables. Added support for the NULLIF SQL keyword. Added support for linking combo boxes to nodes with pointer data. Improved the gantt chart. Updated how tree files are saved to improve saving certain datatypes. Updated pulling from lists to throw an exception when passing a bad query. Fixed a bug with the normal map lighting calculation. Fixed an issue with the picking focus when using drawsurrogate within a drawsurrogate object. Fixed exceptions on an array table that doesn't have column header information. Fixed an issue related to moving items that had not been released. Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave. Updated the internal structure of the Rack object's variables. Removed the rackgetcontenttable() command. Removed support for running the simulation from a loaded state file. Process Flow Added an option to the container to center its title when the contents are hidden. Added a limit to the number of activity panels displayed in quick properties. Added a Milestone activity. People Added a Healthcare environment option. Added an Elevator Bank object. Added a Prop object and more options for object visuals. Added tables that automatically collect statistics for people models. Added people chart templates. Added a People Settings object to the toolbox for people models. Improved the names of people created with the Create Person activity. AGV Updated the distancetotravel() calculation to work with moving AGVs. A* Added support for multiple grids. Adjusted how conditions are defined to improve performance.
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Introduction to lmtools   This article is a sort of table of contents to the various articles that will take you from start to finish in installing, licensing, configuring, and running your FlexSim license server using the lmtools license manager.   background info   Server-based vs Standalone licensing - Learn the differences between these two license models, and when you might choose one over the other. License managers - lmadmin vs lmtools - FlexSim supports these two FlexNet license managers. Learn the differences, and why FlexSim recommends lmtools.   Let's get started   When installing a new license server, start here at the top and work your way down the list of articles linked below. By the end you should be in good shape to properly host and serve your FlexSim licenses.   Each link should open in its own browser tab, so once you complete a sub-task just close that tab. Then back here in this main tab click the link to the next step.   The list of links below might seem intimidating, but conceptually it's just 4 main things we're about to work through:   Preparation and Prerequisites Activate licenses to your license server Configure the licensing service Configure client PCs   If you run into any problems, you can also find additional helpful resources linked at the end of this article:   Troubleshooting Related links     1) Preparation and Prerequisites   System Requirements - almost any Windows computer could act as your license server. Click inside for the details. Download files - download the required lmtools files and extract them to an appropriate folder on your license server. FlexNet Licensing Service 64 - FlexSim is licensed using Revenera's industry-standard FlexNet licensing platform. This article prepares your license server with the background service necessary for hosting your FlexSim licenses.   2) Activate licenses to your license server   Choose the right steps below to license your server, depending on whether or not your license server can communicate over the internet directly with FlexSim's main license server.   • Online, Internet-enabled systems   License Server - Activation - Online - Activate your FlexSim licenses to your license server directly over the Internet. Should be easy-peasy. • Secure / Offline / Air-gapped systems   If your license server will not connect to the Internet (or if for any reason it cannot communicate with FlexSim's license servers) there are a few extra steps to get up and running. You've got this!   Configure Trusted Storage - Your new license server has a secure storage area for holding license info, but first it must authenticate with FlexSim's main license server. License Server - Activation - XML / Offline - the manual steps to activate your FlexSim licenses onto your license server.   3) Configure the licensing service   Configure your license service - use FlexNet's lmtools license manager to create and configure the service that will serve up your FlexSim seats. Add Windows Firewall exceptions - your licensing service needs to communicate with other PCs on the network. This will get you started.   4) Configure client PCs   With your license server installed and configured, it's finally time for your license server to fulfill its destiny and serve licenses to your client PCs.   Make sure you know the IP address or fully qualified domain name for your license server, as well as the license service port number (see #1 under Check the service status). You'll use your server's address/name and service port when configuring the client PCs.   FlexSim Version Numbering - your FlexSim license is for a particular version of FlexSim. If your software maintenance is not current, you may need to use an older version of the software. In this article you'll learn how licensing works for a given version number and where to download an appropriate version of FlexSim that will work with your license. With an appropriate version of FlexSim installed on the client PCs, you're ready to configure them to communicate with your license server. There are two ways a client PC can be configured. Choose the method below that most closely matches the main use case for your client PC:  Single-user client PCs - this method configures settings that are saved on a per-user basis. Multi-user client PCs - usually appropriate for a university computer lab or other shared-PC situation, where the configuration should be computer-based. Verify client PC licensing - Not sure if your client PC is getting licensed properly? Dive in to find out how to tell your client PC is successfully getting a license from your new license server   Troubleshooting   Isn't there a law in the universe that if something can go wrong, it will? If you're stuck in a licensing black hole, these tips might be just the thing to help you get moving.   Client/server connectivity - if the client PC and the license server can't communicate, the client PC won't be able to get a license. Troubleshooting tips - when you're pretty certain that connectivity isn't an issue, but your client PC still isn't getting a license, check here for some ideas.   Related Links   FlexSim's license file - your new licensing service uses a license file to specify port numbers. Get more background on license files and ports here.  
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If you have colleagues who should also have visibility to your license codes, you can "share" your licenses with their account. Licenses should only be shared in accordance with FlexSim's end user license agreement. When you share your licenses with another FlexSim Account, they are able to view all of your activation IDs in full, as well as the activation histories of those licenses. To share your licenses with another FlexSim Account, do the following: Log in to your FlexSim Account at https://flexs.im/account. In the navigation header, click the Licenses link, then choose Sharing from the submenu: Follow the instructions to add one or more FlexSim Accounts to share your licenses with. The FlexSim Accounts must already exist. Press the Add button to submit the accounts. When you submit, if you are navigated away from the Share page, simply revisit the Sharing link as described in step 2 above. You should see the results of your share attempt. You will also see a list of the accounts you're sharing with, as well as any accounts that are sharing with you: Your licenses will now be listed in your colleague's FlexSim Account. They will see your licenses listed on their Licenses page the next time they log in. If they were currently logged in to their account while you shared your licenses, they should log out, then log back it to note the change.
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FlexSim 2020 Update 2 is available. If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Development space. Release Notes Updated the run speed slider so you can customize the ratio of display units to real seconds. Moved object properties windows into the context sensitive Properties window (formerly known as Quick Properties). Added a new Quick Properties window that appears next to your cursor when double clicking on an object. Added a pop-out button to the Labels panel of the Properties window. Added a Dark theme for FlexSim's UI. Removed help manual from the installer and linked help to docs.flexsim.com. Created a separate installer for a local help manual. Added Unit edit buttons to more edit fields. Updated the Quick Library to match the current state of collapsed and expanded panels in the main library. Removed the View Settings window and moved all its options into the Properties window. Improved performance of Properties window and various other UIs. Added Object Property tables. Added Object class properties and methods to the Variant class in FlexScript. This removes the need to use .as(Object) if you know the treenode pointed at by a Variant is an Object. Added Object.resetPosition property. Added capture groups to the string.replace() method. Enabled several SQL clauses - NOT, NOT IN, DELETE FROM, INSERT INTO, and LEFT JOIN/LEFT OUTER JOIN. Added ARRAY_VAL() sql function for accessing a value in an array. Added unit conversions to the convert() command - convert(4.5, "ft/min", MODEL_UNITS). Improved performance of loading media by making it multi-threaded. Updated the default web server 3D view to stream using WebGL data instead of video. Added Color.fromPalette options to several Set Color popups. Added a pickoption for the Source's On Creation trigger for attaching items to an Object process flow. Disabled the beeping noise when pressing Enter in edit fields. Fixed the Create Object edit mode sometimes not creating objects and just exiting (like when clicking on the library when the User Manual was active). Fixed a draw issue with tables drawing bold text sometimes. Fixed a bug with window docking. Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave. Changed updatehotlinks() to only repaint the view if it applies a node with a viewsyncupdate attribute of 1. The keywords VALUES an DELETE were added to the sql parser. This means that previous models that use the term VALUES, Values, values, DELETE, etc. will get an error because sql now sees it as a special keyword. If you get this error, just wrap your term with square brackets: [Values] to tell the parser to not interpret it as a sql keyword. Agent Added the Agent module to the Flexsim Installer. Enabled A* walls as static agents. Added a neighbors() function to the Agent API. Fixed social forces for agents not in model space. Fixed bugs with using A* bridges. AGV The join tool now joins in all cases, defaulting to a straight path if it can't solve for a curved path. Conveyor The join tool now joins in all cases, defaulting to a straight conveyor if it can't solve for a curved conveyor. Emulation Added Allen-Bradley connections. People Improved performance of state history tables. Fixed listening to travel events on a person created with the Create Person activity. Process Flow Added new Kinematics activities. Added new Warehousing activities. Added an Enabled checkbox to the Source activities so that you can turn them off. Consolidated Fixed Resource and Task Executer process flow types into a single "Object" type. Added a right-click menu option to the 3D view so a user can right-click on an object and add an Object process flow directly. Added an Object Flow field to the Create Object activity and added a pickoption for attaching items to an instanced flow. Changed double clicking on an activity to be more consistent with the 3D view and now opens the activity's properties window. This window now has a name edit field so you can still easily rename the activity. You can also slow double click to only open the old name edit field. Improved performance of activity properties windows.
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FlexSim 2020 is available. If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Development space. Release Notes Changed models to automatically open the environment in which they were saved. Added boy and girl shapes to people visuals. Improved keyboard interactions within table views. Improved tabbing between fields in certain windows. Updated the 3D names and stats text rendering to support more fonts and Unicode. Improved the 3D view's lighting capabilities by adding Light objects that can be arranged in the model. Improved lighting in RTX Mode, including support for soft shadows and a denoiser. Adjusted the Rack Dimensions tab to be able to specify slot padding. Added an optional parameter to TaskSequence.create() for waiting until TaskSequence.finish(). Added an OnValuePulled event to the List. Added methods for creating a DateTime using a string or component parts. Added support for in-place addition and subtraction of DateTimes. Fixed bugs with DateTime methods when using certain years or ranges of time. Improved the convert() command's capabilities with converting dates and times. Improved the exporting of null bundle values to Excel. Added an excelcreateworkbook() command. Added statistics collectors and calculated tables to the Excel Export. Added an option for creating sheets using the Excel Export. Fixed rotation issues with pasting certain objects. Added a Vec3.projectRotation() method. Added a Vec2 FlexScript class. Changed the License Activation window to be responsive during licensing operations. Added an index type to statistics collector columns for improving performance. Added a categorical combo type to tracked variables. Updated the query builder to handle CASE statements. Simplified certain queries written by the query builder. Changed the tree structure to simplify creating custom webserver interfaces. Added a repeat type to animations for remaining in the last frame after running the animation. Added a Go To Row/Column option in quick properties for tables. Improved time plots to be able to show durations as well as calendar times. Added an optional wire mesh rack visualization. Added more picklist options to the storage object slot assignment strategy. Updated the animator so that keyframes are updated using a right-click menu option instead of automatically. Added an option to duplicate an animation keyframe into another animation. Changed the default network node speed limit to 0 (no speed limit). Reorganized the Use Transport pick list and added a No Transport Reference option. Fixed a bug with the rack's default pull requirement not reevaluating after becoming full. Fixed an issue with copy/pasting sub-locations. Fixed the dark patterns when zooming out in RTX Mode. Fixed a crash on certain hardware in RTX Mode when rendering too many transparent layers. Improved the Time Table Date Based GUI to draw past the last event and allow scrolling into the future. Added PushWheelchair and PushCart animations to Operators Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave. Time tables now combine consecutive down periods if using the same state and profile or the same down behavior. Fixed issues with pick/place offsets on drive in racks to improve usability with A*. Because of performance improvements to query(), the row order is not guaranteed unless using an ORDER BY statement. Fixed excelrangewrite() so that the correct overload is available in FlexScript. Improved the FlexScript hypertext preprocessor scoping mechanism used by the webserver. Fixed object color being applied incorrectly to ambient material color on certain meshes. Changed point source light attenuation. Changed TASKTYPE_NODEFUNCTION to pass variants in as parameters instead of interpreted legacy doubles. This fixes the types of arguments that are passed when calling treenode.evaluate() as part of a TASKTYPE_NODEFUNCTION task. This allows you to add TASKTYPE_NODEFUNCTION tasks with parameters that are not just numbers, (nodes, strings, arrays, etc.) and have those parameters be preserved in a type-safe manner and properly passed into the subsequent treenode.evaluate() call. However, this change may have some consequences for older models. The following guidelines apply: If you use the inserttask() command, and cast a node to a number with tonum() to pass it in as a task variable, then you should use parnode() to get those parameters out in the nodefunction. While this method will continue to work, this mechanism is nevertheless deprecated. The now-correct method for adding a TASKTYPE_NODEFUNCTION task to a task sequence is to use TaskSequence.addTask(). This method takes full Variants as its task variable parameters, so you do not need to use tonum(). When using this, you should use param() to get the parameters back out. Older models that use neither of these methods may need to be updated to use method 2 in order to work properly in this version. Process Flow Changed the default behavior of the Create Task Sequence activity to work easier with task sequences created outside of Process Flow. Added a Finish Task Sequence activity that works with the new Create Task Sequence features. Changed the default value of Task activities from token.resource to token.taskSequence. Improved the interface for connecting activities. Added a mechanism for connecting to and from containers and routing tokens between activities using those connections. Added an option to the Run Sub Flow activity to run tokens one at a time. Adjusted the size of containers and connections based on the zoom level when created. Removed the width attributes of themes. Improved the UI for entering times in the Date Time Source activity. Change Set Color By Case and Set Object Color pick options to enable setting the color of a token. Fixed the display of task parameters in the event log. People Improved people resource shared assets to be able to reference other people resources. Added Sort By and Filter By fields to people resources. Simplified and improved several activity sets. Improved the list of labels in drop-down menus to include People Settings labels. Added a Kiosk to the list of locations. Added an Observation Room multilocation. Added an option to the Toolbox to add all people tables to the Excel Export. Added more people tables and charts. Improved the performance of many existing people tables and charts. Updated preempted resources to be able to be reacquired with a higher priority. Updated Escort Patient and Tranpsort Patient activities to set the staff's TravelingWithPatient label when escorting or transporting a patient. Improved the query builder interface with support for adding group/individual subsets. Changed people acquire activities to have the default max wait timer trigger release the token out connector 2. Changed the Split activity default to creating child tokens in the Healthcare environment. Changed the repeat type of the LayDown and SitDown/SitDown2 animations to repeat the last frame. Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave. Changed how labels are handled by People Settings. Improved animations and positioning of transports and equipment when staff move them. Emulation Added support for OPC UA connections.
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A.Hello everyone, Some people we very impressed by FlexSim in a logistics fair and they asked me why are we using Plant Simulation in stead of FlexSim ? I've never heard about this software before, so I had a look on youtube. And to be honest I was impressed by the 3D view and how easy was constructing an automated storage in few seconds without code. I'd like to ask if anybody have used this software ? And what do you think about it ? Thank you very much.
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The latest release of FloWorks 19.0.4 is now available (19 July 2019). This version of FloWorks is intended for use with FlexSim 2019 LTS. FloWorks 19.1.2 is available (19 July 2019) for use with FlexSim 2019 Update 1. FloWorks 2019 introduced some major changes in the way FloWorks works internally. These changes include the following: Flow rates and content are now tracked in the standard statistics variables, requiring us to override fewer FlexSim features. This means, for example, that you can use all of FlexSim's included Statistics Collectors and Chart Templates out-of-the-box. FloWorks now tries to schedule fewer events. This means that models will run faster and debugging your model by stepping through has become much more transparent. This release includes the beta version of the next-generation solver. This solver is particularly suited for networks with many connections, most of which are closed or blocked, or long 'chains' of objects with a single connection in and out. By simplifying the flow network before calculating the flow rates, the solver should become much faster overall. Since this solver is likely to give (valid but) different outcomes, it is not enabled by default - you can test it by enabling the "Optimize networks before solving" option in your Flow Control. The Flow Tank level triggers functionality has been overhauled. For more information, please see the detailed release notes below. All versions of FloWorks 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 [email protected]. Thanks to the active users who have done this in the past weeks, we appreciate your ongoing support in helping us to improve FloWorks! 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 [email protected]. Release notes Changes in FloWorks 19.1.2 (19 July 2019): Bug fix: dragging in a shape from a group will no longer create the first shape in the group. All changes included in version 19.0.4. Changes in FloWorks 19.1.0 (30 April 2019): This version is for FlexSim 2019 Update 1. For FlexSim version 19.0.x use FloWorks 19.0.3. Added support for unconstrained flows. All changes included in version 19.0.3 described below. Backwards compatibility note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Option "Unchanged" removed from "Set flow rate" triggers -- this is now considered as "Unconstrained". Use the "Set maximum input/output rate" option instead of "Set maximum rates" if you only want to change either the input or the output rate. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.4 (19 July 2019): Various bug fixes to the Mass Flow Conveyor. Bug fix: Utiliation returns (flow rate)/(max flow rate) at time zero. Bug fix: Solved exception when dragging different object shape into the model. Backwards Compatibility Note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Bug fix: 'Time until event is 0' exception due to rounding errors fixed. Bug fix: Mixer On Empty event will only fire once (when mixer is actually internally idle). Changes in FloWorks 19.0.3 (30 April 2019): This version is for FlexSim 2019 LTS. For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 use FloWorks 19.1.0. Loading arm state will show Blocked and Starved instead of Idle while transporter is connected. "Pass product downstream" option added to product change trigger of flow processors. Bug fix: Transporters were sometimes positioned incorrectly when entering Loading Point. Bug fix: Flow object states were not updated. Bug fix: Fixed error when calling state() with no arguments. Bug fix: On Entry and On Exit in trigger list of Flow To Item and Item To Flow fixed. Bug fix: "Pass product downstream trigger" threw exception when connected to Flow To Item. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.2 (3 April 2019): For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 beta use FloWorks 19.1.0 (beta). Feature: Flow tank can scale in both directions (elliptical) instead of only using x-size for diameter. Bug fix: Various bug fixes to beta version of new optimizer/solver. Bug fix: Removed "content is larger than max. content" message during reset. Bug fix: Fixed exception in "Pass product downstream" when pipe is not connected to anything. Bug fix: Corrected normals on flow blender and flow splitter shapes. Bug fix: FlowObject.input /output.ports[index] now accepts Variant (e.g. token.Port ) as index and does bounds checking on index . Bug fix: Spheres no longer drawn outside flow pipes shorter than 2 m. Bug fix: Quick Properties only shows a single flow rate for flow pipes; output rate set to input rate on reset. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.1 (8 March 2019): Beta: Flow control can optimize network before solving. (Optimization is disabled by default, can be enabled for models with many (effective) single connections.) Content-holding objects now have On Trigger Level event that allows e.g. Process Flow to wait for a specific level trigger. Optimized event scheduling: obsolete events are removed from the event list instead of ignored. FlowToItem and ItemToFlow added to script so that rates and impact factors can be read and set. Added more shapes for Flow Tank and Mixer. Added "Change product by case" to trigger options. Bug fix: Flow conveyors now have state profile consistent with that of Flow Tank. Bug fix: Product color picker samples colors instead of objects again. Bug fix: Fixed incorrect layers being drawn during filling of Flow Mixer when multiple steps require input from the same port. Bug fix: Fixed incorrect states on Loading Point due to duplicate state_current node. Bug fix: Product field or dropdown will now preserve selected value instead of resetting to current product when switching property tab pages. Bug fix: Flow Task Executer connects itself to default network navigator on creation. Bug fix: Flow statistics now behave correctly under model warmup. User manual: Corrected description of FlowObject.stop() in documentation. User manual: Documented manual loading feature when Loading Points have 0 loading time. Backwards Compatibility Note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Statistics are now kept in standard FlexSim tracked variables under the stats node. If you use dashboards, you may need to rebuild some charts. You can mostly use the standard FlexSim chart templates, listening to the On Rate Change event or the On Content Change Update (not Change). Tank trigger levels rewritten: Trigger levels are now specified using absolute level instead of percentage. Legacy limitations (max. 20 levels, no duplicate levels, 0% or 100%) have been removed. Separate trigger condition has been added to avoid coding ( if(mode == falling) { ... } ). Modes rising and falling are now called MODE_RISING and MODE_FALLING . Bug fix: Sometimes input and output triggers would not fire if trigger was reached precisely when flow was recalculated. (Mass) flow conveyor now closes input/output when stopped, instead of input/output ports. Loading point continues with next transporter after releasing completed item instead of waiting for it to exit. Bug fix: (Mass) flow conveyor only closed input when stopping; now closes both output and input.
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Remembering the proper credentials To log in to lmadmin's Administration area you need know the port number your license server manager is hosting on and your lmadmin admin password. lmadmin's default port number for serving its web-based user interface is 8090. There is a very good chance that your system is hosting lmadmin on its default port. On your license server, open a browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8090 to see if this will open lmadmin's web-based interface. The default login information for lmadmin's Adminstration area is username admin and password admin. Upon your first logging in to the Administration area you would have been prompted to create your own new password consisting of at least 8 characters. If you have forgotten either the port number or your admin password, there is unfortunately no way to recover these. You will need to uninstall, then reinstall lmadmin. If you do not wish to do so at this time, you should be able to start serving your upgraded FlexSim licenses by restarting the lmadmin64 Windows service. Logging in to lmadmin Use a web browser to connect to the lmadmin service at https://127.0.0.1:8090 (specify a different custom port besides 8090, as necessary). The FLEXnet Publisher interface should open. Click on Administration to sign in. After logging in to the Administration portal, click the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab on the bottom left. Click on the flexsim daemon. Reread the license If there is a Start button, that means that your flexsim vendor daemon is currently stopped. Press the Start button to start the vendor daemon using your upgraded licenses. If there is a Reread License Files button, that means that your flexsim vendor daemon is currently running, and serving the old licenses. Press the Reread License Files to start serving your newly activated and upgraded licenses.
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FlexSim 2023 Beta is now available. FlexSim 23.0.0 Release Notes To get the beta, log in to your account at https://account.flexsim.com, then go to the Downloads section, and click on More Versions. It will be at the top of the list. The More Versions button does not appear when logged in as a guest account. The beta is available only to licensed accounts and accounts that have a license shared with them. Learn more about downloading the best version of FlexSim for your license here. If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Development space.
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The instructions below are for offline/Manual XML licensing. If your server successfully connects to the Internet and to FlexSim's main license server, you can try our simpler online license activation instructions. Getting ready If you're configuring a new license server, please stop now and follow the complete license server installation instructions. This shorter guide just focuses on one piece of the installation instructions: license activation. We've broken the activation step out into this standalone article for convenience in subsequent licensing procedures, like upgrading your license server. These instructions assume that: you followed the steps outlined in our license server installation instructions including download of all required files and installation of the FlexNet Licensing Service; FlexSim's license server files were extracted to the location C:\FlexSim_LMTOOLS. When should I use XML/offline licensing? If your license server cannot connect to the Internet or is blocked from direct communication with FlexSim's license activation servers then you will need to activate your license manually . This article guides you through the manual activation steps. If you're not sure, go ahead and try an online activation first. Activating your license server online is faster and simpler. If online activation fails due to communications on your license server being blocked, you can fall back to this offline activation guide. Activate your license NOTE: If this is the first time a license has been activated to this license server you must first configure trusted storage. On your license server, run the flexsimserveractutil.exe program (C:\FlexSim_LMTOOLS\flexsimserveractutil\flexsimserveractutil.exe) by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator. Create manual activation requests In the FlexSim ServerActUtil program, go to Tools > Manual Activation > Generate Request. Enter a valid Activation ID. Enter a Count (seat quantity) for your license. NOTE: If you have a 20-seat license but want to host 12 seats on this server and 8 seats somewhere else, you can do so. Simply enter 12 for the Count value. Browse to select an Output File. Press Generate. You've just saved a new XML activation request to the location you selected. Repeat steps 1-5 above to generate an activation request for all license codes you intend to activate on this license server. Submit your manual activation requests Transfer your XML activation 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 the header, then choose Manual XML in the Licenses submenu. Upload your XML files by dragging them onto the drop zone. Your uploaded XML requests will be processed. Upon completion, you will be prompted to download each XML response. Process your manual activation responses Transfer your downloaded XML activation responses to the offline license server you are licensing. In the FlexSim ServerActUtil program, go to Tools > Manual Activation > Process Response. Browse to an XML activation response file. Press Process. FlexSim should give you an indication of successful processing of your activation, and activation for that XML request will be complete. Successfully Processed Response Repeat steps 1-5 to process the XML activation responses for any other XML activation requests. Is this a license server upgrade? If this license activation is part of upgrading the license on your license server, don't forget to reread license files. 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.
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The instructions below are for Internet-connected license servers.   If your server cannot connect to the Internet or to FlexSim's main license server, try our offline/Manual XML license activation instructions.   Getting ready   If you're configuring a new license server, please stop now and follow the complete license server installation instructions.   This shorter guide just focuses on one piece of the installation instructions: license activation. We've broken the activation step out into this standalone article for convenience in subsequent licensing procedures, like upgrading your license server.   These instructions assume that:   you followed the steps outlined in our license server installation instructions including download of all required files and installation of the FlexNet Licensing Service; FlexSim's license server files were extracted to the location C:\FlexSim_LMTOOLS.   Online vs XML/offline licensing   Online activation is faster and easier, so if your license server connects to the Internet, follow the instructions below to activate your seats to your server. If your server is not connected to the Internet, or communication with FlexSim's servers is blocked, you can try the offline/XML activation method.   Endpoints, protocols, firewalls   When your license server activates a license over the the Internet the FlexSim server activation utility communicates with one or more of the following FlexSim servers via HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443):   www.flexsim.com sw.flexsim.com sw1.flexsim.com license.flexsim.com   Your license server should be able to communicate across the Internet with these addresses in order to successfully activate your licenses online.   Activate your license   On your license server, run the flexsimserveractutil.exe program (C:\FlexSim_LMTOOLS\flexsimserveractutil\flexsimserveractutil.exe) by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator.     In the FlexSim ServerActUtil program, go to Connect > Activate.     Enter the Activation ID and Count (seat quantity) for your license.   NOTE: If you have a 20-seat license but want to host 12 seats on this server and 8 seats somewhere else, you can do so. Simply enter 12 for the Count value.   Press Activate.   After a few seconds, and several status messages, you should receive an indication of success.     Repeat the steps above to activate any other license codes you are hosting on this license server.   Reread license files   If this license activation follows a license return, either as part of upgrading the license on your license server or some other procedure, don't forget to reread license files.   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.
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Have you received this licensing error?   Operations error: 7581 Online return/repair request for the activation ID example.com01-ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-FSENT22.2 is not originated from the original client machine.   This error means that the licensing system did not recognize the the computer that requested the repair is the original computer where the license was initially activated.   This can happen when: It is not the same computer. Maybe the user activated a license, then moved the hard drive to a new computer (or cloned it, etc). This would break the license, and it wouldn't be able to repair because the licensing system recognizes that the computer hardware is different. There was a significant change to the computer. A large operating system update, a change to the hard drive's boot sector (for instance, installing a 2nd operating system to dual boot), or another significant hardware change.   In this case the license cannot be returned, and it cannot be repaired. You will need to contact your local FlexSim representative to explain the situation.   As you work with your FlexSim rep, they will guide you in deleting your unreturnable/unrepairable fulfillment (license server, standalone), then after your FlexSim rep performs a license force-return, your license should be available again for a new activation.
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Have you received this licensing error? An error occurred in the activation request Operations error: 7174 Only deployed entitlement line item can be fulfilled. You may encounter this error if your license code is no longer valid or is in need of support. Here are some common scenarios where this might happen: If this was a timed license that has expired, it is no longer viable and was likely obsoleted. If the license was upgraded, you need to make sure you're using the latest version of the activation ID, as any older versions of the license code will not work once an upgrade of the same license has been used. If the license model was changed from standalone to license-server (or vice-versa) you may be trying to use an old license that was replaced. If your license was put into a support state and was not changed back. If you are encountering this error, please start a new Private Question and include your activation ID. We'll be able to look up the specific situation for your license. Or you can reach out to your local distributor for direct phone, email, or web support.
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FlexSim 2021 Update 1 Beta is now available. 21.1 Release Notes To get the beta, log in to your account at https://account.flexsim.com, then go to the Downloads section, and click on More Versions. It will be at the top of the list. The More Versions button does not appear when logged in as a guest account. Subsequently the beta is available only to licensed accounts and accounts that have a license shared with them. Learn more about downloading the best version of FlexSim for your license here. If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Development space.
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Following attached Code is Useful as Performance Major to Find Out Total Simulation Time in Different Scenarios. treenode datanode = param(1); double tm = time(); return tm;
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A new feature has been added to our Answers Platform. In App notifications are now available for all users. These are instant notifications designed to work in coordination with or in place of email notifications. You'll now see a bell icon next to your avatar in the upper-right hand corner of your browser on the Answers website. In order for this location to start showing notifications, you will need to click on your avatar and choose 'My Preferences' Then click the Notifications tab in the top Navigation Bar. From here, you can choose to set certain actions to notify you instantly by selecting the radio button next to the action you would like to be notified on. Once there is content matching your notification settings, you'll see a red circle on the bell icon, as shown below: If you click the Bell icon, you will be redirected to a page showing all your recent notifications which will show you a summary of the notification as well as a link to the post:
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16 Dec: Bug fix releases 19.0.8 and 19.2.2 are now available, together with the new FloWorks 2020 release. 18 Oct: Bug fix releases 19.0.7, 19.1.5 and 19.2.1 are now available. 09 Oct: Bug fix releases 19.0.6 and 19.1.4 are now available. The new release FloWorks 19.2.0 is now available for use with FlexSim 2019 Update 2. A bug fix release FloWorks 19.0.5 is available for use with FlexSim 2019 LTS. A bug fix release FloWorks 19.1.3 is available for use with FlexSim 2019 Update 1. FloWorks 2019 introduced some major changes in the way FloWorks works internally. These changes include the following: Flow rates and content are now tracked in the standard statistics variables, requiring us to override fewer FlexSim features. This means, for example, that you can use all of FlexSim's included Statistics Collectors and Chart Templates out-of-the-box. FloWorks now tries to schedule fewer events. This means that models will run faster and debugging your model by stepping through has become much more transparent. This release includes the beta version of the next-generation solver. This solver is particularly suited for networks with many connections, most of which are closed or blocked, or long 'chains' of objects with a single connection in and out. By simplifying the flow network before calculating the flow rates, the solver should become much faster overall. Since this solver is likely to give (valid but) different outcomes, it is not enabled by default - you can test it by enabling the "Optimize networks before solving" option in your Flow Control. The Flow Tank level triggers functionality has been overhauled. For more information, please see the detailed release notes below. All versions of FloWorks 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 [email protected]. Thanks to the active users who have done this in the past weeks, we appreciate your ongoing support in helping us to improve FloWorks! 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 [email protected]. Release notes Changes in FloWorks 19.2.2 (16 December 2019): Bug fix: FlexSim 19.2.4 removed node that was overridden in FloWorks All changes included in version 19.0.8. Changes in FloWorks 19.2.1 (18 October 2019): Bug fix: allow objects to be created when no runtime license present. All changes included in version 19.0.7. Changes in FloWorks 19.2.0 (26 September 2019): Flow pump / valve input and output can be set to balanced rate by % simultaneously. Flow To Item can now buffer additional material before blocking. New segmented flow pipe object. Created new runtime license type. All changes included in version 19.0.5. Changes in FloWorks 19.1.5 (18 October 2019): All changes included in version 19.0.7. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.8 (16 December 2019): Bug fix: Tank level trigger could cause event list to become unsorted. Bug fix: Max. Object Depth setting in FloWorks charts was ignored. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.7 (18 October 2019): Request: Added Waiting for Transport state to Loading Point. Bug fix: Flow Content Histogram was broken. Bug fix: Fixed rounding errors when inflow very close to outflow. Bug fix: Fixed rounding error in tank top/bottom duration calculation. Bug fix: Avoid duplicate event when recalculation requested before Flow Control resets. Backwards Compatibility Note: The following changes may change the way updated models behave. On Full event only available on tank-type objects, no longer on e.g. flow conveyors. Flow Conveyor no longer closes all ports on stop, but only input and output. Flow Conveyor speed is now affected by impact factor set through stop and impact . Flow tank passes set level instead of actual level into trigger code (rounding difference may cause Wait for Event to not match). Input and output trigger also fire in pre-recalculation when amount is reached. Changes in older FloWorks 19.x.x releases Changes in FloWorks 19.1.4 (09 October 2019): Bug fix: Restored objects missing from library and icon grid. Changes in FloWorks 19.1.3 (26 September 2019): All changes included in version 19.0.5. Changes in FloWorks 19.1.2 (19 July 2019): Bug fix: dragging in a shape from a group will no longer create the first shape in the group. All changes included in version 19.0.4. Changes in FloWorks 19.1.0 (30 April 2019): This version is for FlexSim 2019 Update 1. For FlexSim version 19.0.x use FloWorks 19.0.3. Added support for unconstrained flows. All changes included in version 19.0.3 described below. Backwards compatibility note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Option "Unchanged" removed from "Set flow rate" triggers -- this is now considered as "Unconstrained". Use the "Set maximum input/output rate" option instead of "Set maximum rates" if you only want to change either the input or the output rate. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.6 (09 October 2019): Bug fix: Restored objects missing from library and icon grid. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.5 (26 September 2019): Bug fix: Removed old-style statistics from library, causing several issues like utilization resetting at model end time. Bug fix: FloWorks flow bin items no longer show up in Create Person Process Flow activity (class type changed from Operator to Flow Task Executer). Bug fix: Flow conveyor resume did not correctly close ports. Bug fix: Flow conveyor could get negative content due to rounding error. Bug fix: Flow conveyor stop, impact, resume did not stop content on conveyor when inflow and outflow were zero. Bug fix: Fixed issue when stopping or starting conveyor during Product Change event. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.4 (19 July 2019): Various bug fixes to the Mass Flow Conveyor. Bug fix: Utiliation returns (flow rate)/(max flow rate) at time zero. Bug fix: Solved exception when dragging different object shape into the model. Backwards Compatibility Note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Bug fix: 'Time until event is 0' exception due to rounding errors fixed. Bug fix: Mixer On Empty event will only fire once (when mixer is actually internally idle). Changes in FloWorks 19.0.3 (30 April 2019): This version is for FlexSim 2019 LTS. For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 use FloWorks 19.1.0. Loading arm state will show Blocked and Starved instead of Idle while transporter is connected. "Pass product downstream" option added to product change trigger of flow processors. Bug fix: Transporters were sometimes positioned incorrectly when entering Loading Point. Bug fix: Flow object states were not updated. Bug fix: Fixed error when calling state() with no arguments. Bug fix: On Entry and On Exit in trigger list of Flow To Item and Item To Flow fixed. Bug fix: "Pass product downstream trigger" threw exception when connected to Flow To Item. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.2 (3 April 2019): For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 beta use FloWorks 19.1.0 (beta). Feature: Flow tank can scale in both directions (elliptical) instead of only using x-size for diameter. Bug fix: Various bug fixes to beta version of new optimizer/solver. Bug fix: Removed "content is larger than max. content" message during reset. Bug fix: Fixed exception in "Pass product downstream" when pipe is not connected to anything. Bug fix: Corrected normals on flow blender and flow splitter shapes. Bug fix: FlowObject.input /output.ports[index] now accepts Variant (e.g. token.Port ) as index and does bounds checking on index . Bug fix: Spheres no longer drawn outside flow pipes shorter than 2 m. Bug fix: Quick Properties only shows a single flow rate for flow pipes; output rate set to input rate on reset. Changes in FloWorks 19.0.1 (8 March 2019): Beta: Flow control can optimize network before solving. (Optimization is disabled by default, can be enabled for models with many (effective) single connections.) Content-holding objects now have On Trigger Level event that allows e.g. Process Flow to wait for a specific level trigger. Optimized event scheduling: obsolete events are removed from the event list instead of ignored. FlowToItem and ItemToFlow added to script so that rates and impact factors can be read and set. Added more shapes for Flow Tank and Mixer. Added "Change product by case" to trigger options. Bug fix: Flow conveyors now have state profile consistent with that of Flow Tank. Bug fix: Product color picker samples colors instead of objects again. Bug fix: Fixed incorrect layers being drawn during filling of Flow Mixer when multiple steps require input from the same port. Bug fix: Fixed incorrect states on Loading Point due to duplicate state_current node. Bug fix: Product field or dropdown will now preserve selected value instead of resetting to current product when switching property tab pages. Bug fix: Flow Task Executer connects itself to default network navigator on creation. Bug fix: Flow statistics now behave correctly under model warmup. User manual: Corrected description of FlowObject.stop() in documentation. User manual: Documented manual loading feature when Loading Points have 0 loading time. Backwards Compatibility Note: The following change may change the way updated models behave. Statistics are now kept in standard FlexSim tracked variables under the stats node. If you use dashboards, you may need to rebuild some charts. You can mostly use the standard FlexSim chart templates, listening to the On Rate Change event or the On Content Change Update (not Change). Tank trigger levels rewritten: Trigger levels are now specified using absolute level instead of percentage. Legacy limitations (max. 20 levels, no duplicate levels, 0% or 100%) have been removed. Separate trigger condition has been added to avoid coding ( if(mode == falling) { ... } ). Modes rising and falling are now called MODE_RISING and MODE_FALLING . Bug fix: Sometimes input and output triggers would not fire if trigger was reached precisely when flow was recalculated. (Mass) flow conveyor now closes input/output when stopped, instead of input/output ports. Loading point continues with next transporter after releasing completed item instead of waiting for it to exit. Bug fix: (Mass) flow conveyor only closed input when stopping; now closes both output and input.
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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.
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