The attached model contains functionality to depict the item flow as a 3D map using a FlowMapper3D Object (cylinder) and an associated Object Process Flow. Additionally a 'kpi' label on the object gives an indication of layout performance to which you can link and observe as you interact/experiment on the layout. To set this up in your model you'll need to add a Group of objects whose entry events will be used by the mapper - calling that Group "FlowMapperObjects". Then you'll need to add a ColorPalette called "HeatPalette". Finally you'll want to copy the FlowMapper3D object and the FlowMapperProcess to your model. Note that there is a boolean label 'showPercents' on the FlowMapper3D object to tell it whether to show percentage text or the number of flowitems for each location pair. 3DFlowMapper.fsm

En este video van a aprender cómo se cambia el color de los FlowItems y Objetos 3D en FlexSim usando la Ventana de Propiedades y los Triggers. Para más videos tutoriales pueden acceder al canal de YouTube de FlexSim Andina y acceder a nuestra lista de reproducción de FlexTips

FlexSim 2024 Update 1 is now available for download. You can view the Release Notes in the online user manual. FlexSim 24.1.0 Release Notes If you have bug reports or other feedback on the software, please email [email protected] or create a new idea in the Bug Report space or Development space.

FlexSim's Webserver is a query-driven manager and communication interface for FlexSim. It allows you to run FlexSim models through a web browser like Google Chrome, FireFox, Internet Explorer, etc. Since the FlexSim Web Server is a basic service to allow FlexSim to be served to a browser, you may decide you want a way to proxy to this service through a full service web server that you can control security and authentication through. This guide will walk you through proxying to the FlexSim Web Server through Nginx web server. Install the FlexSim Web Server Program Download and install the FlexSim Web Server from https://account.flexsim.com Edit C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexSim Web Server\flexsim webserver configuration.txt Change the port from 80 to 8080 Start the FlexSim Web Server by double clicking flexsimserver.bat Test the server by going to http://127.0.01:8080 It should look like this: Install Nginx Reverse Proxy From a browser, visit http://nginx.org/en/download.html Download latest stable release for Windows Extract the downloaded nginx-<version>.zip Rename the unzipped nginx-<version> folder to nginx Copy the nginx folder to C:\ Double click the C:\nginx\nginx.exe file to launch Nginx Test Nginx by going to http://127.0.0.1 It should look like this: Configure Nginx to proxy to the FlexSim Web Server Open C:\nginx\conf\nginx.conf in a text editor Find the section that says: location / {    root html;    index index.html index.htm; } Edit out the root and index directives and add a proxy_pass directive so it appears like this: location / {       proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;    #root html;    #index index.html index.htm; } Save the nginx.conf file Reload Nginx to Apply the Changes Open a command line window by pressing Windows+R to open "Run" box. Type "cmd" and then click "OK" From the command line windows, type the following to change to the nginx directory: C:\nginx>cd C:\nginx and press enter Now, type the following to reload Nginx: C:\nginx>nginx -s reload Test the FlexSim Web Server Being Proxied by Nginx From a browser window again go to http://127.0.0.1 You should now see the FlexSim Web Server interface proxied through Nginx Now that you have the FlexSim Web Server proxied through Nginx, you may decide you want to configure Nginx to handle security, authentication and customization. Since this is out of the scope of this guide, you can find details on the Internet that can guide you to setting these customizations up. A few resources you may consider: https://forum.nginx.org https://stackoverflow.com

Introducing FlexSim Galaga! GALAGA.fsm This is an example of how a game could be made in FlexSim. Feel free to download the model and try it out (FlexSim Version is 23.1). Or if you are interested, see below for how the game works. How it works FlexSim Galaga uses Process Flow to perform all logic that occurs in the game. It also takes advantage of Global Variables to keep track of game data as the game is played. This allows one token to set a variable, for example WaveCounter, and that same value can be referenced anywhere in the model. Player Movement and Inputs I used the function iskeydown() for all player inputs. A token loops through a Custom Code activity that continuously checks for which keys are being pressed and makes the corresponding changes in the model. An example of this for player movement looks like this: if (iskeydown(65) && te.location.x > -90){ // left A te.location.x = te.location.x - 10; } if (iskeydown(68) && te.location.x < 90){ // right D te.location.x = te.location.x + 1 For shooting, similar code is written and assigns a label to the player. This label is used for the token to act differently depending on what the player has bought from the shop. The shop inputs are similar and check if the player has enough money for the selected item in the shop. (See the process flow activities 'Shoot Inputs' and 'Shop Inputs' for how this is done.) Wave Health and Speed As the game plays out, waves get more difficult and arrive faster. Each enemy ship has a certain health value and money value that the player earns when destroying it. These values come from the Global Table WaveHealth. After 50 waves, this table is repeated to spawn new waves. This can go on forever in Endless Mode or this table can be modified during the Model run by buying Extreme Mode. The game starts with Waves that last 20 seconds. To make the waves arrive faster over time, this code lowers the WaveDuration from 20 to 15 to 10 etc. every 12 waves. 5 seconds is the fastest wave time and doesn't get any faster. if (WaveCounter % 12 == 0){ if (WaveDuration > 5){ WaveDuration = WaveDuration - 5; } } Enemy Ships and "Collision" Logic When enemy ships are created, they are added to a Global Map called ColShipMap. The key is the column number the ship is in (1-20) and the value is an array of all ships in that column. This makes it easy to check if a shot has hit a ship. While shots are moving the token they are associated with constantly checks the distance between the shot and any ships in that column (thanks to ColShipMap). The column the shot belongs to is calculated based on the x location of where it is created. When the distance between the shot and a ship in that column is close enough, labels are changed on the token so the game knows which ship was hit and to decrease the health or destroy the object entirely. double x = token.shot.getLocation(1, 0, 0).x; // inverse of token.item.location.x = ((index - 1) * 10) - 95; int index = (x + 95) / 10 + 2; token.Index = index; Array spaceships = ColShipMap[index]; Vec3 shotPos = token.shot.as(Object).getLocation(0.5, 0.5, 0); for (int i = 1; i <= spaceships.length; i++){ double spaceshipY = spaceships.location.y; if (Math.fabs(spaceshipY - newY) < 2) { token.Hit = 1; token.target = spaceships; token.SpliceIndex = i; break; } } Display There are several Billboard objects in the model that toggle depending on the state of the game. (switch_hideshape() is used to make them appear like they are flashing) Feel free to look in the process flow for when these occur, but the overall purpose is to inform the player of what is happening in the game. Note: If you zoom out and want to re-center the model for an optimal display. Open properties and click on the view called 'Menu.' Then close the properties window. All other windows like the Toolbox are closed to make game visuals better. Feel free to look into the Process Flow or Model Triggers for anything I didn't mention. Enjoy!

FlexSim 2020 Update 1 Beta is available. (Updated 24 March 2020) 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 Updated the Statistics Collector to be simpler and more user friendly. Added a PowerPoint FlexScript API. Added an HTTP FlexScript API. Added a sorting tab to various charts. Improved performance of chart templates. Replaced the code profiler with a new Performance Profiler. Added a Memory Profiler. Added OnEntry and OnExit events to TaskExecuter objects. Added an icon to library items that launch a pop-out library of choices. Reorganized the dashboard library using the pop-out library to consolidate charts with multiple visualizations. Updated the WebServer to use the Version Selector. Added a Find/Replace UI for global tables. Added support for Ctrl-F and Ctrl-H keyboard shortcuts for various windows. Added support for renaming objects using the F2 keyboard shortcut. Added a Vec3 overload to the Object.setRotation() method. Added a stop parameter to the userinput() command which will stop code execution until a value is entered. Added a default parameter to the realtime() command that returns realtime(1)+0.001*realtime(2). Updated various pickoptions to use the TaskSequence and TaskExecuter APIs. Added tutorials for the Statistics Collector. Fixed some issues with the importtable() command. AGV Added new Train functionality. Added offset travel functionality to the AGV network. Added a time-based trailing option. Added the routing drawing feature to a right click option. Updated Quick Properties' apply to all selected objects functionality to work with AGV objects. Made arrows bigger. Fixed several spinners in Quick Properties not applying immediately. Backwards Compatibility Note: the following changes may slightly change the way updated models behave. Changed behavior for when a TaskExecuter is connected to an AGV network, and is set to use the navigator for its offset travel. Previously, the navigator was hard-coded to find the closest control point. Now, you instead need to add an OnAGVOffsetTravel trigger to the navigator, wherein you can direct the AGV how to offset. People Added clipboard, test tube, and pill bottle flow items. Added a Max Speed property to Equipment objects. Updated Transport and Equipment objects to do low priority returns. Added the ability to install instanced People flows. Updated the LocationStaytimeHistory chart to handle people entering and exiting transports inside a location. Process Flow Added an AGV travel activity. Updated the Sink to notify parent tokens on a Run Sub Flow activity that the child token finished the subflow. Updated the Wait for Event and Event-triggered Source activities to be able to display more than one link at a time. Updated the sampler for Universal Edit fields to display process flow variables and current labels when sampling white space. Added a pop-out library for choosing the shape of Container objects. Added a pop-out library for choosing the type of travel activity. A* Updated the Heat Map to use a Color Pallete.

You've installed, configured, and started your license server. FlexSim is installed and your client PCs are set to get a license from your license server. How can you tell if they're communicating and licensing properly?   You can check both the client PC and the license server to make sure that licensing is happening:   Client PC   Within FlexSim software on the client PC, go to the main menu, Help > About FlexSim. The popup should indicate the activated license type. Test licensed features to see if they work. Check the article FlexSim Feature Limitations by License Type to see what features should be available given your license type (Enterprise, Educational, Student, Runtime). For instance, the Experimenter feature should be available to each of those license types.   License Server   In lmtools logs (Config Services > View Log…), you should see that a seat is in use. (See How do I read/analyze my vendor daemon logs? What do the various lines mean?). . In lmadmin logs you should see that a seat is in use.   If your client PC is not getting licensed and/or your license server logs don't indicate communication with a client PC, check the license server troubleshooting steps.  

Lembre-se que para o desenvolvimento desse passo a passo, foi utilizado a versão 2017. Update 1, caso você esteja modelando utilizando outra versão algumas alterações podem ser necessários. Nesse exemplo será construído um modelo que usa listas para relações básicas de roteamento de itens. Os itens serão enviados de três filas para um dos quatro processos.Uma lista de itens (item list) será utilizada para resolver esse problema. As filas irão empurrar os itens para a lista e os processos irão puxar os itens da lista e processa-los. De início será construído um modelo puxado simples,e depois um modelo puxado com restrições e priorizações. Passo 1. Montar Layout Para esse exemplo, crie um novo layout. A Figura 1 mostra quais objetos devem ser adicionados 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, adicione uma Oncreation trigger para configurar o tipo e a cor. OnCreation> Data > Set item type and color> duniform(1,3). 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 deve estar 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: Faça o Passo 4 para TODAS as filas** Passo 5. Configurar Processos Para fazer com que os processos puxem da lista, configure 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(Pull Strategy) >Use list>Pull from item list. Deixe 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: Faça o Passo 5 para todos os processors.** Faça um test rápido! Reset seu modelo e confira como estão as entradas e saídas da sua lista, para verificar se até aqui as coisas estão funcionando da maneira correta. Nas propriedades do ItemList1, vá na aba General e clique no botão a esquerda “ View Back Orders”. Figura 9- View Back Orders Sua lista deve estar parecida com a da Figura 10. Mudando apenas os nomes dos processos de acordo como os seus estão nomeados. Figura 10- Janela de pedidos pendentes A Figura 10 representa que os processos começaram a puxar da lista, mas como não há itens que foram empurados para a lista, eles estão aguardando para poderem puxar e se tornarem fulfilled(preenchidos). Execute o modelo (Run) e você perceberá os itens entrando nas filas e sendo empurrados para a lista (View entries-Figura 9) 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 Back Orders. 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 11) até que um dos processos termine o processamento e requisite puxar um item da lista. Figura 11- 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 a ordem de quem chegou primeiro sai primeiro. O mesmo acontece com os pedidos pendentes, a primeira máquina que fica disponível puxa o primeiro item que está na lista. Salve seu modelo e ele está pronto para ser executado. ex2.fsm Modelos experimentos Para testar diferentes configurações das operações puxadas faça os seguintes cenários. Cenário 1- Filtrar por tipo de item Considere que um dos processos (Processor 1) pode apenas processar o tipo de item 2. Para vincular essa lógica na simulaçao utilize um Query nesse processo. Clique sobre o processo que deseja restringuir a entrada ao tipo 2 de item, na janela de propriedades, vá em FLOW > Pull strategy > em Query digite a restrição WHERE Type == 2 (Figura 12). Figura 12- Adicionar query para tipo de item Salve o modelo como Exemplo2_cenario1. Reset seu modelo e execute. ex2cenario1.fsm Cenário 2- Puxar pelo LIFO Agora todos os processos puxam 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 primeiro a ser puxado . Crie essa lógica na simulação, implementando um Query. Abra o arquivo do exemplo 2, e salve como exemplo2_cenario2. Para cada um dos 4 processos faça o seguinte: Clique no processo >vá em FLOW > Pull strategy > em Query no adicionar> ORDER BY> AGE (Figura 13). Figura 13- Lógica LIFO Repita o 1) para TODOS os processos. Salve o modelo e coloque para executar. ex2cenario2.fsm

You may find it necessary to check the status of your licenses. Perhaps you're trying to diagnose some issue, or you want to check which license you have activated.   Here we explain how to view the licenses activated to your PC, and their status.   View your licenses   Open FlexSim. From the main menu, go to Help > License Activation. Go to the View Licenses tab. Press the View Licenses button. You should see a list of fulfillment information, or a message indicating that there are no licenses on your PC.   What does it all mean?   If you have licenses on your PC, each license listed includes a block with status and license info, including whether the license is fully trusted and enabled or broken, the unique fulfillment ID that pertains to this specific license activation, and more. You'll also see INCREMENT blocks for each feature that makes up your license.   Take action   Check the article Licensing Procedures under the Standalone Licensing heading for instructions if you need to repair or return your license or do other sorts of license maintenance.

This supply chain demonstration model shows both a visual and statistical representation of a company's stock and backorder from day-to-day. The goal of the model was to predict shortages and backorder trends due to COVID-related disruptions. FlexSim's 3D view is used in a novel way to visualize the current stock and demand for each product. Each queue represents a different product SKU and each box represents a product unit, with red indicating product demand and blue indicating product availability. This model also contains a comprehensive set of dashboards to help visualize and interpret the data. Logistics_Supply-Shortages-Stockouts_v22-2.fsm

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.

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.

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.

This article describes an example of Reinforcement Learning being used to solve scheduling problems. See the model and python files in the attached zip file. SchedulingRL.zip Problem Description This model represents a generic sheet metal processing plant. There are four machines in series. Each job requires time on all four machines. Jobs come in batches of 10. A poor sequence of jobs will cause blocking between items, lowering throughput. If the time between batches is long, such as a shift or a day, you could use the optimizer to determine the best sequence. If the time between batches is short, however, the optimizer may not be feasible. For real sequencing problems, the time to find a good sequence can be anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, or even longer. This makes it impractical for high-velocity situations. The attached model requests a decision every time the first machine in the series is available. The only action is an index for the Nth available job. So the decision can be interpreted as "which job should I do next?" Solution The general solution is to use reinforcement learning. However, this problem required customized python scripts: The model uses custom parameters for observations. This allows arbitrary values for observations. The model uses a custom observation space. The observations include a table of the required times at each station for the remaining jobs. They also include an array of the in-progress jobs and their predicted remaining times. By using a Dict space, the python scripts can combine all the observations into a single space. The model uses an Action Mask. An Action Mask is a binary array with one value per value of the action. This tells the RL algorithm about invalid options. The python scripts require the sb3-contrib package. Use pip install sb3-contrib to install it. Results After training for 500k time-steps, the agent learns to choose jobs moderately well. If you run the inference script, you can use the experimenter to compare a random policy to a trained agent:

RailWorks 25.0.1 is now available (19 March 2025). This version of RailWorks is intended for use with FlexSim 2025. 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 [email protected]. Rail Network: New feature in RailWorks The Rail Network feature provides users with an intuitive and efficient way to design and connect railway systems. With a user-friendly interface, this tool enables seamless track placement, automatic node linking, and real-time validation to ensure smooth rail operations. Users can quickly define routes, junctions, and stations while leveraging smart snapping and alignment aids to simplify complex track layouts. This feature is designed for both beginners and advanced users, offering powerful tools to build scalable and efficient rail networks with minimal effort. New Speed Table: New feature in RailWorks Offering more speed possibilities to configurate all the movement parameters, the new speed table covers all movement speeds, acceleration and deceleration parameters, making the model more plausible and adherent to the real world process. About Railworks The FlexSim Brazil RailWorks module consists of premade custom objects, designed to represent a real environment for the Rail problem modeling, with less configuration. Our approach is to unite 3D modeling with the Process Flow functionality, allowing object configuration and visualization through the native 3D FlexSim solution, and the rail system events to be triggered by the Process Flow, using not only defaults FlexSim Process Flow activities, but also new ones developed by our team. Release Notes View the full release notes in the online documentation. RailWorks 25.0.1 (19 March 2025) Features Feature: Rail Network A new way to create and connect your rails into the model. Simple as network nodes, now you can connect the RailNetwork nodes and easily create your own rail tracks. Feature: New Speed table Offering more speed possibilities to configurate all the movement parameters, the new speed table covers all movement speeds, acceleration and deceleration parameters, making the model more plausible and adherent to the real world process. Bug-Fixes Fixed moveWagon auto decouple operation. Fixed a bug where SendToPortal was not freeing rails. RailWorks 24.2.7 (17 January 2025) Bug-Fixes Fixed moveWagon auto decouple operation. Fixed a bug where SendToPortal was not freeing rails. RailWorks 24.2.6 (17 October 2024) Bug-Fixes Improved couple and decouple internal operations. Improved offset calculations internal operations. Fixed a bug where all flowItem classes was the same in different stations. Fixed a bug with passenger locomotive. RailWorks 24.2.5 (25 September 2024) Bug-Fixes Fixed a bug on creating Station object.

FlexSim 2024 Beta is now available. (Updated November 20) FlexSim 24.0.0 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 Bug Report space or Development space.

MQTT is a communication protocol designed for IoT devices. Clients (the devices) connect to a Broker which allows them to publish (send) and subscribe (receive) messages. Each message is associated with a Topic. Each client can choose which topics to use for publishing and subscribing. Usually, the MQTT broker discards messages once they are sent to all subscribers. However, a publisher can mark a message as "retained." This means the broker will keep the last message for that topic and make it available to other subscribers. Only the most recent message is retained. When developing a digital twin, you may need to access these retained messages. This article describes how to do that using FlexSim's Python connection. This article is not meant as a comprehensive guide, but as a starting point, which you certainly will modify for your circumstances. Here are the python scripts and FlexSim model used in this example: MQTT.zip A quick note: since MQTT is a device communication protocol, support for MQTT in the Emulation module is in progress. This article describes how to import data from an MQTT broker like any other file/database/http server, rather than connecting for Emulation purposes. Step 1: Gaining Access to an MQTT Broker Your facility may already have an MQTT Broker running. In the end, your digital twin will need to connect to that broker to retrieve the latest retained messages. However, for testing, or if you don't have an MQTT Broker yet, you can easily get one. One possibility is to use Docker to run the EMQX Broker. However, there are dozens of brokers and installation steps You can download Docker Desktop here: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/ Once docker is running, you can use the following command in a terminal to download and run the EMQX Broker: docker run -d --name emqx -p 1883:1883 -p 8083:8083 -p 8084:8084 -p 8883:8883 -p 18083:18083 emqx/emqx Note that this command runs a Linux container, so if Docker is in Windows mode, you'll need to switch before running this command. Step 2: Publishing Messages to an MQTT Broker A real facility will have many publishers and subscribers. However, for testing, it can be convenient to create publishers and subscribers that you control. Once your broker is running, you can use code like the following to create a publishing client: https://github.com/emqx/MQTT-Client-Examples/blob/master/mqtt-client-Python3/pub_sub_tcp.py For this example, I created two clients that publish tabular data: one that publishes a set of "raw materials" available for use in the process, and another that publishes a set of "finished goods" available to fulfill orders. To create some data, run the finished_goods_client.py and raw_materials_client.py files for a few seconds each. Note that both of these clients mark the messages to be retained, so FlexSim can access the latest message, even if neither client is actively running. Step 3: Writing a Python Script to Retrieve Messages This approach is demonstrated in fs_client.py, shown here: import paho.mqtt.subscribe as subscribe import json def get_retained_msgs(topics): auth = { 'username': 'emqx', 'password': 'public', } msgs = subscribe.simple( topics, qos=0, msg_count=len(topics), retained=True, hostname="localhost", port=1883, client_id=None, auth=auth, keepalive=5) if type(msgs) == list: return [json.loads(m.payload) for m in msgs] else: return [json.loads(msgs.payload)] if __name__ == "__main__": topics = ["python-mqtt/raw-materials", "python-mqtt/finished-goods"] print(get_retained_msgs(topics)) Run this script to verify that it returns the latest data from the two publishers. When FlexSim calls this function, FlexSim can convert python Lists and Dictionaries into FlexSim Arrays and Maps. So you can return complex data structures directly to FlexSim. Step 4: Writing a User Command to Call the Python Command In FlexSim, create a new user command, and edit the code. Be sure to toggle the node for external use, and set it to the following: /**external python: */ /**/"fs_client"/**/ /** \nfunction name:*/ /**/"get_retained_msgs"/**/ To use Python like this, you need python installed on the path. You also need the paho-mqtt package installed globally. Finally, you need to verify that your global preferences indicate the correct version of Python. For more information on connecting to python functions, see FlexSim's documentation: https://docs.flexsim.com/en/23.2/Reference/DeveloperAdvancedUser/ConnectingToExternalCode/ConnectingToExternalCode.html Step 5: Writing a User Command to Write Messages to Global Tables In this example, the messages we are interested in store tabular data, so it makes sense to store the data in Global Tables: Array tables = ; Array topics = ["python-mqtt/raw-materials", "python-mqtt/finished-goods" Array msgs = getRetainedMessages(topics); for (int m = 1; m <= msgs.length; m++) { Table fsTable = tables[m // header code elided; see example Array msgData = msgs .data; Table msgTable = Table(msgData); msgTable.cloneTo(fsTable); // header code elided; see example } If you run this new user command, you can see the latest data pulled in to FlexSim. Conclusion This example shows just one way you could import data from an MQTT broker into FlexSim. In addition, the kind of data you import or what you do with that data is up to you as the user.

When presenting and/or demonstrating a FlexSim model, it is often useful to have the model running in a loop that uses a flypath for a motion path. That way, you can more easily talk to the model while it runs, or leave it running unattended on repeat. The model below provides the code and settings needed to do that. In order to add this capability to your model, you will need to add a few things: A user event called EndTime. This setting will affect how long the model runs before resetting and running again. The First Event Time setting is where you can enter the number of seconds before this happens. The Event Code setting is where you can add custom code from the attached example model, found in the "event" tab. Model trigger code within OnRunStart and OnRunStop. This code can be found in the attached example model. A global variable called demo_mode. This can be set to 1 to enable the demo mode functionality, or set to 0 to disable it. Running the model with demo mode disabled is the same as how the model normally functions. Thanks to @Phil BoBo for helping to develop a solution for this. Also, the model requires FlexSim 23.2 or newer to work properly. presentation_demo_mode.fsm

This model, developed by @Jacob W2, demonstrates a method of using a kinetic tracked variable to measure process completion on a processor. This allows a processor to have a dynamic processing time, which isn’t possible using the standard processor logic. This is all handled though the use of an object process flow that easily allows other processors to be used in a similar fashion. Kinetic tracked variable.fsm This is the basic layout for the model: a source, a basic fixed resource, and a queue. A basic fixed resource is used in lieu of a processor because it has no innate logic that needs to be dealt with. This is the object flow layout. It’s fairly simple, but handles all of the logic we will need for the processor to work. The “Model Start Logic” container allows the first item to enter the processor. The “Item Control” section is the main feature of the model. A token is created whenever an item enters the processor. A process time label is created on the token, which sets when the process will be completed. This value should be set in model time units. For example, if a part takes one minute to complete and the model time is in units of seconds, the value should be 60. The Initialize Tracked Variable custom code activity is what actually creates the tracked variable that represents the processing progress. First, a treenode has to be created for the label, and then the tracked variable needs to be initialized with the correct type; in this case, a kinetic level tracked variable. A token is then created in the Variable Rate Loop. This token is used to set the processing rate. First, the token will set an initial rate for the tracked variable, and then after a random delay, it will set a new rate for the part processing. It continues to loop until released by its parent token. While the token for tracking the rate is looping, the token in the “Item Control” container is at the Wait for Event activity watching the tracked variable that we created. Once the tracked variable reaches the value of the process time label, the token releases the item from the processor, and then readies the processor for the next item through a custom code activity. The tracking rate token is then released to a delay and sink activity block, and the original token is then sent to a sink activity. When another item arrives, a new token is created in the “Item Control” container, and the process outlined above is repeated. This application of kinetic tracked variables can be extended to a more complex model that has varying process times based on the availability of operators. More specifically, this model allows operators to be added to the process dynamically when they are available, and the number of operators working on the process directly affects the processing time. KTV_Operators.fsm This model layout contains two sources, two basic fixed resources, and two queues in parallel. It also contains five operators, which are grouped according to their shift. A kinetic tracked variable is once again used to represent the processing time or completion rate of an item, and the rate changes dynamically based on the number of operators working on the job at a time. The logic is contained in an object process flow, which is attached to the two basic fixed resources. The first of the three main containers, “Create Tracked Variable and Wait,” creates the tracked variable for the processing time and waits for processing to be complete. The second container acquires the operators from a list based on the current shift. The last container controls operator movement and changes the processing rate. This logic allows operators to come and go during shifts. The rate can be changed dynamically. As illustrated with the above examples, kinetic tracked variables are a powerful and versatile tool, allowing a greater level of control and customization over your model.

Changing the packing method for task executers can be tricky and also can vary widely between types. In this article we'll explore the default packing method for each TE and how to alter it to suit the model's needs. Attached is a model which demonstrates the default packing method and the comparison. The model is also the best place to get premade code for the ASRS, the crane, and the Robot: TEStackingNew.fsm Default Stacking on Task Executers There are two types of default stacking methods on the TE's. AGV's, operators, forklifts, ASRS, and basicTE's all use a simple up and down stacking method: The other TE's (elevator, robot, and crane) don't separate the boxes at all so they all look like they're on top of each other (this is because they're mostly meant to only carry one item at a time): Changing the Stacking Pattern: AGV, Operator, & BasicTE: For these objects, changing the stacking method is relatively simple. Add 5 labels to the object: numx, numy, xshift, yshift, and zshift Add an OnLoad trigger in the properties panel Set the trigger by going to Visual->Set Location Type in this code current.xshift+item.size.x*((item.rank-1)%current.numx) -current.yshift+item.size.y*(Math.floor(((item.rank-1)/current.numx)%current.numy) - (current.numy-1)/2) current.zshift+item.size.z*Math.floor((item.rank-1)/current.numx/current.numy) The only thing that differs between these 3 objects are the label values. The labels "numx" and "numy" sets the number of objects in the x direction and how many in the y direction. For example a 3x3 grid on the AGV would set "numx" be 3 and "numy" be 3 xshift yshift zshift AGV 1 .5 .5 Operator .75 .29 1.10 BasicTE 0 0 .85 Elevator, Robot, & Crane: These objects are very similar to the TE's above. You'll follow the same steps above, except on the On Load trigger, choose to just paste custom code in the box. They have slightly different code (due to the different direction/ways of stacking) that you can copy from the model above. However, you will still add the labels to the TE's. You can set them using labels like these: xshift yshift zshift Elevator .7 1 .095 Robot .34 .35 .2 Crane .2 .5 -.25 Forklift: This is the easiest object to change because it is already built into the TE. To change the stacking pattern just add an OnEntry trigger and select Transporter Stacking Method, then just change the values to be what you would like. ASRS: For this one, you can change the stacking method by editing the model tree. The steps to change it are simple but specific: Open the model tree for the object by right clicking and selecting Explore Tree Find the behaviour node beneath the ASRS Node Add an node underneath called "eventfunctions" Beneath the node you just created add a node called "OnPreDraw" Paste in that node the code below (you can edit this to alter the stacking method how you would like): inheritcode(); TaskExecuter current = c; Object followingObj = first(current); double numx = 1; double numy = 4; double xshift = .95; double yshift = 1.45; double zshift = .1; while(objectexists(followingObj)){ double x = xshift+followingObj.size.x*((followingObj.rank-1)%numx); double y = -yshift+yloc(node(">visual/drawsurrogate/Lift/Slide", current))+followingObj.size.y*(Math.floor(((followingObj.rank-1)/numx)%numy) - (numy-1)/2); double z = zshift+followingObj.size.z*Math.floor((followingObj.rank-1)/numx/numy); double xFactor = 0.5; double yFactor = 0.5; double zFactor = 0; setloc(followingObj, x, y, z, xFactor, yFactor, zFactor); followingObj = next(followingObj); } Some things to keep in mind: Each TE is completely customizable by the user so the offset I considered to look right may not look right to you, the good thing is it's very changeable!