Release 2 - Sprint 36 - April 6, 2010

This sprint provides significant new vehicle features, enhanced user code capabilities, and more. And we continued work enhancing the Simio API, architecture, and general software robustness.

Vehicle as a Resource

The Vehicle object now has a 'ResourceState' state variable that tracks its current state (Idle=0, Busy=1, Failed=3). Statistics on this resource state are now automatically provided in the results, and the resource state variable may also be easily referenced for logical or animation purposes.

An 'On Demand' Vehicle object may now also be used as a moveable resource that is seized and released by model logic for non-transport tasks. To prioritize specifically among transport tasks, you continue to have the 'Task Selection Strategy' available in the 'Transport Logic' category of the Vehicle object's properties. To prioritize specifically among non-transport tasks, you may use the Ranking Rule or Dynamic Selection Rule properties available in the 'Process Logic' category of the Vehicle object's properties.

If you want to implement even more customized control of how an 'On Demand' Vehicle object selects its next task…then you may take advantage of the Evaluating Rider and Evaluating Allocation add-on process triggers. For example, you can use those add-on processes to implement logic on a particular vehicle such as "Don't accept any non-transport tasks until all my transport tasks are finished first."

Files Element

Two changes have been made to make the Files Element (and the associate Read/Write Steps) easier to use.

  • Previously, you had to always specify the full directory path for the file. Now, if the user does not include the directory name in the File Path property of the element, then the directory of the Simio project is assumed.
  • Previously, writing to a file from an experiment raised an error when running multiple processors because you had multiple execution threads trying to open the same file. Now, if using the Write step to write to a file during an experiment run, multiple files are now created and the text '_[ExperimentName]_[ScenarioName]_Rep[ReplicationNumber]' is appended to each file name to make them unique.

User code templates & documentation

If you are interested in extending Simio with your own custom steps, elements, and rules, it just became a lot easier. In addition to over 400 pages of programmer-specific documentation, we have just added some overview instructions to make it easier to get started. You will find that information in both the on-line help and the Simio Reference Guide.

Better still, we have also added templates for common tasks. When you are creating a new project using these templates will give you a fully structured code skeleton that lets you immediately create a sample. So you can spend more time implementing your change and less time working on the "plumbing".

Graphics Engine

Some systems have had nagging problems related to graphics and especially interaction with screen savers. We have implemented major updates and revisions to our internal graphics handling to try to eliminate these problems. If you still have problems, please contact us with details so we can focus on your specific hardware problems.

Five New SimBits

  • SeizingVehicle - Model a system that has a vehicle which is used for both transport and non transport activities. The vehicle's capacity is seized by another object for the non transport activities.
  • SearchTables - Search through a Data Table and select a row based on certain criteria.
  • LeveledArrivals - Model a system where parts of different types arrive in a certain order.
  • EntityMovementInFreeSpace - Control the movement and direction that my entity moves in Free Space.
  • CONWIP - Model a CONWIP system (constant level of WIP). The system should begin with 10 entities in the system and as soon as one entity leaves the system, another should arrive.