We’re excited to bring you Simio 12, packed with new features and enhancements to help you bring new life to your digital twin and simulation models. With a Simio subscription or current maintenance, you will have access to an enhanced search capability within Gantts, multi-capacity server utilization, camera tracking enhancements, and the latest innovative features of Simio 12.
“With Simio 12, our delivery of unprecedented value to Simio users continues. This we have done through a set of new innovative features that guarantees ease of use while helping our subscribers achieve more through simulation models” said Eric Howard, Vice President Marketing.
The features to expect cut across every aspect of Simio and in many cases addresses the feedback from Simio subscribers. Read more to learn about what’s new in Simio 12.
Productivity Improvements to Optimize your Work
Our aim is to ensure Simio continues to be the high-performing and powerful engine for your simulation modeling and digital twin activities you trust. To this end, Simio 12 includes specific productivity enhancements we believe will help you accomplish more. These enhancements include:
- Material Consumption Enhancements: The consume step now has a ‘Must Simultaneously Consumer’ option within the processing tasks of Server, Combiner, and Separator objects. The Material Requirements property categorization now has a “Required Quantity & Constraints” category which better reflects the limits encountered in the real-world.
- Search Step Behavior Enhancements: Two new properties have been added to the advanced option of search. These properties are the “A Copy Over Table Row References” and a “Set Table Row Conflict Resolution” property. The former property applies when searching any collection type while the latter applies when searching table rows. These search step enhancements alongside a new advanced compatibility feature which enables recommended search step behavior enhances your search results.
- Multi-Pass Simulation Approach – The multi-pass simulation approach involves running complex models multiple times to create a schedule or generate accurate results for scenarios. The Multi-Pass Simulation Approach leverages single-pass simulation approach and uses its data continuously until the desired objective is achieved. This feature ensures creating resource schedules for specific scenarios can be run multiple times to achieve more accurate results.
- Material Availability Constraints – We have added a new material availability constraint on “Seize and Route Requests”. This constraint logic element enables you to enforce additional material availability in Seize and Route Requests. This constraint can be applied on a transfer node to constrain an entity’s route. It can also be applied on a Server, Connector, Combiner, Separator, Filler, and Emptier to constrain an entity’s request to Seize objects.
- Continuous Search Capability within Gantts – The search capability within the “Resource Plan” and “Entity Workflow Gantts” can now be used to perform continuous searches throughout the Gantts. You can also view your previously searched items through the new down arrow feature or make use of the right and left arrows to execute forward and backward searches at need. The screenshot below highlights how the search arrows can be used: (Image 1)
Project Recovery Improvements to Simplify your Work
Support for recovery of project data is one request Simio subscribers have looked forward to. In Simio 12, we have enhanced our support for recovering project data to include options that ease recovery. These project data recovery options include:
- New Prompts for Recovery – The option for deleting existing data recovery file when a project isn’t opened for recovery has been added. When using the ‘auto-save’ feature, on opening Simio, the “Projects for Recovery” dialog will prompt you to recover available projects. If you do not intend to recover any project, canceling the dialog will open up another dialog box to ensure the cancelation is intentional. If canceled, the projects for recovery will be deleted.
Multi-Capacity Server Utilization Statistics Change
The new changes to multi-capacity server utilization enhance the utilization of servers and optimize processing time. This feature was also part of the feedback we received from Simio subscribers. The scenario below highlights the changes:
Suppose a Server has a capacity of 2 and at time 0.0 during the simulation run, two entities simultaneously arrive at the Server and begin processing. One of the entities has a processing time of 2 hours and the other entity has a processing time of 4 hours. The Server has no output buffer and the downstream process is blocked. Thus, when an entity finishes processing, it is held indefinitely in the processing station of the Server trying to transfer out. We run the simulation for 10.0 hours.
Previous Utilization Calculation – Server’s Scheduled Utilization
For the above example, running the model for 10 hours, we would see the CAPACITY. Utilized of the Server equal to 2 for the first 4 hours. Then once BOTH entities were finished processing at time 4.0 hours, the Server’s ResourceState would be set to Blocked which would set the Capacity.Utilized equal to 0 for the remaining 6 hours of the run.
The reported utilization results:
Server1.Capacity.Utilized.Average = (2*4)/10 = 0.8
Server1.Capacity.Average = 2
Server1.Capacity.ScheduledUtilization = (0.8/2)*100 = 40%
New Utilization Calculation – Server’s Scheduled Utilization
For the above example, running the model for 10 hours, we would see the Capacity.Utilized of the Server equal to 2 for the first 2 hours. Then one of the entities will finish processing and
we’d see the Capacity.Utilized of the Server equal to 1 for the next 2 hours. Then once BOTH entities were finished processing at time 4.0 hours, the Server’s ResourceState would be set to Blocked which would set the Capacity.Utilized equal to 0 for the remaining 6 hours of the run.
The reported utilization results:
Server1.Capacity.Utilized.Average = (2*2 + 1*2)/10 = 0.6
Server1.Capacity.Average = 2
Server1.Capacity.ScheduledUtilization = (0.6/2)*100 = 30%
Note that this change only impacted the utilization statistics reported for multi-capacity Servers. For models saved in prior Sprint versions, to opt in to the new utilization calculation approach, the user must go to Run Setup -> Advanced Compatibility Settings in the Run Ribbon and set the compatibility setting for Exclude Entities Transferring Out Of Child Stations From Resource Utilization to ‘True’.
Ease of Use Features
Simio 12 comes with new features and enhancements that simplify its use for subscribers. These features include enhancements to Camera Tracking, compatibility with PDF, Random Row and RandomValue Functionality for State Columns.
- Opening Models as PDF Files – You can now open Simio models through PDF. This makes it possible to share simulation objectives and results with colleagues or in presentations using a PDF file. To enable this feature, the “Show Documentation On Lead” value should be changed to ‘True”.
- Random Row and RandomValue Functionality for State Columns – We have added RandomRow table functionality to State Columns in both Data Tables and Output Tables. One use of an Output Table is as a table that is made during the run that can be used for other modeling purposes during the same run. Your modeling needs may require you to sample from this table, for that you can use RandomRow of State Columns. The expression would be in the form of ‘OutputTableName.PropertyColumnName.RandomRow’.
- Camera Tracking Enhancements – You can now set the distance at which your camera follows an object. This provides support for better user experience and for presentations. The new camera settings provide a close-up view of your animations. The “follow distance ratio” is used for this adjustment and you can find it within the “Camera Tracking Options“
- Data Connectors View – We have added a new Data Connectors View to enable you to use your configurations at the level where it fits your particular needs or requirements. When a user opts to use a new connector, the data-grid will be loaded with a hierarchical master-detail view of configuration settings, an example can be seen below. (Image 2)
- Data Connectors – Specifying Import Folder – Simio users can now specify the import folder where their data files are located, as well as, the file names associated with specific tables. This feature ensures changes to data files attached to a table can be easily changed. Simio supports CSV Data Importer and Database Data Importer. It is important to note that you can now rename data connection configurations after they have been created.
- Data Connectors – Exporter – The exporter feature allows for a binding to be created for exporting purposes on a data table. This exportation can occur at three different times: at end of plan run, at project save, or at plan publish.
- Watch Window Enhancements – This feature was created to provide more insight into an object that is being watched during a simulation run. With this feature, it is now possible to watch “sub-objects” of objects in the Watch Window. For example, if a custom object includes a Resource object, when the custom object is placed into the Facility View and then watched, upon expansion of the custom object in the Watch Window, the Resource will now appear under the custom object.
- Updated Scheduling Examples and Templates – We have added a new scheduling example to our support ribbon. This scheduling example makes use of Sales Orders from a data table and generates associated Manufacturing Orders (MO) and Purchase Orders (PO) based on Bill of Materials structure. Both MO and PO are tracked via output tables. New schedule templates are also subject to the constraint logic element for material availability.
Security and API Enhancements to Protect Your Models
Simulation and Digital Twin models use business data and in many cases, the collected data is sensitive. To ensure your models are protected from prying eyes, we have added the following features:
- Enhanced Protection Capabilities for Models – The use of assigned passwords to protect Simio models has been enhanced to include the protection of specific views of a model as you choose. This feature can be found at the Project Folder in the Navigation Pane. This enhanced feature is available in the RPS and Professional versions of Simio.
- API Enhancement – Ability to Publish Plan to Portal Without Opening Desktop Software – This user-requested feature was added to allow for the running and publishing of a plan to Simio Portal without any human participation. Prior to this feature, to publish plan results to Simio Portal a user had to open Simio and select “Publish Plan Results to Website”. This feature allows users to publish to Simio Portal in the API.
Note: There is a new SimioServerConnector.dll available as part of the main Simio install. It and its associated dependencies are found in the ServerConnector subdirectory of the main Simio installation directory. The Simio Server Connector Reference Guide can be found in the main Simio installation directory.
In today’s ever-changing enterprise environment, simulation modeling and the Digital Twin serve as excellent tools for accelerating growth through predictive analysis, scheduling, and real-time monitoring. This is why we have included these new features and enhancements to Simio 12. We’re excited to see how you’ll use these features to enhance your business processes. Get it for free with the Simio Trial Edition!