About Systems Simulation

The Systems Simulation capability enables simulation of operations defined in a system structure. The different states of a product are simulated by navigating through the operations in the system structure. This is done using the Compass and the Product Buildup Options panel.

For more information, see the Common Services for Process Engineering Apps user's guide.

This page discusses:

See Also
Using Systems Simulation
Simulation Options Dialog Box

Capabilities

Systems simulation provides capabilities to validate your system structure.

It allows the following:

  • Scheduling of operations by highlighting the current operations in the Process Gantt chart and the tree
  • 3D product transformations positioned in the context of the engineering product if the operations are not yet balanced on organizational resources.
  • Part coloring according to the item type assigned to the current operations.
  • Displaying the resource structure, if it exists.

Simulating Systems

Systems are simulated using the Compass, the Experience Player, and the Product Buildup Options panel.

Simulation Tools

The Play command of the Compass enables you to run the simulation after selecting a system or an operation.

The Experience Player appears. It provides a number of controls for running the simulation. For more information, see Players.

When you click Product Buildup Options at the right edge of the work area, the Product Buildup Options panel appears. This panel lets you define the transparency and the color of objects that are part of the product buildup.

Simulation Sequence

If you select a system before launching the simulation, the first simulated step is the leaf operations of the system with the earliest end time.

If you select an operation that is not a leaf operation, the first simulated step is the leaf operations with the earliest end time. Only the operations with the earliest end time are simulated.

Each simulation step corresponds to the state of the product at the end time of 1 or N operations. A step shows the state of the product at the end of more than one operation, if the operations finish at the same time.

Note: It is the product states at the end of the operations that are taken into account in the simulation.

The example below describes the behavior of the simulation launched from System.1 that includes operations with the same end time included in two different subsystems.



Simulation step by step:

  • The state of the product at the end of "Load C" is displayed at time t1.
  • The state of the product at the end of "Load A" is displayed at time t2.
  • The state of the product at the end of "Load D" is displayed at time t3.
  • The state of the product at the end of "Load B" is displayed at time t4.
  • The state of the product at the end of "Assemble A+B" and "Assemble C+D" is displayed at time t5.

The simulation is always replayed in the context of the root system of the session. That means that all previous operations executed before the initial operation or the system that you selected are taken into account.

When two operations end at the same time, only one position can be applied for the simulation. Since the positioning is applied to the root Product to produce. The state of the product cannot be displayed at the same time (end of two operations) at two different places.

Such a situation (two operations ending at the same time) occurs if the end time is the same for both operations and particularly:

  • If both operations are linked by an end/end constraint.
  • If both operations have the same duration, and are linked by a start/start constraint.

Cross Highlighting for Systems Simulation

During systems simulation, when the System by System option is activated in the Product Buildup Options panel, at each step of the simulation:

  • If Highlight Active Operations is defined in the Simulation Options dialog box, the corresponding system is highlighted in the tree.
  • In the 3D and tree, all the products and manufacturing items implemented by the operations of the current system are highlighted. In this case, the Highlight product from item and Highlight item from product options must be selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Digital Manufacturing Apps Common Services > Simulation and Planning Apps Common Services > Display.
  • If Center tree on operation is defined in the Product Buildup Options panel, the tree is centered on the current system node.