Configuring the Downhill Simplex Technique

The Downhill Simplex technique is a geometrically intuitive algorithm.

See Also
Downhill Simplex Technique
Configuring the Technique and the Execution Options
  1. From the Flow section of the action bar, click Optimization and drop it on the process diagram.
  2. Double-click Optimization .
    The Optimization Editor appears.
  3. From the General tab's Optimization Technique list, select Downhill Simplex.

  4. In the Optimization Technique Options area, enter or select the following:
    OptionDescription
    Simplex Count Extend the standard Downhill Simplex process by allowing the design search to be performed with more than one simplex running in parallel. When you select Execute in parallel to enable parallel processing and N simplexes are active, Process Composer dispatches a batch of N points, one per simplex, on each iteration.
    Initial Simplex Size The size of the starting simplex as a fraction of your domain. It must be a real value greater than zero and less than or equal to one. It has the highest probability of finding a global optimum when started with a bigger initial size. Because it spans a larger fraction of the design space, the chances of getting trapped in a local minimum are smaller. The default value is 0.1, which is equivalent to 10% of the domain.
    Max Iterations The maximum number of design iterations that you want the optimizer to run. The value type is integer. The default value is 40.
    Max Failed Runs The maximum number of failed subflow evaluations that can be tolerated by the optimization technique. If the number of failed runs exceeds this value, the optimization adapter will terminate execution. To disable this feature, set this option to any negative value (for example, –1). When this option is set to a negative value, the optimization will continue execution despite any number of failed subflow runs.
    Failed Run Penalty Value The value of the Penalty parameter that is used for all failed subflow runs. The default value is 1 × 10 30 .
    Failed Run Objective Value The value of the Objective parameter that is used for all failed subflow runs. The default value is 1 × 10 30 .
  5. Click Ok to save your changes and to close the Optimization Editor.