Create an Interruptible Work Center

Prerequisites:

This discussion assumes that you already have a basic understanding of how to set and use labels. For more complete information on these topics, see our book Learning SIMUL8: The Complete Guide, or ask about our training programs.

Description:

An interruptible work center will accept higher priority work items in the middle of a cycle. Sometimes referred to as 'preempting,' this option causes the work center to set aside the work item it is currently processing to select the higher priority item, process it, then reselect the previous item where it left off. This act of preempting is a bit tricky to get to work properly.

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Cut Your Development Time with On-Screen Shortcuts

When you are immersed in simulation model development, little conveniences can make all the difference. During the debugging process, it is common to run the model for some time, flip back to one or more Information Store (IS) sheets, perhaps change something then start the whole process again.

To help save time, we often create a 'Control Panel' sub-window containing quick links to important information as well as dynamically updated statistics of interest. This is especially true for small to mid-sized models that may not have a full-fledged user interface attached. A simple control panel is quick to put together, yet it saves development time and serves as a useful reference point for the model's end user.

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Disappearing SIMUL8 Graphs

Graphs have a tendency to disappear from the SIMUL8 screen as you work with a model. We often hear from users who want to know how to 'fix' the problem. A second symptom could be that SIMUL8 appears to 'lock up".

While this occurrence may seem disconcerting at first, there is actually nothing to fix. The graphs are still there - they've just slipped out of sight behind the main simulation window. The best way to retrieve them is to press ALT-TAB as if you were going to switch to a different application. This triggers SIMUL8 to refresh itself and therefore bring the dialogs to the front.

You can find comprehensive information on this topic and many more in Learning SIMUL8: The Complete Guide, as well as through our innovative SIMUL8 training programs

Simulation Optimization

Your Guidance System for Complex Decisions Under Uncertainty

Simulation has proven itself to be an incredibly useful tool for evaluating complex systems. Sometimes, however, you need to do more than just evaluate how a system will react under a given combination of conditions. Instead, what you really need to do is find the combination of conditions that will give you the 'best' possible system performance. To achieve this with a stand-alone simulation model, you will need to change model parameters, run each scenario and repetitively review results in the search for a satisfactory solution.

A simulation optimization algorithm works to automate this search procedure in an intelligent manner, saving you time and, if properly used, giving you superior results. In cases where there are many, many alternatives to evaluate, the automated guidance provided by a good simulation optimization tool can be a very welcome addition to your modeling arsenal.

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