SIMUL8 R9 - What Was New

SIMUL8 Release 9 had some major new developments, including an Grafx importer, multi object changer and track changes. We are currently on SIMUL8 2008, check out the SIMUL8 2008 Feature Tour.

Click on the links below for details on all the features added in SIMUL8 R9. Features with beside them are only available with SIMUL8 Professional:

New Interface

Latest user interface enhancements giving a more "professional" look and feel to SIMUL8 and your simulations.

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Cycle Matrix

This very important new feature makes it very easy to simulate situations where work is described as a series of operations on one or more machines (rather than the "process flow" type description where SIMUL8 Routing arrows excel.)  Read the PDF file on new routing methodologies.

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Multiple Simulations

Have any number of SIMUL8 simulations open at the same time - even running simultaneously to view compared situations.

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Speed Analyzer

Find out the parts of your Visual Logic that are taking a long time to run - makes it quick to find ways to improve the speed of very complex simulations.
(Included in the Professional Version Only)

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Watch Window

This amazing debugging aid shows you the state of any part of your simulation at any time.  Any formula or property reference can be added to the window.  Its value is updated as it changes.

And the watch window's dockable so you can leave it visible as your simulation runs

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View All Work Items

View All Work Items option to list all the work items in the simulation.

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Export Simulation Monitor Data

The Simulation Monitor now has a Click RIGHT option to save its data to disk file for external analysis.

It now uses a lot less computer power (CPU time) and has more information displayed in the Simulation Monitor (like Work Item ID numbers and more detail on breakdown events).

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Information Store Reports Variable Value

As the mouse is dragged over the variable names the Information Store now reports values of variables for easier debugging.

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Work Items Scheduled Events

Events scheduled on Work items are now displayed in the detailed Work Item dialog (Contents Button)

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ComboBox

It is now possible to display Combo Boxes/Drop Down Menus on custom dialogs

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{var1} construct

The {var1} construct in custom dialogs can now be used in all control types.

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Object Buttons on Dialogs

Custom dialogs can now have "Object Buttons".  Thus allow easy access to the underlying object dialogs of SIMUL8 Components

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Detect Function Key Presses

Previous versions only allowed this for the non-user-friendly combination of Shift-and-function key.

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Multiple Break Types

Now Breakdowns for any machine, group or conveyor can now be based on an unlimited number of distributions. 

Each type of breakdown works independently of the others and has its own breakdown modes and distributions.

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Group Breakdowns

Breakdowns on groups, introduced in the last version, have now been extended to support the "MCBF" breakdown mode.

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Index With Group

Work centers can now be locked together to work in synchronization.  All (or some) the work centers in a group can be  set to allow work to exit, only when all the other work centers in the group are also ready.

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Faster handling of very large numbers of resources

The last version added "mobile resources" but with simulations that used 10s of thousands of resources these now used much more memory.  V9 gives you the option to switch off mobile resources so that you can have small lean simulations that still make use of very large numbers of resources.

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Ignore Starved Routes

New Work Center Routing In option to "Ignore Staved Routes" on circulate option.

If checked the Work Center will ignore routes that do not contain work matching requirements and will circulate around all of the route-in list to find work.

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Wait Till New Work Available

New Route Out option to make work wait in the object until new work is available to enter the object.

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No Gaps on Conveyors

Conveyors now have a feature to prevent gaps between work items.  Normally conveyors allow gaps, but in some situations conveyors stop moving when no work is available to join them.  SIMUL8 can now handle this without any requirement for Visual Logic code.

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Conveyor Breakdowns

Conveyors now support MCBF mode breakdowns

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Detailed Results Logging 

The Detailed Results Logging feature compiles into a single spreadsheet the time any work item spends between any two points. 

Set as many logging areas as you like. Logging starts at either the entry or exit from any object.

You can also add to the results spreadsheet label vales from the work items and cost information.

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Results Compare

This is a big productivity improvement. Results data from every run, or every Trial, you conduct are stored in the Results Comparison table. It's now so much faster to make a series of changes and know that all the ideas you are trying are being stored for comparison.

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Time Graphs Improved

We have improved the axis and labeling on Time Graphs.

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Bounded Distributions

New distribution type: Bounded distributions.  Lets you quickly set limits to avoid extreme values.

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Moving in Large Simulations

Fast moving around large simulations with Page Up/Down/Left/Right/Home etc.

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Formula Editor Links

Dynamically create Information Store variables, labels and distributions from with the formula editor.

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Drag Routing Arrows

To change the source or destination of a routing arrow simply drag the arrow handles to the new object.

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Object Type Conversion

Ever created an object and later realize it would have been better we a different type of object? - Click RIGHT on the object and convert it - and retain the common properties.

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Flexible Routing Arrows

Flexible route arrows for all route types - with easier line clicking and dragging. 

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Object Titles Control

Object titles can now be placed anywhere relative to the simulation object - and optionally wrapped, even placed inside.

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24 Million Colors

All SIMUL8 Color Palettes enhanced to draw (not just support) the full range of colors.

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Dockable GraphsTime Graphs, Pie charts etc. are now dockable so that its much easier to use and keep them on screen for presentations

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Larger Simulation Window

The simulation windows can now be 100's of times larger (even on small memory PCs) - this allows the layout of the simulation to be organized in anyway you need to reflect the design of the business.

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Queues Default

The default display on queues is now set to 'tank' so that queue animation is immediately visible.

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Display Plus

Extended "DisplayPlus" Visual Logic for precise, pixel by pixel, control of the screen.

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New VL Event for Components

Components now have On_Create_VL event

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Copy Component

The Visual Logic command Copy Object can now copy SIMUL8 Components as well as the standard SIMUL8 objects.

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Accept Text Expressions

SetImage, SetWIImage, SetProbProfileColumn accept text expressions for image/distrib names.

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Component Object Variable

Added Component type of Object Variable (Information Store)

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OnButtonClick

Visual Logic OnButtonClick event now gets information about any clicks on the simulation windows.

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Auto Reference Variables

Extended AutoReference variables to work in Distribution Pre-sample VL.

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Easier to understand IF statements in Visual Logic

No more "No More Than" type logics - just simple "<=" symbols!

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Mouse Wheel

Mouse Wheel now works in the Visual Logic Editor.

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Automatic Close of Database Removed

(SQL Plug-in only) Removed automatic close of databases when SQL detects end of record set.  This makes a very large speed improvement in some applications of SQL with SIMUL8.

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New VL Commands

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Save As VDX

Create Visio files directly from SIMUL8 (not just saving back to recently imported Visio files)

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SolutionXML

SolutionXML now added to SIMUL8's XML file type. This means you can store any amount of additional data inside SIMUL8 files for your own extended use of SIMUL8's data.

Read the PDF file on SolutionXML

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COM Save Function

SAVE function moved from the COM plug-in to the COM available with SIMUL8 Standard.

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Copy and Paste

Improved Copy to Clipboard or screens for paste to Power Point/Word etc (much cleaner image of the screen).

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New Print Options

Completely revised SIMUL8 Printing facilities that allow multi-page printing of large simulations. As well as:

Print-Preview before you print.
Print spreadsheets directly with their own print button.
Print button on toolbar.

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New file type ".XS8"

Behave exactly the same way as XML - except that it is unique to SIMUL8 so SIMUL8 XML files will not get opened by IE when double clicked.  (XML file type still works too).

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Help Updated

Updated Help uses the new Microsoft standard HTML Help Browser

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File Save As BMP

Quickly save a screenshot of your simulation to easily export pictures for your presentations.

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