Animation
This help section discusses most of the aspects of Simul8 that relate to animation and provides links to more detailed information on each topic.
When you build a simulation Simul8 sets the simulation up so that you will be able to see what is happening as the simulation runs. In particular Work Items can be seen moving between objects in the simulation and the number of Work Items currently at each Work Center is displayed.
The speed that Work Items move across the screen is dependent on the position of the speed control.
You can show more animation:
In Particular you can animate queues and Conveyors so that you can see each Work Item in them as the simulation runs.
You can animate Work Centers, so that they move about as they change state (for example a Work Center that is working can be shown differently if it is waiting for work, or broken down).
You can also show Work Items that are at Work Centers (and if the Work Center's image is also displayed then the image for the Work Center and the Work Item are automatically combined).
Work Centers can change the way a Work Item looks.
All objects and Work Items are displayed on the screen using images. An image is a special type of object within Simul8. It has a name and information about the way it looks on the screen. Manage the images in your simulation using the Image Library on the View tab.
When Work Items move between works centers there are two different ways that this can happen (and this affects the way that they are animated). Travel between some types of object takes (or can take) time. In this case Work Items are seen moving between the objects as the clock turns and as other aspects of the simulation are also updated on the screen. In other cases (where Work Items move between objects without using simulation time) it is still possible (sometimes desirable) to see the Work Items “move” between these object.
This can help understanding of the dynamics of the simulation even though such movement is actually “instant” in real life (and “instant” in the logic of the simulation). This movement is shown on the screen by briefly stopping the clock and moving the Work Item visually on the screen between the two object (although with the speed control set at around half way or more you will hardly notice that the clock has been stopped).
Objects do not have to be displayed. Often simulations contain objects that are included in the simulation purely to control the logic rather than actually physically existing in the real world. (Examples are rules that operate in the real world you are simulating - these don't “physically” exist). In this case you can set the object to “invisible”.