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Combine and configure object activities in your process flow.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
6 min.
Transcript
00:03
In FlexSim, object activities determine the operations and actions of 3D objects within your model.
00:10
While object activities can be added in either the process flow or 3D space,
00:15
configuring and combining these activities in your process flow is recommended to enable improved flexibility
00:21
and to allow you to build models with complex logic accurately.
00:26
With FlexSim open to a blank Model and ProcessFlow,
00:29
click in ProcessFlow.
00:31
In the Library, you can see the available object activities—Create Object, Move Object, and Destroy Object.
00:42
Add one of each to your ProcessFlow.
00:45
Next, add a Source to the ProcessFlow and connect it to Create Object to form an activity block.
00:53
Open the Create Object Quick Properties.
00:56
Here, you can configure the object for your model.
00:59
First, expand the Object drop-down, then expand Flowitems to select from the available options.
01:08
Alternatively, to add a new flow item, in the toolbar, click FlowItem Bin, then click Add.
01:17
In this case, select New Basic FlowItem.
01:21
With the new Box2 item selected, in Properties, name your new flow item, and then apply the appropriate settings.
01:29
Here, the name is set to “MyNewBox” and blue is selected for the box color to differentiate it.
01:37
Back in the ProcessFlow, open the Create Object Quick Properties,
01:42
expand Object > Flowitems again, and this time, select MyNewBox.
01:49
In Quick Properties, the Create In location is set to the default value of model.
01:54
Run the simulation, and you can see that the box appears at point 000 in the model.
02:00
Simply move the box to set a different location.
02:04
If you want your flow item to be created in another object, such as a Queue, first add the Queue to the model.
02:12
Back in Quick Properties, click the Sampler for the Create In field, and then select the Queue.
02:19
Reset and Run the model.
02:22
The box now arrives in the Queue.
02:26
In the Create Object Quick Properties, select Create At to view how this selection differs.
02:32
Reset and Run the Model.
02:36
Now, the box is created at the location of the sampled object—here, at 000 on the Queue.
02:44
Select and move the Queue, and you can see that the box remains at its location and does not travel with the Queue.
02:51
This is because it arrives at, and not in, the Queue.
02:55
In Quick Properties, switch this option back to Create In.
02:59
Next, create a label for the token to point it to an object in the model.
03:04
With Assign To selected, type “token.MyItem”.
03:10
Reset and Run the simulation, and then select the token in the process flow.
03:16
In Properties, you see that the token has a label called MyItem that points to the box in the model.
03:22
To verify which item it points to, select the label, then click Selection Mode—the box icon outlined in red.
03:32
The corresponding item is now highlighted with a red box in the model.
03:36
In the model, select the box, and in Properties, notice that there is no label to connect back to the token.
03:45
Open the Create Object Quick Properties again, and under Assign Labels to Created Objects, click Add.
03:53
Then, set the Name and Value for your item—here, “MyToken” and “token”, respectively.
03:60
Reset and Run the simulation.
04:03
Select the box in the model and now, the label displays in Properties.
04:09
Just as before, select the Label and then click the Selection Mode icon.
04:15
This time, the corresponding token is highlighted in the ProcessFlow.
04:20
Next, in the ProcessFlow, add Move Object to the activity block, and then duplicate Queue1 to create a second Queue.
04:29
In the ProcessFlow, add a Delay activity between Create and Move Object.
04:34
In the Move Object Quick Properties, change the Object name to “token.MyItem” to match the object you created.
04:43
Use the Sampler tool to select the Destination—here, Queue2.
04:49
Reset and Run the simulation.
04:52
The box arrives at Queue1 and then delays before moving to Queue2.
04:58
Add another Delay activity, and then move Destroy Object activity to the activity block.
05:05
Open the Destroy Object Quick Properties and change the Object name to “token.MyItem”.
05:12
Lastly, add a Sink activity.
05:15
Reset and Run the simulation to view the object as it is created, moved, and then destroyed.
05:25
You can now configure and combine object activities in your process flow to create accurate and effective models.
Video transcript
00:03
In FlexSim, object activities determine the operations and actions of 3D objects within your model.
00:10
While object activities can be added in either the process flow or 3D space,
00:15
configuring and combining these activities in your process flow is recommended to enable improved flexibility
00:21
and to allow you to build models with complex logic accurately.
00:26
With FlexSim open to a blank Model and ProcessFlow,
00:29
click in ProcessFlow.
00:31
In the Library, you can see the available object activities—Create Object, Move Object, and Destroy Object.
00:42
Add one of each to your ProcessFlow.
00:45
Next, add a Source to the ProcessFlow and connect it to Create Object to form an activity block.
00:53
Open the Create Object Quick Properties.
00:56
Here, you can configure the object for your model.
00:59
First, expand the Object drop-down, then expand Flowitems to select from the available options.
01:08
Alternatively, to add a new flow item, in the toolbar, click FlowItem Bin, then click Add.
01:17
In this case, select New Basic FlowItem.
01:21
With the new Box2 item selected, in Properties, name your new flow item, and then apply the appropriate settings.
01:29
Here, the name is set to “MyNewBox” and blue is selected for the box color to differentiate it.
01:37
Back in the ProcessFlow, open the Create Object Quick Properties,
01:42
expand Object > Flowitems again, and this time, select MyNewBox.
01:49
In Quick Properties, the Create In location is set to the default value of model.
01:54
Run the simulation, and you can see that the box appears at point 000 in the model.
02:00
Simply move the box to set a different location.
02:04
If you want your flow item to be created in another object, such as a Queue, first add the Queue to the model.
02:12
Back in Quick Properties, click the Sampler for the Create In field, and then select the Queue.
02:19
Reset and Run the model.
02:22
The box now arrives in the Queue.
02:26
In the Create Object Quick Properties, select Create At to view how this selection differs.
02:32
Reset and Run the Model.
02:36
Now, the box is created at the location of the sampled object—here, at 000 on the Queue.
02:44
Select and move the Queue, and you can see that the box remains at its location and does not travel with the Queue.
02:51
This is because it arrives at, and not in, the Queue.
02:55
In Quick Properties, switch this option back to Create In.
02:59
Next, create a label for the token to point it to an object in the model.
03:04
With Assign To selected, type “token.MyItem”.
03:10
Reset and Run the simulation, and then select the token in the process flow.
03:16
In Properties, you see that the token has a label called MyItem that points to the box in the model.
03:22
To verify which item it points to, select the label, then click Selection Mode—the box icon outlined in red.
03:32
The corresponding item is now highlighted with a red box in the model.
03:36
In the model, select the box, and in Properties, notice that there is no label to connect back to the token.
03:45
Open the Create Object Quick Properties again, and under Assign Labels to Created Objects, click Add.
03:53
Then, set the Name and Value for your item—here, “MyToken” and “token”, respectively.
03:60
Reset and Run the simulation.
04:03
Select the box in the model and now, the label displays in Properties.
04:09
Just as before, select the Label and then click the Selection Mode icon.
04:15
This time, the corresponding token is highlighted in the ProcessFlow.
04:20
Next, in the ProcessFlow, add Move Object to the activity block, and then duplicate Queue1 to create a second Queue.
04:29
In the ProcessFlow, add a Delay activity between Create and Move Object.
04:34
In the Move Object Quick Properties, change the Object name to “token.MyItem” to match the object you created.
04:43
Use the Sampler tool to select the Destination—here, Queue2.
04:49
Reset and Run the simulation.
04:52
The box arrives at Queue1 and then delays before moving to Queue2.
04:58
Add another Delay activity, and then move Destroy Object activity to the activity block.
05:05
Open the Destroy Object Quick Properties and change the Object name to “token.MyItem”.
05:12
Lastly, add a Sink activity.
05:15
Reset and Run the simulation to view the object as it is created, moved, and then destroyed.
05:25
You can now configure and combine object activities in your process flow to create accurate and effective models.
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