WHAT’S NEW?

VERSION 7.1
INTRODUCTION This document is meant to provide a more detailed overview of the new or improved features in
FlexSim 7.1, the latest version of FlexSim’s flagship general purpose simulation package. This
edition of the software adds some key functionality to improve upon version 7.0, especially in
the area of dashboards. As with previous versions, FlexSim 7.1 runs on Microsoft Windows
operating systems, and can run on Mac and Linux machines in a Windows environment.
The second FlexSim module, designed for the simulation and modeling of AGV systems,
will also be available with the FlexSim 7.1 software. The AGV module is free to download and
includes a new object library and options for customization. This marks the first time that
FlexSim has developed a dedicated material handling product, and the plan is to continue to
develop the module into the premier simulation tool for modeling AGV systems.
Anyone can download FlexSim 7.1 at www.flexsim.com to test its functionality in the free
Express version. Users under current maintenance can upgrade their license and activate the
Enterprise version through their FlexSim Account or within the FlexSim 7.1 software.

c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com page 2 of 8
DASHBOARDS AND Centralized Analytics
The information that was previously found
STATISTICS in FlexSim Chart and the Statistics tab of
an object’s properties window can now be
accessed in dashboards. This change will
mean dashboards are now the central loca-
tion for real-time data and analysis. Note
that the information found in the Statistics
tab can also be found in an object’s Quick
Properties, under a new section that is also
named “Statistics.”
Financial Analysis
Financial analysis of a model, previously
available only in FlexSim Chart, is now avail-
able as a dashboard object. It defines fixed
and time-based costs for objects, flowitems,
and object states, providing real-time infor-
mation on actual costs within the system.
Custom Chart
The new Custom Chart dashboard object
can display any numeric data, including ta-
ble data, bundle data, global variables, and
others.
c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com
Gantt Charts
Another feature previously available only in
FlexSim Chart, Gantt charts can be added
to the dashboard to display data in real-
time. The two Gantt chart objects in 7.1
are intended for object states and flowitem
tracing.
Pinning
Data from the new Statistics section of the
Quick Properties can be added to dash-
boards using the Pinning button; this is
useful for quickly viewing important data
during a model run. Other values such as
labels, tables, global variables, and tracked
variables can also be Pinned.
Dashboard To HTML
Dashboards can now be exported as HTML
files. This provides several benefits over
exporting to a CSV or PNG:
• Retain functionality. Certain dash-
board objects have additional infor-
mation that can be accessed on mouseover,
and line or bar chart objects can have
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DASHBOARDS AND the bounds of their X-axis dynami-
cally increased or decreased. Unlike
the static PNG export, this function-
STATISTICS ality is preserved when exporting to
HTML.

• Sizing and location. All dashboard

objects in the HTML file can be moved
and resized within the web browser
just as they could in the actual dash-
board.

Other
• Additional customization options.
There are now more options for cus-
tomizing the appearance of dashboard
objects. Some examples include font
size, bar size, and custom display names.

• Additional Model Input objects.

Model Input dashboard objects such
as Radio Buttons, Listboxes, Track-
ers, and Tables have been added.
• General dashboard improvements.
Enhancements have been made to the
sizing, closing, and reopening of dash-
board objects. Also, dashboard table
data can display current state values
as strings.

c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com page 4 of 8
AGV MODULE Model AGV Systems real-world system, are included with myr-
iad customization options, and Control Ar-
eas can be used to control vehicle traffic
through intersections.

AGV Properties

FlexSim’s AGV module is available free of

charge for the FlexSim 7.1 software. The
AGV module is not backwards compatible
(only works with FlexSim 7.1 or later) and
leverages FlexSim’s discrete-event simula-
tion capabilities to model a real-world ma-
terial handling system.

AGV Objects The AGV Network Properties delivers op-

tions for control and customization over the
AGV system. AGV vehicle types can be
specified, special Way Point triggers can
be set, and connections can be defined and
customized, among many other tools and
features.

Other
New picklist options and an AGV section
The AGV module features its own unique
in the User Manual will become available
object library to quickly build an AGV sys-
when the module is installed.
tem. The straight and curved paths build
out the network itself, while the Join Paths
object can quickly join two paths together.
Control Points, an essential concept in a

c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com page 5 of 8
VISUALIZATION AND Offscreen Rendering
Shadow rendering using the OpenGL Shaders
ANIMATION is now done directly to the texture on the
graphics card without the need for an extra
is now calculated per pixel for more accu-
rate color blending (lighting is calculated
per vertex and interpolated across the face
without the Shaders).

window or an extra copy to the texture.

Other
Improved SKP Reader
The SKP Reader now renders objects faster
and more correctly than ever before. The
Reader no longer draws shapes that are
hidden, and the edges of imported shapes
are automatically smoothed. Additionally,
FlexSim now supports the latest SketchUp
files.
Better Mapping/Lighting
• Major compatibility improvements.
FlexSim’s OpenGL Shaders are now
compatible with any graphics cards
that can run FlexSim. In 7.0, only
NVIDIA GeForce cards could use the
Shaders.
• Speed improvements to Shaders.
• Two-sided lighting. Using Shaders,
the lighting on the back side of each
face is now applied independently. Pre-
viously, the back side of each face
was drawn exactly the same as the
front.

Several improvements were made to map-

ping and lighting to add more realism to
textures using Shaders. For mapping, nor-
mal maps can be used to apply lighting cal-
culations based on bumps in the texture;
height maps will apply the same effect as
the normal map but also offset the tex-
ture of each pixel to give the appearance
of depth. For lighting, the color of a face

c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com page 6 of 8
INTERFACE Quick Model Views
The Model Views utility has been removed
from the View menu and is now conve-
niently located in the Quick Properties pane.
You can access Model Views the same way
you could access View Settings in 7.0: by
making the Model View the active window
and having no FlexSim objects currently
highlighted.
Docked User Manual
The User Manual is now available in the
FlexSim 7 docked window interface for easy
access within a model. The User Manual
also has a Quick Properties that shows the
Table of Contents, Index, Search, and For-
ward and Back buttons for navigation.
c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com
Improved Robot GUI
The GUI for Define Motion Paths in the
Robot object’s properties window has been
enhanced and made more intuitive. The
Sync To Flow Item tool allows you to sam-
ple a flowitem to set the robot’s current
position as gripping the item. There is also
a preview button to quickly view the mo-
tion of the robot on the path.
Improved User Toolbar
The Dashboard, Global Table, Time Ta-
ble, and MTBF/MTTR buttons in the User
Toolbar have been updated to give the op-
tion of opening an existing instance of these
tools as well as creating a new instance.
For example, the Global Table button in
7.0 would only allow the creation of a new
Global Table; in 7.1, pressing this button
gives the option of creating a new Global
Table or opening an existing one.
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MISCELLANEOUS Excel Import/Export
• The Excel Importer/Exporter now
handles relative paths of workbooks
to the model.
• Improved Excel Importer functions.
The excelreadstr function and Au-
tomatic Data Distinction more accu-
rately read in values from Excel, in-
cluding dates and times.

New Picklists/Commands
• Added picklist options for starting and
stopping animations.
• Added a picklist option to display cus-
tom names and stats for flowitems,
similar to the names and stats on ob-
jects.

c 2014 FlexSim Software Products, Inc. www.flexsim.com page 8 of 8