Product
News
Important
Update: Patch for Automatic Update Feature
In a continuing effort to provide you with high quality software products,
we are improving the way in which you are informed of and receive updates
to the ProModel products you own. Part of this improvement requires you
to change your Solutions Café username to be your email address.
Another part entails that we change our product updating process and
technology, which results in the need for you to download and install
a simple patch. Within the last few weeks we sent an email informing
you of these changes.
If you have not received the email, please check your account information
to insure that we have your current email address. Please note that you
will need to download the update feature patch for all ProModel Corporation
products in order to obtain updates in the future. The patch is only
240 Kb in size and takes merely seconds to download and install. The
patch can be obtained at one of the following locations:
Important Update: ProModel to discontinue support of Windows 98 and
Windows ME after July 11, 2006.
Currently, the ProModel, MedModel, ServiceModel, Process Simulator, and
3D Animator products run on Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. ProModel Corporation’s
other products: Porfolio Simulator, Project Simulator, and ED Simulator
run on the Windows 2000 and XP operating systems.
Microsoft has stated that they are discontinuing the support of the Windows
98 and ME operating systems as of July 11, 2006. To learn more about
this development please click here: Microsoft
Support Update. In order
to optimize our support services and to be compliant with Microsoft standards,
ProModel will no longer support any of our products running on Windows
98 and ME after July 11, 2006. After this date, ProModel will only offer
product support on Windows 2000, XP and the soon to be released Windows
Vista operating systems.
 Product
Releases
ProModel, MedModel, and ServiceModel Version 7.0 released January ‘06.
We
are proud to say that this is absolutely our best version of ProModel,
MedModel, and ServiceModel ever! What’s so great and new? How about
string arrays? How about expression arrays? How about SQL and other database
connectivity? Yes, we have all that and more!
• String and expression arrays
• SQL and other database connectivity enabled
• Array Import and Export enable/disable option
•
Array data persistence – across replications (only import once!)
• Time unit for simulation warm-up is now user-specified
•
Relative file path names – easier PKG unpacking, no path requirements
for array import files
• User Pause by calendar date
• Automatic checking for software updates
• Time series data and analysis for multiple replications (confidence intervals
for your plots!)
• Significantly improved 3DR Output Viewer (too many features to list!)
• Toolbars
• And many, many fixes, too.
Portfolio Simulator Version 5.3 released February ‘06
This release includes the following enhancements:
•
New option in Throughput – Time Series report allows using a factor
based on attribute values.
• When adding new projects with sharing data you can now designate an existing
template in the target for the new project.
• Fixed a problem when publishing from Project when users have .NET Framework
2.0 Installed. It was not parsing the date correctly.
• Changed the Name field in the Attribute table and the Attribute Value
field in the Attribute Value table from 50 to 255 characters.
• Added XML import capability when sharing data.
• Attribute assignments for finished tasks can now be modified.
• Resource standard rate time unit now includes minutes and weeks.
Note: After upgrading to Portfolio Simulator version 5.3, all simulated
scenarios may need to be re-simulated. Please upgrade at a convenient
time.
 Project Simulator Version 3.3 to be released in April ‘06
This release will include the following enhancements:
• Sensitivity Scenarios
– Allows user to define a traditional scenario (base)
and then create additional scenarios (sensitivity) that describe the types of
changes
to make to the base scenario.
– A foundation for sensitivity analysis.
– For example, the user could define a base scenario
and then create 10 sensitivity scenarios. Each scenario decreases cycle
time by 5%
increments for any task that has a specific attribute
value.
– No need to create additional profiles just to simply change a couple
of task values.
– See documentation for complete details of the types of modifications
you can make.
•
Turn off “Survival” checkbox in Scenario Manager.
– If unchecked, all tasks will survive.
– Very useful to easily show the impact survival has on throughput.
• Disk Usage Reduction
– User can now turn off certain reporting requirements to reduce the
disk usage required to run a scenario.
– For example, the user can now only collect average resource requirements.
– Resource Reports much faster due to reduction in disk usage
• Gantt chart enhanced
– All activities can be displayed at once.
– Each occurrence is shown.
•
New Resource Usage chart for “work”, complimenting the
unit time series.
• Added Import/Export capability
• Simulation is now approximate 10-200% faster.
• Column Groupings
– Improved UI readability.
– Renamed some columns to better represent their functionality
• User interface faster to load and make changes to.
• Clear Simulation Results (Session and Scenario)
– Ability to keep session and scenario input information in the database
but only remove the large output data.
– An improved way to manage the disk usage requirements.
• Disk Usage fields for sessions and scenarios.
– Ability to see how much disk space is used by Sessions and Scenarios.
•
Reps > 300
– Previous version only allow for maximum of 300 reps. Reps can be extended
to 999, but the user will be warned that doing so will significantly
increase simulation times and disk usage.
• Summary Survival
– Ability to define “Survival” Percent at the project level
(Level1).
• Auto shutdown of SQL Server when not using application(s).
 Process Simulator 5.0 to be released in May ’06
Not only will version 5.0 allow you to more easily use the Lean methodology
in your model building it will also enable you to more closely model
your system’s downtime and setup behavior.
Version 5.0 will have following new features:
•
A new activity type, called a Storage, will replace the Order Signal
and will simplify and extend your ability to model entity reordering
(triggered by level or time).
•
Multiple Storage activities can be connected together to create a Lean
Supermarket object.
•
A new SEND statement can trigger the release of entities to an activity
via a Send route (formerly called the Ordered route).
•
A new activity type, called a Buffer, allows entities to be queued by
LIFO, FIFO, or by entity type.
•
A Buffer activity also allows you to define batching quantities by specific
entity types.
•
Unique processing times can be easily defined for multiple entity types
at an activity.
•
Machine Setup can now be defined at activities.
•
Scheduled-, Unscheduled-, and Usage-based downtimes can now be created
for resources and activities.
•
The Attach route has a new option which allows you to attach whatever
quantity exists (the exact amount specified for the Attach or less) and
immediately continue on.
•
You can now have multiple Create routes at the same activity.
•
Simulation event tracing and logic debugging capabilities during simulation
run-time for improved model troubleshooting and verification.
•
Percentage routing validation requires the routes to add up to 100% and
the percentage value can be modified directly on the routing connection.
•
Plus many other fixes and enhancements!
Product Updates
ProModel, MedModel, and ServiceModel Version 7.0.3.198 Maintenance
Release made available in March ‘06.
This update includes the following changes and fixes:
•
Fixed a problem with a multi-unit location where the error “Internal
Error: Cannot find an available location unit” would appear during
simulation in a specific situation.
•
Fixed a crash that occurred when a USE statement would attempt to obtain
more units of a resource than that resource actually had.
• Fixed a problem where the daylight savings feature would be used when
Weekly Time was selected.
• Fixed a problem where incorrect resource cost was calculated when the
default time unit was set to seconds, hours or days
•
Fixed a crash that occurred when a resource was called on break while
moving and ‘Skip Res DTs when off-shift’ was checked
•
Added a ‘Trace at Start’ checkbox to Simulation Options
The automatic update feature in version 7.0 should prompt you for this
update. You can also manually download the latest update by visiting
the Solutions Café Download page.
A history of the changes and fixes to the ProModel software can be viewed
in the Version
History PDF.
 3D Animator Version 1.5.0.34 Maintenance Release made available
in February ’06.
Changes and fixes in this version include:
• Added the ability to play movies from 3D Animator. There’s
now a Movies drop down in the menu, toolbar, and context menu. These
are also available from the compose area.
•
Added the ability to disable auto-orient per entity or dynamic resource
when traveling on paths (by appending “Disableao” to the
comment field for a CLASS statement in the SUP file)
•
Extended the disable auto-orient capability to objects moving on conveyors.
•
Changed icons in 3DA to be consistent with ProModel 7.0 icons.
•
Having a path selected and then turning paths off now unselects the path.
•
Fixed an issue where paths were still selectable even though they were
not visible.
•
Fixed an issue where a path node that is behind an object was still selectable,
even though the object was selected.
•
Fixed an issue where the View and Preview window was not bound to the
3D Animator main window.
•
Fixed an issue where the alignment for the z-axis was inconsistent with
the x- and y-axes
•
Fixed an issue where deleting more than 2 conveyor joints/nodes would
delete all joints/nodes
•
Fixed an issue where cutting/copying a blank cell (on last row) and then
pasting in another cell would cause an unhandled exception error.
Process Simulator Version 4.2.0.67 Maintenance Release made
available in February ’06.
Changes and fixes in this version include:
• Updated the simulation engine files to ProModel version 7.0.
•
Optimized a PCS routine so that simulations should be slightly faster.
•
Fixed an issue where an order signal would add an extra arrival record
which resulted in a simulation error.
This version also includes the following changes and fixes from version
4.1.0.63 (February ’06):
• Days of the week are now listed Monday through Sunday in the
Simulation Properties and Scheduled Arrivals dialogs so that it is consistent
with the start of a week (Monday instead of Sunday) during simulation.
•
Wrong names in the column headers of the Scoreboard in 3DR have been
fixed.
•
Fixed an issue where changes made to chart and table properties were
not persisting when saving views.
This version also includes the following changes from version 4.1.0.60
(January ’06):
• Fixed an issue when Resource Percent Availability was less than
17%, a run-time error would appear during simulation.
•
Fixed a Run-Time Error when checking the Input to Submodel option in
the Arrival Properties dialog.
•
Fixed some issues where Order Signal Arrival Logic was not enabled and
Order Signal Arrivals were not generated in the correct order.
•
Fixed an issue where the IncInventory statement would update the wrong
activity in some specific cases.
•
Fixed a problem where if the “day” time unit was selected
as part of a scenario parameter it wouldn’t get saved to the Visio
file, which resulted in an incorrect simulation time value.
Training Update
Basic and Advanced Training Courses Change April 2006.
We the new release of ProModel, ServiceModel, and MedModel version 7.0,
we have also changed the names of our basic and advanced training courses.
Simulation Essentials replaces ProModel, ServiceModel or MedModel Basic.
Designed for the new user, this three day course focuses on elements
of model building using ProModel, MedModel or ServiceModel, as appropriate
for your industry. You will learn the mechanics of model building, and
understand how to analyze your data with the Output Viewer 3DR. This
course is designed to provide a solid foundation for future projects.
Advanced Simulation Concepts replaces ProModel, ServiceModel, or MedModel
Advanced.
Building on the foundation of our Basic and Essentials courses,
this two day course teaches the intermediate modeler advanced modeling
techniques
such as arrays and external files, simplification techniques, debugging
and troubleshooting, logic tips, subroutines, and calendar functions.
For the second day, the student will choose four to six modules of
more advanced training topics, such as: parallel operations, reneging
and
balking, load and unload, arrival patterns, queues and conveyors, AGV
concepts, resource search practices, priorities, downtimes, shift logic,
and continuous flow modeling. Day One of this course is designed to
be universal to all industries (appropriate for ProModel, MedModel,
and
ServiceModel users alike). Day Two may contain industry specific techniques,
based on your module selections.
For complete details and schedule of upcoming courses please visit
http://www.promodel.com/services/training/.
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