Simantics System Dynamics

Introduction to System Dynamics Simulation

System Dynamics

The history and basic uses

Model

Model structure as seen in the model browser.

Model consists of five main collections: Operating interfaces, Images, Configuration, Experiments and Modules. They all contain

Components

Basic components of a model: Auxiliary, valve, stock, cloud, input, module Connections: Dependencies, Flows

Modeling principles

What kind of models should be created, good practicies

System Dynamics Workbench

Install / Use

How to install and start the program. What is required (Modelica, VC90)

Layout

1. Diagram
   Diagram is the area where you will graphically modify your model. Diagrams are built from elements that can be dragged from Symbols view or populated using shortcut keys.
2. Model Browser
   Model browser shows the structure of your model and all items related to it.
   Symbols view is behind the model browser and used for dragging elements to diagrams.
3. Equation
   Equation view shows the selected variable's properties. Equation view has a different layout depending on the type of the selected variable. The view can also have different tabs depending on the variable type. Basic tabs are Equation and Additional information.
4. Trend
   Trend view shows the graphical representation of the values of the selected value over time. For the trend to be shown, a simulation has to be run. The view shows always the results of the latest run, but you can save results of a simulation and show them in the same trend with results from another simulation. Values view and Dependencies are located at the same place and can also be used for analyzing the model.
5. Experiment controls
   Experiment controls are shown when an experiment is active. Experiment is activated by double clicking an experiment in the model browser. With the experiment control, you can start simulation runs and save simulation results.

System Dynamics Modelling

Basic modelling

Basic modelling functions enable you to create and configure models. System dynamics modeling is basically pretty simple, so with these instructions you can build small and also very large models. The tricky part is writing all the expressions and adjusting the model so that it actually tells you something.

Creating a new model

Start a new model by right-clicking the model browser and selecting New->Model or from the main menu File->New Model.

Creating a new module type

Create a new module type by right-clicking on the Modules-folder and selecting New->Module. This creates a new module type that you can populate to your other modules and the model configuration.

Configuring a model

Model configuration can be opened by double clicking Configuration in the model browser.

Configuring modules

Configuration of a module type can be opened by double clicking the module type you want to configure. You can also open the configuration of a module from a diagram, when a module has been populated to that diagram, by right-clicking the module and selecting Show Module. When opening modules from diagram, the opened diagram knows to which diagram the module has been populated and can show the connections between the modules. Keep in mind that when making changes to a module, the changes apply to all instances of the module!

Populate variables

You can drag variables to a diagram from symbol view. You can also populate variables using shortcut keys

Populate modules

Modules are populated from the model browser. Just drag the module you want to populate from the Modules folder to a diagram.

Create connections

There are two types of connections: dependencies and flows. Both are created basically the same way. Hold Alt down and click on a variable. Left click starts a dependency, right click starts a flow. Both are ended to another variable with a left click.

Flows can also be started and ended to an empty spot in the diagram. If there is no start or end variable, a cloud will be created. Also if start or end is not a valve, a new valve is created in the middle of the flow.

There are some restrictions on what connections can be made, but don't worry, the user interface won't let you do connections that are not allowed.

Connections between modules

Outside the module

You can connect variables to variables in modules like this:

MODULE -----> INPUT
or
ANY VARIABLE -----> MODULE 

This is just the visual configuration, but you need those connections to really connect variables in the module's properties.

In Inputs -tab you select which variables you connect to inputs inside the module. In Outputs -tab you select which variables you lift from the module to inputs outside it.

Inside the module

Input variables get values from outside the module

Output variables can send their values outside the module. From the variable properties, select Additional Information and press Is Output

Configure variables

Select a single variable from diagram or model browser. The properties of the variables are shown in the equation view and you can modify them.

Export model

To export your model to a file, select your model from the model browser, right-click and from the context menu choose Export... Select the folder where to export your model, give the file a name and press Save. You do not need to export a model to Save it, the model is automatically saved in your database. Export can be used to for example create different versions of the model, create backups or to transport it to another database.

Import model

Right-click on the model browser and select Import... Browse to your .tg file and select open. The model is added to your model browser.

Operating User Interfaces

Create

Right-click on Operating interfaces and select New->Operating UI. Open the Operating User Interface by double clicking it.

Configure

Operating UIs have their own set of widgets. Widget symbols can be seen in the Symbols view and dragged to the diagram. The properties of the widgets can be modified from the properties view (same as equation view).

To connect a variable to a widget, just drag it from the model browser to the widget.

You can use monitors as labels, but to change the text on the monitor, you have to switch to operating mode by clicking .

Use

To use the interface you have created, you have to switch to operating mode by clicking . Activate a simulation, run it and the trends will show the results. You can switch values of parameters with the widgets and simulate again.

Shortcut and control keys

Shortcut keys for configuring a model on diagram.

Shift + A	Hover Auxiliary at the cursor position, populate with left mouse button.
Shift + S	Hover Stock at the cursor position, populate with left mouse button.
Shift + C	Hover Cloud at the cursor position, populate with left mouse button.
Shift + V	Hover Valve at the cursor position, populate with left mouse button.
Shift + I	Hover Input at the cursor position, populate with left mouse button.
Alt + left mouse button	Start an arrow from a variable. End to another variable by clicking left mouse button.
Alt + right mouse button	Start flow from a variable. End by clicking left mouse button. If a flow is not started or ended on to a variable, a cloud will be created to that end. If a new flow does not have a valve at either end, a valve will be created in the middle of the flow.
Delete	Remove selected variables
Ctrl + left mouse button	Select multiple variables
Mouse wheel or + and -	Diagram zoom
drag(mouse3) or drag(shift + any mouse button)	Diagram pan
Ctrl + Z	Undo diagram action
Ctrl + Y	Redo diagram action
Ctrl + C	Copy selected elements
Ctrl + X	Cut selected elements
Ctrl + V	Paste copied or cut elements

System Dynamics Simulation

Simulate model

To simulate a model, you need to activate an experiment. Browse to an experiment in you model browser and double click on the experiment. Experiment controls appear to the main tool bar. Click on the play button to run a simulation.

Analyze results

There are currently three analysis tools in the system dynamics tool.

Trend

Shows you the values of the selected variable(s) graphically over the simulation time. You can modify the trend and zoom it using the context menu (right-click) of the trend.

Values

Shows you the values of the selected variable(s) in a table form. If the value has a star (*) at the end, it means that the value is an approximate. There is no value for that variable for the given time step.

Dependencies

Dependencies is not actually an analysis tool for simulation results. It can show even without simulation which variables affect and which are affected by the selected variable. The direction and number of steps that are traveled from the selected variable can be selected at the bottom of the view.

Compare results

You can compare different results of the same model by saving simulation results and displaying the saved results side by side with other results. You can save your results after simulating by clicking the save button on your experiment controls. The saved results appear to model browser under the active experiment. To show the results on trends and tables, right-click on the result and select Show on charts.

Getting Started with Simantics | Project Management | Discrete Event System Modelling | System Dynamics Modelling | Ontology Development

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Tutorial: System Dynamics Modelling
System dynamics modelling in Simantics is another free domain specific modelling tool that is included into the basic installation. This tutorial introduces the basic features of the system dynamcics modelling tools.