ATTENTION

This FlexSim Community Forum is read-only. Please post any new questions, ideas, or discussions to our new community (we call it Answers) at https://answers.flexsim.com/. Our new Question & Answer site brings a modern, mobile-friendly interface and more focus on getting answers quickly. There are a few differences between how our new Q&A community works vs. a classic, threaded-conversation-style forum like the one below, so be sure to read our Answers Best Practices.


flexsim.com

Go Back   FlexSim Community Forum > FlexSim Software > Competitive Comparisons
Downloads

Competitive Comparisons An open discussion of Flexsim's strengths and weaknesses compared to competitive products

  #1  
Old 02-18-2011
Jens Mühlheimer Jens Mühlheimer is offline
Flexsim User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 140
Downloads: 8
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 40
Thanked 35 Times in 27 Posts
Rep Power: 174
Jens Mühlheimer will become famous soon enoughJens Mühlheimer will become famous soon enough
Default Flexsim vs. Enterprise Dynamics

Hello everybody,

at the moment I'm working on a decision matrix with several Pros and Cons of various simulation software packages. The result should be an advice on how the company, I'm doing an internship at the moment, should decide regarding 3D simulation software.

In the end I came down to 3 competitors in this area of simulation software: Enterprise Dynamics, SIMIO and Flexsim itself. I already got many facts from the other Flexsim vs. SIMIO thread, but I have no experience at all with Enterprise Dynamics.

I know a little about the background from Flexsim regarding ED. E.g. that Flexsim was a former distributer of ED in the US, but they started with an independent devolopement and the head devoloper came vom ED to Flexsim, ... so you could say that all weak points in ED have been improved and the strenghts have been implemented in Flexsims' concept.

Could you provide me with a few facts to have a few Pros / Cons?
So far I just found out that ED has a direct PLC interface, whereas Flexsim need a 3rd party module for this.

Thank you very very much in advance.
Jens
  #2  
Old 02-18-2011
Steven Hamoen's Avatar
Steven Hamoen Steven Hamoen is offline
Talumis, Flexsim Distributor, The Netherlands
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Soest, NL
Posts: 854
Downloads: 43
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 391
Thanked 661 Times in 379 Posts
Rep Power: 684
Steven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Hello Jens,

I was there when ED was developed, there might be even some stuff in there that I created. So I know my way around ED quite a bit. I don't know a lot of pro's but I do have quite some cons But to be honest it is old info, so it might be that a lot has improved or changed.

1. There is not something like a tasksequence concept so letting operators walk is difficult anyway. So having a operator/transporter go to a location to scan or do something is easy in Flexsim (one extra task) and very difficult in ED. The operators are part of the flow in ED which makes it complex.
2. So preempting and priority is also not easy
3. Pulling is not present or very limited
4. Results are scattered all over the place, Flexsim has them nicely per object and the same for every object
5. Userinterface are not consistent over the objects so you have to learn every object while in Flexsim everything looks the same
6. Flexsim has 6 degrees of freedom, ED has (had?) 4
7. Flexsim has Kinematics for very accurate movements etc
8. Flexsim has multiple tables per object
9. Flexsim has Multidimensional tables
10. Underlying language in Flexsim is C++ and is has an integrated connection with the MS Visual Studio IDE
11. In Flexsim you can copy a set of parameters or sets of parameters
12. The object set in Flexsim is wel thought out. ED has a ton of objects and you have to find which one you want to use (show the conveyor in Flexsim and see what you have to do in ED ;-)

I was not my intention to trash ED but I can't think of pro's. Maybe this PLC interface but Flexsim has C++ and TCP/IP so it should be quite easy to link to a plc and I know that a number of clients have already done that without too much problems.
If somebody could mention some pro's or update the above list please do so.

Steven

(Actually this looks like the target list for ED developers for next year so I shouldn't write it here )
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Steven Hamoen For This Useful Post:
shafizad (03-14-2012)
  #3  
Old 02-18-2011
Jens Mühlheimer Jens Mühlheimer is offline
Flexsim User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 140
Downloads: 8
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 40
Thanked 35 Times in 27 Posts
Rep Power: 174
Jens Mühlheimer will become famous soon enoughJens Mühlheimer will become famous soon enough
Default

Thanks for the input I also got such a list by Ralf Gruber who helped me a lot with great information

I ran into the same problem that it's not too easy to find Pro's of competing software over FlexSim, but I think I should find at least 2-3 positive points for my presentation
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Jens Mühlheimer For This Useful Post:
Steven Hamoen (02-18-2011)
  #4  
Old 02-18-2011
zhang xin zhang xin is offline
Flexsim User
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: China
Posts: 136
Downloads: 147
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 81
Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Rep Power: 150
zhang xin is on a distinguished road
Default

Hi, steven, where can i find Multidimensional tables info?
  #5  
Old 02-20-2011
Steven Hamoen's Avatar
Steven Hamoen Steven Hamoen is offline
Talumis, Flexsim Distributor, The Netherlands
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Soest, NL
Posts: 854
Downloads: 43
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 391
Thanked 661 Times in 379 Posts
Rep Power: 684
Steven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond reputeSteven Hamoen has a reputation beyond repute
Default

A table is simply a tree of nodes. If you go into the tree you can add nodes to every cell and create multidimensional tables that way.

This can be done with global tables but also when you have created a label and turned it into a table, either via the GUI or with using code
The Following User Says Thank You to Steven Hamoen For This Useful Post:
zhang xin (02-20-2011)
  #6  
Old 02-20-2011
Jason Lightfoot Jason Lightfoot is offline
Flexsim Consultant
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Somerset, UK
Posts: 719
Downloads: 20
Uploads: 0
Thanks: 123
Thanked 953 Times in 446 Posts
Rep Power: 773
Jason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond reputeJason Lightfoot has a reputation beyond repute
Default

You can create tables at different layers using the settablesize command like this:

Code:
treenode mycell=gettablecell(< mytable >,3,5);
settablesize(mycell,4,4,DATATYPE_STRING);
where you replace < mytable > with the name of a global table or a pointer to a table. To mix datatypes you can use multiple settablesize statements to build the table up. Note that if you're just adding rows using settablesize, the cell types are taken from the existing rows. Another way is to create a row template somewhere and paste copies of the row under the cell node. This is good for the first row in a dynamic list, while subsequent rows can be created with settablesize.

Last edited by Jason Lightfoot; 02-20-2011 at 09:31 AM.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Jason Lightfoot For This Useful Post:
zhang xin (02-21-2011)



All times are GMT -6.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2020, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1993-2018 FlexSim Software Products, Inc.