FlexTerm 2.7.0 Release

Hi All,

Moffatt & Nichol is glad to release FlexTerm 2.7.0.

FlexTerm, as the successor of FlexSim CT, is specialized for simulating ports and container terminal operations.

The FlexTerm 2.7.0 installer can be downloaded here for x64 version (https://moffattnichol.sharefile.com/d-s14b1e2f67b042459)
and for x86 version (https://moffattnichol.sharefile.com/d-s629044d07874379a). If you have active FlexTerm license, the installers can be downloaded from your account as well.

If you have feature requests, bug reports, or other feedback on the software, please email to [email protected],or post at FlexSim CT User Forum here. Thanks our customers who provide feedbacks and bug reports during the beta release. Your feedback is warmly appreciated. For an introduction of the software, please visit FlexTerm website at www.flexterm.com.

Below is a list of FlexTerm 2.7.0 features since FlexTerm 2.7.0 Beta.

Various bug fixing including:
1. Fixed a few statistics calculation issues for berth, yard resource, and quay cranes when using warmup time.
2. Fixed a bug that causes resource group unable to dispatch idle gantry crane to a specific bay using the API command resourcegroupop().
3. Fixed a bug that causes berth planner to generate incorrect number of weekly records if a ship arrives at time 0.
4. Fixed a bug in truck gang’s default pooling dispatch algorithm that causes trucks to load incorrect number of containers during twin load operation.


Below is a list of FlexTerm 2.7.0 Beta features since FlexTerm 2.5.0.

1. Upgrade engine to FlexSim 7.7.4
2. Improvements for RMG sequence APIs
a. Added a new macro RMG_SEQ_STAT_SET_SEQ_BLOCK for command rssequencestat() to set the block in RMG sequence.
b. Added a new macro RMG_INSTR_STAT_BLOCK for command rsinstructionstat() to query the block in an instruction.
c. Added a new macro RMG_INSTR_STAT_LAND_TIME for command rsinstructionstat() to query the land time in an instruction.
d. Added a new parameter in command rspickupinblock() to be able to set the post delay time for an in-block pickup instruction.
e. Added a new parameter in command rsdropoffinblock() to be able to set the block where the container is dropped to in an in-block drop off instruction.
f. Added a new parameter in command rsmove() to be set the block in a move instruction.
g. Fixed issues of using rspickupinblock() and rsdropoffinblock() to move container between different blocks.
h. Fixed a bug when copy instructions.
i. Fixed a bug that may randomly crash the program in the twin RMGs collision avoidance logic.
3. New features for modeling twin RMGs configuration
a. Added a default twin RMGs collision avoidance logic.
b. Added API commands: twinrmgsaddblockinfo(), twinrmgsclearmovementstrategydata(), twinrmgsinitcollisionavoidanceparameters(), twinrmgsmovementstrategy(), and twinrmgsresetmovementstrategydata().
4. Improvements for transfer area
a. Added capability for one transfer area slot to hold one 40’ container, one 20’ container, or two 20’ container for twin lifts.
b. Fixed a bug that causes wrong location for a strad to drop off containers in a transfer area when it performs twin-20’ discharge operation.
c. Fixed a bug that causes a deadlock when reserve transfer area slots.
d. Improved drawing performance for tranfer area slots.
5. Improvements for straddle carrier
a. Added the capacity to allow user to modify strad’s spreader lift height.
b. Added a spreader lift threshold to allow user to control the timing of strad moving before the spreader is fully lifted.
c. Added the spreader drop percent parameter to split strad’s load/unload time to be two parts: spreader hoisting down time and spreader fine positioning time.
d. Added the spreader lift speed parameter to control spreader lifting speed.
e. Added a spreader switch delay to model the scenario when one strad drops off two 20’ containers to different blocks or picks up two 20’ containers from different blocks when it performs twin lifts.
f. Fixed a bug that causes a gantry crane to grab a container from a strad when the container is still under the strad’s spreader.
g. Fixed a bug that causes a strad to put a container onto transfer area without hoisting down its spreader.
h. Fixed a strad kinematics calculation issue that may cause strad acceleration change during model running.
i. Fixed issues that causes a strad to move without lifting its spreader after it finishes a load or unload task when perform dual transactions.
j. Fixed issues that cause strads to not align with TA slot properly when a container is picked up from or dropped off to a TA slot.
k. Fixed a bug in strad’s kinematics calculation that causes a non-repeatable issue.
6. Improvements for strad gang
a. Changed the parameter “Maximum Buffer at Quay” to define the number of transfer slots instead of the number of containers.
b. Added a feature in strad gang to switch if it is working with transfer area or not.
c. Improved the default dispatching logic to allow strads that are performing twin-lifts to be dispatched to the same or different blocks for discharge or load operations.
d. Fixed a bug that causes deadlock issue at the ground transfer zone under a quay crane when the crane is performing dual cycling.
e. Fixed an issue that causes strad gang stop working when performing twin lifts.
7. New features for ground transfer slots under quay cranes
a. Added ground transfer points for quay cranes and dual trolley cranes when they are working with strad.
b. Transfer point can be added and removed.
c. Transfer point location can be set relative to the crane/’s coordinate space.
8. API commands
a. Added a new API command removecontaineridfromlistinorder().
b. Added a new ctcommand with name "newblock" for creating yard block, wheel block or rail block.
c. Modified ctcommand with name "newquaycrane" so that it can be used to create both quay crane and dual trolley crane.
9. GUI updates
a. Updated GUI for strad gang.
b. Removed tab “Trolley and Hoist” for quay cranes and dual trolley cranes. Add a tab “Miscellaneous” that contains new ground transfer point editor for quay cranes and dual trolley cranes.
c. Added GUI for straddle carrier.
10. Miscellaneous Bug fixings
a. Fixed an issue of wrong locations and rotations of twin 20’ containers when the containers are under spreader, on the ground or transfer slot.
b. Fixed a bug in setting a quay crane’s waiting state.
c. Fixed a bug causing the land time to be 0 when a gantry crane does real digging based on speed.
d. Fixed a bug in restoring a container in yard blocks when using real digging.
e. Fixed a bug in a container’s custom attribute that makes proper container placement rule failed to match.
f. Fixed a repeatability issue when using dual trolley cranes.
g. Fixed an issue causing wrong initial rotations of gang truck bombcarts.
h. Fixed an issue causing a gantry crane’s spreader to move to wrong location in transfer area slot when strads perform twin 20’ load operation.
i. Fixed a model non-repeatable issue caused by quay crane gantry moves.
11. Others
a. Improved drawing performance for yard block info icons.
b. Added update scripts to allow upgrade existing FlexTerm 2 models to FlexTerm 2.7.