Opiniones de SIMUL8

We see Simul8 is a collaborator in teaching and research

Comentarios: My experience with Simul8 has been excellent. I was introduced to the software by my PhD supervisor. My PhD was in distributed computing and a research project focussed on distributed simulation. Simul8 provided me with multiple licenses for the Researcher edition of their software and technical support. This helped me better understand the technical aspects of the software, which was necessary for the intended purpose of distributed execution of models. My students have also continued to receive such exceptional support. Several of our received papers have used Simul8!

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 is a versatile discrete-event simulation (DES) software. It has a programming language called Visual Logic (VL). For learning and teaching and the implementation of a wide range of DES projects, the Simul8 visual interface, which supports drag and drop, is sufficient to develop fairly complex models. With VL you can do a lot more! As an educator, I continue using the software to introduce simulation to new cohorts of MSc students in Operations Management and Business Analytics. The students love it! On the research side, the MRes and PhD students I supervised have used Simul8 to develop proof-of-concept models for their Modelling and Simulation research and also full-fledged models to support decision-making. The customer support that we have received over the years is exemplary! This goes to the extent that the Simul8 representatives you meet at conferences are happy to go through the model and provide advice.

Contras:

From the education and teaching perspective, Simul8 is a perfect solution and students will love it! On the research side, if you were to develop integration with other models and modelling paradigms, it would require assistance from Simul8 technical support. With open-source software, integrating libraries and code offers many opportunities, especially for those who know coding. However, with Simul8, some additional integration work to achieve similar objectives may be needed. The software continues to evolve and this may be possible in the near future.

Powerful tool

Comentarios: A powerful tool for process simulation. While the user interface may appear outdated compared to state-of-the-art options, this doesn’t reflect its robust capabilities. Initial training is essential, and at least 120 hours of practice are necessary to become reasonably proficient in performing reliable simulations of medium complexity

Puntos a favor:

The functionality and capacity to replicate "real life scenarios" .

Contras:

The number of hours required to become proficient with the tool is reasonable. Given the variety of options and scenarios available, the trade-off between output and effort is more than acceptable

Simul8 Review

Puntos a favor:

It has some good features such as importing/exporting data via Excel easily. It provides ready to use simulation results. Visual logic is perfectly helpful for interact the simulation as user wants.

Contras:

The software always hangs while we're using/creating simulations. In addition, due to huge amount of data is imported to the software, it slogs on to process the data. The graphs display poor visualisations.

Simulating materialographic processes

Comentarios: Beyond expectations. It is easy to learn the basics and create simple simulations, yet the software has so much depth, there's virtually nothing that can not be built and simulated.
The coaching sessions and all the support offered by Simul8 also helps to fully utilize the possibilities of the software.

Puntos a favor:

Its versatility. We are working in a niche field with a lot of variables, yet we can still utilize Simul8 to its full extent to test real life scenarios.

Contras:

The reporting could be further developed. Not that it is bad as it is, but as it is fully customizable, it takes time to build it. Building blocks or templates would help a lot.

Simul8 to sell

Comentarios: I have worked hard to learn and understand it. Constantly changing what i use and how i use it.

Puntos a favor:

Being able to prove to a customer that our conveyor system would work and to show any issues and changes that we would need to make.

Contras:

Moving images and uploading your own small images for the activity icons would be good.

Simul8 - Initial outlook

Comentarios: Very positive. The system is easy to use and the models I have created already (although on the simpler side) have allowed me to identify how to tackle complex problems.

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 is quite an intuitive software where models of processes can be readily made and adequately detailed without prolonged training. The user interface means that the system can quickly be understood and interpreted to complete tasks of increased difficulties.

Contras:

I was using the 2004 version which had little support in creating neat simulation models in the workspace, this often meant I had to spend time to create a clear simulation by dragging boxes and lines. I also found the labelling system not as effective as the codified attribute system in Witness, making it harder to change objects moving through the simulation.

Simul8 Review

Comentarios: - active weekly usage for the last 6 years
- the team has done a great job improving the tool recently
- keep adding more and better capabilities
- drop-in sessions are great. keep them going!
- increase the price of the product but don't raise by a lot since it is hard to convince management to keep allocating budget

Puntos a favor:

- ease of use - used to be cheaper than most alternatives (which makes it easier to convince the management to allocate budget for it) - ability to use both coding (Visual Logic) and drag-drop

Contras:

- charts and visualizations - sometimes unexplained bugs happen. rebuilding the model helps - recently raised prices. it is totally ok to raise the prices especially since the product got better recently. but be careful to not raise prices to the level of FlexSim and AnyLogic. In that price category, users might prefer FlexSim/AnyLogic over Simul8

A user friendly

Comentarios: I can’t praise the simul8 team enough, very knowledgeable, patient and flexible. Everyone has been very supportive and they are still supportive through my project. The team has ideas and is always looking to improve and find solutions. My project was with the university and in a hospital and the simul8 have been very flexible about availability.

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 made the very complex IVF lab structure easy to picture and see and understand. This is key to showcase how difficult planning is and what are the main bottlenecks. The visuals are important and the quality of the inputs is very high.

Contras:

To be able to utilise simul8, I needed help so I still can’t use it by myself. I have been handheld all the way through. I suppose if someone has the time and the ability to learn they can do it I work in healthcare and have a full time job.

nine out of ten

Comentarios: The course was super helpful to better understand the basic building blocks and all of their options.

Puntos a favor:

simple to build quick simulations but has capability for more complex simulations

Contras:

Some options are quite hidden and are hard to find.

An Ode to Simul8

Comentarios: Completely happy. Blown away by the capabilities. Looking forward to further my project with the team.

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 is the first simulation application I've used in my career and just wow! I'm completely blown out of the water. While still being in the early stages of production, this program has already solved multiple headaches.

Contras:

My one and only gripe, I wish simul8 would auto update itself.

Appreciate the tool and support, still working on implementation

Comentarios: Excellent. The support I've been receiving is fantastic.

Puntos a favor:

The ability to simulate my complex work process and test the impact of various assumptions.

Contras:

Still finding it difficult to set up processes myself at the level of complexity that I would like. I am an operations manager with a background in process improvement and business analysis, but not able to devote as much time or coding skill to master this as quickly as I would have liked.

SIMUL8 Review

Comentarios: I use this for specific scenarios which come around every once in a while. Although I am not a heavy user I do not have many complaints about the software while I am using it. For engineers this is a useful tool to make informed decisions about their process.

Puntos a favor:

This software allows me to simulate process flow to guarantee production rates. The ability to program the software is key to complex scenarios.

Contras:

I find that there is a learning curve to being proficient at using this software. It could benefit from a cleaner looking UI.

Simul8: engaging, intuitive and interactive simulation modelling

Comentarios: Simul8 allows for simulation models to be developed quickly and efficiently, due to the fact the interface and features are easy to use. My experience using Simul8 live in workshop settings in particular has been valuable - due to the ability to develop the simulations in an interactive and engaging manner. Further, the 1-to-1 coaching that Simul8 provide is brilliant - the coaches are very flexible, engaging and friendly, and really go the extra mile to support your development .

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 delivered the most value through the ability to build complex models with an intuitive and easy to use interface. This ensured that different simulation scenarios could be run quickly and with confidence live in a workshop setting. Various parameters of the simulation can be rapidly flexed, such as resource numbers, shift patterns, process timings, etc. In turn, this allows for simulation modelling to be engaging and interactive, as well as effective in terms of delivering an accurate model with informative and pertinent results.

Contras:

As someone with no prior knowledge or experience in coding, I initially found it a challenge to get to grips with the Visual Logic code. However, after a few hours getting to grips with it, the language is actually quite intuitive, and more similar to excel commands in the way that it is used. Also, there is a sidebar that allows you to search for every command and provides a definition for what the respective command/Visual logic code does.

HND Manufacturing Engineering class

Comentarios: Extremely satisfying, I believe more organisations should be using Simul8. Students taught loved it, enjoyed the classes and spoke of trying to introduce current and future employers to Simul8

Puntos a favor:

Extremely user friendly. Students spent time using it and barely needed to refer to my guidance and notes. They picked it up in their own way very quickly and competently.

Contras:

Students did not use the graphics options much which could've enhanced the aesthetics of their models. This does not necessarily mean they graphics options need improved but perhaps they were not attracted to use them as they didn't look appealing (they're used to photo type gaming graphics)

Simul8: a handy multipurpose simulation platform

Comentarios: From an educational view (as this was my experience with Simul8 up to now), and after discussing with our students who used the software for some case studies, our impression and experience was really great. Surely, the supporting material and the high level lecture given from Simul8's representative, played an important role for all of us to know better the world of simulation and learn the wide possibilities and usage in real problems.

Puntos a favor:

Simul8 is a highly useful product that can adapt to a variety of users and applications. Namely, from undergraduate students that have their first contact with simulation concept and techniques, up to engineers, consultants and staff from any industry that want to design and study real applications. It is a very easy to learn and use simulation environment with many features and customization options while it provides special features and programming environment for expert users.

Contras:

It could be an improvement in the graphical representation of models meaning an integrated library of ready-to-use objects.

Fast and Flexible

Puntos a favor:

It's very easy to get started and build your first simulation model. The range of features and customization options make it a great way to model both simple and complex processes. The interface and different graphical elements lets me show stakeholders the most important information from the model in a concise and attractive way. I also have the option to use the software as a desktop application or in the browser which is extremely flexible. The Support team are also absolutely fantastic and really help answer any questions that I may have - they are such a great asset!

Contras:

There's nothing that springs to mind that could be improved, the software is regularly updated and new features are always being added which is great!

Introducing Process Simulation to a Tech Company

Comentarios: My exposure to modern process simulation tools began only 4 months ago. I am on a long learning curve mixing my day job with simulation skill development. The support folks at Simul8 have been wonderful helping me understand how their modelling program works, providing solution approaches and code snippets. Further, they have a comprehensive library of on-line documentation. The trick to using their online documentation is knowing which search terms to use. I had no coding or scripting experience before working with Simul8, so it is taking me extra time to learn the simulation and VL coding vocabularies. While the standard interface is very functional – almost simplistic – Simul8 has a rich set to pre-defined object-attribute terms and code snippets. It takes a while to understand where to find what you need. Again, the support team at Simul8 has been wonderful helping me through this period. While I still have a long way to go to moderate proficiency, I know enough now to help jump start other engineers on modelling projects. This, of course, helps them, reinforcing my learnings, and exposes me to a variety of simulation use-cases.

Puntos a favor:

Ready and very capable support, via email and chat. Support is responsive and helpful. They even have a chat button on their "Help" pages. If they are unavailable, you can submit support request and get response in a day if issue is not too complex. Extensive documentation and examples, both in the application and on-line. Simple UI for setting up realistic process flow models and for verifying pieces of the model perform as expected. Excellent value for the money

Contras:

VL Code Dictionary a bit terse, could use links to example uses of the code object and its attributes (object.attribute) Hard to find a complete dictionary of keyboard shortcuts I'm using the desktop version. I have not found a way to manage version control except to save the file often with new names each time. In my early model-development phase, I would break my models frequently, then couldn't remember all the changes I made before it broke.

DES in Healthcare

Comentarios: Used to aid decision making, particularly with regards to value effectiveness, in healthcare.

Puntos a favor:

Great value and support. Good flexibility. Interacts with Excel and R.

Contras:

Visual logic a bit different from other modern coding languages, but like anything else, you get used to it.

Simul8 Review

Puntos a favor:

Initially, the product wasn't easy to use, as the variety of features made it hard to remember what each feature could do. However, as I gained in familiarity, the software become really easy to use and navigate around. The varied features allowed discrete event simulation modelling to be done with ease, and include significant levels of detail. The ability to record/ store results in simul8, at a very granular level, and then export them to Excel made the analysis of the model thorough and comprehensive.

Contras:

Lack of available examples of Visual Logic coding online made it hard for me to do my work. I had to use simul8 support, which were very helpful. However, if more information was available online, I think this would benefit the wider community, and release strain on simul8 support.

Factory Simulation

Comentarios: We provide operational optimisation consulting and contracting to mainly engineering and operational department, developing and design new manufacturing facilities. Simul8 allows us to validating, optimising and communicating design plans.

Puntos a favor:

The software has a fairly linear learning curve so you can make simple models early and can progressively develop your skills to make more and more complex models. They also have great customer service with real technical expertise so you are never stuck on a problem for long.

Contras:

The skin and icon packs could do with a makeover and the animation functions overhauled.

Simulation for Pre-op Clinic Redesign

Comentarios: Overall it was great and will definitely be using when designing or redesigning hospital space in the future. I'll be moving to a new hospital and leading a team in the new year and will definitely be keeping this software in mind for use there!

Puntos a favor:

My colleague drafted up various designs for remodeling our Pre-op clinic and was able to walk us through the pros and cons in a number of variables like patient wait time, count of patients waiting, anticipated overtime for clinic staff etc. It was great to be able to have this software to simulation redesigns like this. My past simulation experience is with Arena which was clunky in comparison and not as user friendly when setting up simulation designs as seen with my colleagues setup.

Contras:

The reporting functionality was good but it looked like my colleague would have to manually add items to show up on the report as opposed to just providing all the information. This is really if I have to pick one con, it wasn't a big inconvenience.

For the Student version - from U of T

Comentarios: Overall very good .... especially for simulation which hasd a rap of beeing complicated and hard to understand.. I can get a class of 30 people from a zero knowledge base, to build, test and run a basic simulation in under 40 minutes. that is fast Student experience is almost always very favourable ... some even find it slightly addictive!

Puntos a favor:

Simplicity - visual nature and very Visio like in design and appearance makes it a natural fit with process analysis which for us starts with a Viso Flowchart

Contras:

Use of Inter-arival time at work entry point.. I always find this trips up most people at first .. couldn't we just put another factor such as arrival rate . Secondly adding or deleting lines in results manager is a pain.. I am starting to export to excel more and more

Feedback of Simulation Modelling Experience using SImul8

Puntos a favor:

I started using Simul8 as part of the dissertation project for my course to develop a demand and capacity model for a hospital in the UK. The software was user-friendly as we could quickly build a simulation model from the conceptual model. We could easily review the model, identify the patient flow, and understand the bottlenecks and constraints in the process. The validation process was faster by using the Visual representation in Simul8 as we could show the simulation run and see how the queue was increasing with the inflow of patients.

Contras:

Using the Visual Logic part seems to be daunting at first as there was limited information online regarding the same. But the customer support team was kind enough to help us through the visual logic part

Useful and Brilliant simulation product.

Comentarios: Outstanding simulation software particularly for simulating discrete models quickly and easily. It is not wrong to say this is proved to be the superb simulation package.

Puntos a favor:

SIMUL8 Professional software is the fantastic software frequently used by a wide range of people. Easy to use and analyses results. Best software for creating simulation immediately based on the fascinating features like precision, flexibility and fluent speed. This software can be easily installed, downloaded and operated by anyone.

Contras:

One of the cons of this software is that it lacks screen graphics and Annotations. Another limitation is that sometimes while using this software, operator travel link becomes corrupt creating difficulty for the users.

Good for teaching simulation.

Puntos a favor:

I use Simul8 as part of teaching students about Discrete Event Simulation. Simul8 is easy to use, shows all of the basics of simulation modelling, and can model a wide range of scenarios. My students seemed to enjoy using it and generally found it easy to use and the support on the website adequate to expand their skills and build relatively complex models. The support team were also very helpful to me when developing my course.

Contras:

The educational version doesn't have all of the functionality of some of the other simulation products. One of the downsides of Simul8 doing most of the analysis for you is that if you want students to do things themselves, then you sometimes need a bit of extra work, which is not always easy within fairly short workshops. A very minor point is that the MORE plots produced do not have confidence intervals on the quantile estimates.