AutoMod product suite: AutoMod tutorial

ABSTRACT

Whether designing a new system or modifying an existing one, engineers want to take the guesswork out of finding the best possible solution. While there are many analysis methods for designing industrial systems, simulation remains the method that gives the highest level of confidence a system will work. A well-written simulation model can be a valuable tool in the design, analysis, and operation of manufacturing and other complex systems.The AutoMod™ Product Suite from AutoSimulations has been used on 1000s of projects to help engineers and managers make the best decisions possible. AutoMod combines the ease of use of a simulator-type tool with the power and flexibility of a simulation language. As shown in Figure 1, 3-D graphics have been an integral part of the AutoMod product since its inception in 1984.The main focus of the AutoMod simulation product is on manufacturing and material handling systems. AutoMod is flexible enough, though, to use in other non-manufacturing applications, for example, fast food restaurants, rental car lots, airport ticket counters, and container loading in ports.With the release of AutoMod version 10.0 in 2000, graphics in AutoMod are even more realistic than before. AutoMod's new VR Graphics allows modelers to create visually accurate 3D scenes in their models, making them more convincing. VR Graphics in AutoMod allows VRML format files to be imported for entities in the model.The AutoMod Product Suite includes:• AutoMod --- discrete and continuous simulation• Simulator --- manufacturing-oriented interface for fast and easy modeling• AutoStat --- statistical analysis including optimization technology• AutoView --- dynamic walk-though of animation with AVI support• Model Communications Module (MCM) --- to link models to other programsThis tutorial gives an overview of the AutoMod Product Suite, explaining the technical details of the products and how they interrelate to each other.

REFERENCES

• 1: AutoSimulations, Inc. 1999. AutoMod User's Manual
• 2: AutoSimulations, Inc. 1999. AutoMod Beginning Class Notes.
• 3: Royce Bowden , John D. Hall, Simulation optimization research and development, Proceedings of the 30th conference on Winter simulation, p.1693-1698, December 13-16, 1998, Washington, D.C., United States