Configuring and running
In Simulate, the Scenario tab turns the layout into a fleet with work to do. The journey is always the same: check the steps, press Run, read Results, compare runs.
The Scenario panel
The scenario is organised in four steps. Each step header shows a status dot and a summary of its values, so you can check the whole setup without opening anything:
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ready | The step is complete. |
| Needs review | It works, but something deserves attention (for example not every AGV could be placed). |
| Incomplete | The simulation cannot run until this step is fixed. |
| Optional (hollow dot) | The step is switched off, for example the battery model. |
One step is open at a time. Until you choose one, the first step that needs attention opens automatically, and problems are shown inside the step they belong to.
Any change to the scenario resets the simulation to time zero and clears the results, after saving the results produced so far in the Run archive. Speed, duration, heatmap and view changes never do.
Pickup and drop-off
Tick the stations that generate orders under Pickup stations and Drop-off stations; both lists have a search box. Only stations with the corresponding role and not blocked are listed. The summary shows how many usable pairs result, for example 2 → 3 · 6 pairs.
- A pair is usable when an allowed route goes from the pickup to the drop-off. A return route is not required.
- A pickup and a drop-off on the same station are excluded.
- Excluded combinations are counted, and pickups or drop-offs with no compatible partner are listed.
- When the selection has no valid pair, a Use connected pair button proposes one that works.
When Plant logic is enabled, this step shows From Plant logic: pickups, drop-offs and frequencies are then defined in the blocks.
Fleet
| Field | Default | Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGV count | 3 | 1–50 | Vehicles in the fleet. |
| Minimum distance | 1000 mm | 100–10 000 | Minimum distance between AGV centres; also the circular footprint used by traffic control. Include the vehicle size and the safety margin you want. |
| Straight speed | 80 cm/s | 1–1000 | Default speed on straight paths. |
| Curve speed | 40 cm/s | 1–1000 | Default speed on curves. |
| Acceleration | 40 cm/s² | 1–1000 | How quickly vehicles speed up. |
| Braking | 60 cm/s² | 1–1000 | Braking deceleration. |
The step also lists the Starting stations and offers Reset all layout speeds to defaults. Its summary, such as 2/3 AGV · 80 cm/s, shows how many vehicles could actually be placed.
Placement rules. AGVs start only on unblocked Charger or Parking location stations, one per station, and only where they are at least the minimum distance apart. No other node is used as a fallback. If fewer vehicles can be placed than requested, a message tells how many stations are usable and how many were skipped: mark more stations as Charger/Parking in Draw, spread them out, or reduce the fleet.
Orders and timing
| Field | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Interval | 60 s | A new order every N seconds (1–86 400), rotating through the usable pairs. Hidden when Plant logic generates the orders. |
| Pickup | 12 s | Loading time at the pickup station (0–3600). |
| Drop-off | 12 s | Unloading time at the drop-off station (0–3600). |
| Mission priority | Oldest | Which queued order is served first. |
| AGV selection | Nearest | Which vehicle takes it. |
Dispatch and allocation rules
Assigning work is a two-stage decision. First the mission priority chooses the order:
- Oldest reachable mission: first come, first served, among orders some free AGV can reach.
- Pickup nearest to a free AGV: the order whose pickup is closest, by route distance, to a free vehicle. Ties go to the oldest, then the lowest ID.
Then the AGV selection chooses the vehicle, from its current position:
- Nearest to pickup: the shortest approach distance.
- Fastest delivery: the shortest estimated time for approach, loading, transport and unloading.
- Least busy time: the vehicle that has worked least so far, to balance the fleet.
Ties go to the vehicle idle the longest, then the lowest ID. Orders that no vehicle can take stay queued with a reason and never block the others. Estimated durations include accelerations, service times and reversals, but not future traffic waits. An assignment does not require the whole route to be free: the vehicle stops in front of obstacles along the way.
Battery
The battery model is off by default. Tick Simulate charging and discharging to enable it.
| Field | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Battery type | Lithium | Lithium or lead-acid: different illustrative charge and discharge curves. |
| Initial charge (%) | 100 | State of charge at time zero. |
| Charge below (%) | 30 | Below this level the AGV goes to charge after its current transport. |
| Resume work at (%) | 80 | The AGV takes orders again from this level. Must be higher than the charge threshold. |
| Unloaded driving autonomy (h) | 8 | Hours of driving without load from 100 % to 0 %. |
| 0–100% charging time (h) | 2 / 8 | Full charge time; the preset is 2 h for lithium and 8 h for lead-acid. |
Consumption is relative to unloaded driving: 1 when empty, 1.2 when loaded, 0.6 during loading and unloading, 0.1 while waiting or stopped away from a charger. Below the threshold an AGV finishes the transport it has, then drives to the nearest free, reachable Charger (a Parking location does not charge) and takes no orders until it reaches the resume level. If no work arrives it keeps charging up to 100 %. At 0 % it stops where it is, still occupying its space.
The charge level is shown under each AGV, in the Movements tables and in the results. Pause also pauses charging and discharging; Reset restores the initial charge.
The curves slow down near full charge and differ by chemistry, but they are not calibrated on real batteries or chargers. Use them to compare alternatives, not to size a real battery.
Running a simulation
Run: the one-click path
At the bottom of the Scenario panel, choose the Run duration (1, 4, 8 or 24 h, default 8 h) and press Run. The simulation restarts from zero, runs at maximum speed, opens Results with a progress bar, and stops exactly at the chosen time. When it ends, a notice summarises the run, the run is added to Run comparison and saved in the Run archive. Starting a new run while another has results saves those in the archive first.
Run controls in the canvas toolbar
For interactive work, the toolbar above the canvas controls the same simulation:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Start / Pause | Starts or pauses the clock. |
| +1 s | Advances one simulated second while paused. |
| Reset | Restarts from zero and clears the results; the results produced so far are saved in the Run archive first. |
| Clock | Simulated time, hh:mm:ss. |
| Speed | 1×, 5×, 10×, 25×, 50×, 100× or Max, which runs the model as fast as the computer allows. |
| Duration | ∞ (no limit), 1, 4, 8 or 24 h. The simulation stops by itself at that time, so runs remain comparable. |
| Heatmap | Colours the layout by occupancy, passes, entry waits or waiting hotspots. See Heatmaps. |
When the duration is reached, Start is disabled: press Reset or choose a longer duration. Switching to Draw pauses the simulation.
Runs in the background
The simulation keeps running when the tab is not visible or the window is covered: a background worker advances the model without redrawing the map. The tab title shows the progress, ▶ hh:mm:ss while running and ✓ hh:mm:ss when finished. Simulated time never jumps: after the computer sleeps, the run continues where it was. Browser energy savers can still freeze a tab that stays hidden for a long time; for very long runs, exclude the studio's address from them.
Reading the canvas
Vehicles
| Colour / sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Light blue | Idle. |
| Green | Travelling on a mission or returning to a charger/parking. |
| Blue | Loading or unloading. |
| Outer arrow | Direction of movement. |
| ‖ | Waiting for traffic (the vehicle keeps its activity colour). |
| Load drawn on the shape | Industrial shapes carry a load from pickup to the end of unloading. |
Vehicles keep a body front separate from the direction of travel: when the new direction turns more than 90° from the front, the vehicle drives in reverse rather than turning around. On curves the heading changes progressively.
Stations
Stations keep their role symbol and change colour with activity: the pickup of an assigned mission is green until loading is complete, the drop-off magenta until unloading is complete, and both ends of queued orders are orange with a dashed outline. Assigned activity takes precedence over queued orders; two colours mean simultaneous pickup and drop-off.
Movements dock
Active lists missions and returns in progress: AGV, activity, from → to, phase or assignment, waiting reason and time, including current speed and, with batteries, charge level. Pending lists queued orders and why they are waiting, for example Compatible AGVs busy or No AGV can reach the pickup. Long lists are paged with Previous / Next.
Idle vehicles and returns
After unloading, an AGV takes the next available order first. Otherwise it returns to the nearest free, reachable charger or parking by route distance, not necessarily the one it started from. The station is reserved at departure, so two vehicles never head for the same place. Returns appear in the Movements table but never count as transport missions.
Orders take priority even during a return: an AGV heading to a charger can accept a waiting mission, cancel its return and drive to the pickup from where it is. The reserved station is released only once the new plan is accepted. Transports already assigned are never interrupted.
Vehicle appearance
The Vehicles tab changes how each AGV is drawn, without affecting the simulation:
- Shape: Forklift AGV, Rectangular AGV, Pin point or Navigation arrow, chosen per AGV number.
- H · length and W · width in mm (default 1600 × 900, range 10–50 000): the shape follows the drawing scale when you zoom.
Appearance is saved in the project and never restarts the simulation. Traffic control always uses the circular footprint set by Minimum distance, whatever the drawn size.