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In this FlexSim Basics video, we're going to give you a tour of FlexSim and show you
where to find the most essential tools and features.
When FlexSim starts up, you'll see a blue start page. From here you can start a new
model or open an existing one, view the manual, edit preferences, and access licensing, and
you can quickly find information on your version of FlexSim, installed licenses and modules,
and recently opened models. If you're connected to the Internet, you'll also see active content
that will connect you to the latest FlexSim videos, tutorials, and other helpful resources.
Open an existing model or create a new one to dive into FlexSim.
If you're creating a new model, you must first set the Model Units you will be working with.
You can use the defaults if the measurement units aren't important for this particular
model, but in most cases it is important to use the best units for your scenario. Be aware
that the time, length, and fluid measurement units cannot be changed after you exit this
window, so it's a good idea to determine these before creating your model. Model Start Time
can be easily changed later on. The default FlexSim view is made up of three
panes plus the menus and tools above. To the left is the Library, which houses the resources,
task executers, and other tools that we'll use to create a model. In the center is the
Model View, which is a view into the 3D world of our simulation model. To start building,
simply drag resources from the library and into the Model View. This view can be easily
manipulated; left-click and drag to pan the view, right-click and drag to rotate the view,
and use the mouse's scroll wheel to zoom in and out. Alternatively, you can click and
hold both mouse buttons and drag to zoom. The right pane shows some quick global properties
for our model, but if you click to highlight any resource you've dragged into the model,
this pane will show properties for that object. The left and right panes are actually both
context sensitive, meaning their content will change depending on the situation to make
the model building experience simpler. Just above the panes sits the toolbar with
its two rows of buttons. The reset, run, stop, and step buttons control the execution of
a simulation model, with the Run Time dialog controlling how long the simulation runs and
the Run Speed controlling how quickly it runs. The toolbar also provides easy access to opening,
saving, or creating a new model, connecting objects, opening additional model views, the
script console, and other utilities. This toolbar can even be customized with quick
access to the most useful utilities for your situation. The menubar is arranged by category
and gives access to nearly all of the tools and features FlexSim has to offer.
To access FlexSim's user manual, click on "Help" in the menubar and then "Users Manual."
The manual provides thorough documentation of the features and tools in FlexSim, with
plenty of images and even videos to quickly explain concepts. If you need information
on a button, menu, dialog box, window, or anything else, the quickest answer will most
likely come from this manual. Thank you for watching. Be sure to see the
rest of the FlexSim Basics series. These short videos will teach you the basics to building
a successful simulation model.