...baseSim FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions of
baseSim development and demonstration models.
General
Model Development
Demonstration Models (General)
General
What is baseSim?
baseSim is a set of Component Objects for the Delphi
Development Environment that allows the user to construct
arbitrarily complex Discrete Event Simulation models.
Why choose baseSim?
There are a plethora of Simulation programs currently
available and it is perfectly reasonable to ask why
choose baseSim. The answer lies in its unsurpassed
price-performance capability. See also Choosing a simulation
tool.
Why does baseSim cost so little compared to conventional
Simulation software?
Low price does not equate to reduced capabilities.
Much development effort in other Simulation products
is expended on providing database connectivity, charting,
file interfaces, user interface development and the
provision of a proprietary Simulation language. baseSim
capitalises on the extensive existing capabilities
of Delphi in these areas, allowing us to focus on the
core simulation functionality reducing the overall
development effort.
What sort of Systems can be modelled using baseSim?
There is a huge range of systems amenable to modelling
with baseSim from domains such as manufacturing, warehousing,
supply chain, communications, commerce, finance etc.
Can I use baseSim to develop and sell my own Simulator?
No.
What is the recommended minimum hardware requirement?
Most modern PCs have resources that are more than
adequate to develop applications using Delphi and baseSim.
A minimum specification would be:
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Processor
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Pentium II 450 MHz (or higher)
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Operating System
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Microsoft Windows '98
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3)
Microsoft Windows 2000 (Required for Delphi
2005)
Microsoft Windows XP (Required for Delphi 2005)
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Memory
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Minimum: 256Mb of RAM
Recommended: 512Mb of RAM (or higher)
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Video
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Minimum: 800x600 at 8 bpp
Recommended: 1024x768 at 16 bpp (or higher)
* 3D Accelerator card supporting OpenGL is
recommended when using the 3DVRML Add-on module
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Hard Drive
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Minimum: 120Mb free space
Recommended: 520Mb free space (or higher)
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What Statistical Distributions are available in baseSim?
Most of the recognised Simulation Statistical Distributions
have been included in our baseSim Simulation Components.
Additionally, it is possible to add User defined Distributions
to the Distribution set:
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Continuous
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Includes: Uniform, Normal, Negative Exponential,
Triangle, Weibull
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Discrete
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Includes: Binomial, Poisson, Integer-Uniform
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User Defined
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Includes: an Object Pascal framework in which
the User can insert their own Distribution
functions
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Does baseSim have database connectivity?
Yes. Delphi 6.0 upwards provides excellent database
connectivity components that can be utilised within
baseSim models - the Professional Module 'add-on' is
required.
Does baseSim have any 3D capability?
Yes, 3D capability is available in version 2.0 upwards
- the 3D VRML Module 'add-on' is required.
Do I need to do any coding to build a model with
baseSim?
It is possible to build realistic models that rely
entirely on the default behaviour of the baseSim components.
However, it is likely that a simulation of a real system
would require a degree of coding to encapsulate the
logic of that system. All coding is done in standard
Object Pascal.
What is Delphi?
Borland (Inprise) Delphi is a powerful 32-bit application
development environment based on the Object Pascal
programming language.
Do I need Delphi to run baseSim Models?
No. baseSim is supplied as a set of components that
are made available to the modeller inside the Delphi
development environment. Applications build using baseSim
components can be compiled to run independently of
Delphi. In this way model executables can be freely
distributed to your customers.
What versions of Delphi are supported?
baseSim requires Delphi version 6.0 (or later). It
works with Professional, Enterprise or Architect versions.
It is also our intention to support the Microsoft
.NET framework.
Please note that baseSim does not work with
the Personal or Trial versions of Delphi.
Model Development
Why are Database 'Currency' fields imported as baseSim
type 'dtDouble'?
It appears that currency fields are not straight forward.
BDE interprets them as float fields - however there
is a switch in BDE to import them as BCD fields. ADO
interprets them as BCD unless you switch BCD off and
then as float fields. Either way baseSim interprets
float fields and BCD fields as dtDouble. See the Delphi
documentation on all this confusion.
The work around is to create the fields to the particular
table yourself at design-time or run-time and to create
a TCurrencyField object instead. baseSim will then
convert this to dtCurrency.
However, you must think about why you are using the
currency data type - it has 4 d.p. precision but only
displays 2 so when summing can often lead to confusing
results e.g. 1.25 + 1.35 = 2.59? Many people don't
like using TCurrencyField (which is infact a Double
type) - they use the TBCDField (which is infact a Currency
type)!
Error: Unit bs2ActionTimeDisplay compiled with different
version of ActnMan.TCustomActionControl.
When I try to run the simulation demos (for example
Aircraft Assembly Line) I get a fatal error: MasterSimFormUnt.pas(19):
Unit bs2ActionTimeDisplay was compiled with a different
version of ActnMan.TCustomActionControl.
This error sometimes appears when using the original
release of Delphi 6. Please ensure that you have the
latest service packs installed. We compiled the 'dcu'
files using Delphi 6 service pack 2. There appears
to have been a small change to the ActnMan unit since
the original release of Delphi.
The Delphi IDE seems to 'freeze' when debugging.
This is a problem we have experienced in Windows XP,
using Delphi 6 or 7 (also affects Microsoft Visual
Basic - accessing the font property of objects from
the IDE).
Trying to step through the logic of the Model (which
is running in a background thread) will cause the Delphi
IDE to freeze for several minutes. The problem relates
to a bug in the 'Ctfmon.exe' process, which handles
the 'Advanced Text Services' in Windows XP.
There is no official fix as of yet (02 Feb 2004),
but the workaround is to switch off 'Advanced Text
Services' via the 'Control Panel'. More information
on the problem and the workaround can be found on the Microsoft
Website - Knowledge Base Article 828929.
'ComCtrls' error when compiling model.
I suspect you are using Windows '95, which has an
older version of the 'ComCtrls' libraries. 'ComCtrls'
can easily be updated by running the '40comupd.exe'
program, which can be located on the Delphi 4 CD -
'\Info\Updates\40comupd.exe'.
Also ensure that the up-to-date Delphi and Operating
System Service Packs have been installed.
How do I move a baseSim Component at run-time?
Most baseSim Components can be moved at run-time.
To move the desired component, simply position the
mouse over the desired Component, hold down the 'Alt'
key and press the left mouse button. The mouse
cursor will then change to a 'grabbing hand' shape.
The Component will then move in accordance with the
mouse.
Release the mouse button when the new position has
been reached.
In baseSim version 2.0, objects may also be moved
using the standard Windows 'drag and drop' mechanism.
How do I open an external Application?
This can be achieved by using the 'ShellExecute' Windows
API function, which is located in the 'ShellAPI.pas'
unit.
Example usage:
Procedure OpenProgram;
var
FileName, FileLocation, Operation: string;
begin
FileName := 'Aircraft Assembly Line.Doc';
FileLocation := GetCurrentDir;
if FileExists(FileLocation + '\' +
FileName) then
begin
Operation := 'Open';
ShellAPI.ShellExecute(Application.Handle,
PChar(Operation), PChar(FileName), nil,
PChar(FileLocation), SW_SHOW);
end;
end;
Demonstration Models (General)
What other software do I need to run an baseSim demo
model?
None. The demo models and most standard applications
developed by iBright can be run as stand-alone applications
without any third party software.
Does baseSim and the demo models have database connectivity?
Yes - the Professional Module 'add-on' is required.
What simulation tools are the demo models based on,
what additional functionality and capabilities does
it have?
The demo models are base on a discrete event simulation
tool called baseSim. This is a comprehensive simulation
tool with the capabilities found within any modern
programming language such as ODBC, ActiveX, COM, and
XML etc.
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