imit_model / AnyLogic / UsersManual(AnyLogic)

Chapter 1. Creating AnyLogic model

►To snap a shape to the grid

1.Select the shape.

2.Click the Snap to Grid toolbar button, or

Choose Draw|Grid|Snap to Grid from the main menu.

By default, when you resize, drag, or move a shape, other shapes logically related to it also move. For example, connectors move with ports, encapsulated objects move with this object, simple states reflect changes of the composite state, etc. Sometimes this is undesirable, so you always can switch smart dragging off.

►To switch smart dragging off during the operation

1.Hold Shift while finishing the operation.

►To edit the name of a shape

1.Double-click the name of the shape, or

Right-click the shape and choose Edit Name from the popup menu, or Press F2.

2.Type the name of the shape.

3.Press Enter or click the empty area of the diagram to store the modified name, or Press Esc to cancel editing.

The name of a shape can also be edited in the Properties window.

►To rotate a shape

1.Click the Rotate toolbar button, or Choose Draw|Rotate from the main menu.

2.Use rotation handles to rotate a structure element.

►To get compact information on shape properties

1.Point mouse cursor at the shape and wait for tooltip to appear.

Chapter 1. Creating AnyLogic model

2.Alternatively, in the Project window, right-click the active object class, which will contain the icon, and choose New Icon… from the popup menu.

The New Icon dialog box is displayed.

Specify the name of the new icon and click OK.

3.The icon editor window is displayed.

Each active object class may have only one associated icon.

► To open the existing icon of an active object class

1.Right-click the Icon item of the active object class in the Project window and choose Open Icon from the popup menu.

The icon editor window is displayed.

Icon editor shares a set of generic editing operations described in section 1.5.2, “Diagram editors. Generic operations”.

The blue cross is the origin point (0, 0) of the icon diagram.

An icon is a drawing composed of various shapes: circles, rectangles, lines, etc., and also indicators. You can construct your icon from any animation shapes and animation indicators. See section 12.2.2, “Animation shapes” and section 12.2.3, “Indicators” for the detailed description of these shapes. The icon size is set automatically to fit all the shapes.

Each shape has a number of properties defining its visual appearance: position, height, width, color, and so on. The generic properties of the shapes are described in section 12.2.1.2, “Generic properties of animation shapes”.

1.5.3.2 Icon animation concepts

Each shape has a number of properties defining its visual appearance: position, height, width, color, and so on. These properties are typically organized as shown in Figure 9:

Chapter 1. Creating AnyLogic model

Model Icon

X: -60 | 10 * x Y: -35 | y + 43.8

Name: x

Type: double

Name: y

Type: double

Additional class code: int alpha;

Rotation: 338 | alpha

Figure 10. Associating graphical properties with model data

Thus, by linking shape properties to active object data, you can animate active objects on the animated structure diagram at the model runtime.

1.5.3.3 Active object image

Active object icon is the new feature of AnyLogic V. In the previous versions of AnyLogic, you could only associate a static image loaded from file, with an active object class.

In fact, active object image feature is left for compatibility with the previous versions only. It is recommended that you create an icon for an active object class and add an image shape to this icon instead of using active object image. Note that the image of an active object class is suppressed with the icon of this active object, if the latter is defined.

Active object image is defined on the Image page of the active object’s Properties window (see Figure 11).

Chapter 1. Creating AnyLogic model

►To remove the specified active object image

1.Click the active object class in the Project window.

2.Click the Reset button on the Image page of the Properties window.

1.5.4Encapsulated objects

Active objects may encapsulate other active objects to any desired depth. Encapsulated objects are instances of other active object classes, encapsulated by each instance of this active object class. Encapsulating a class is the step to create the model hierarchy.

►To add an encapsulated object to an active object class

1.Drag the active object class from the Project window onto the structure diagram of the parent active object class.

All encapsulated objects should be placed inside this object shape if the latter is present.

Encapsulated objects are displayed as filled rectangles (see Figure 12). In case AnyLogic cannot find the referred class, the encapsulated object is displayed red.

Figure 12. Encapsulated objects

Encapsulated objects have the following properties.

Properties

Name – name of the encapsulated object.

Chapter 1. Creating AnyLogic model

1.5.5Root object

An AnyLogic model is a tree of active objects encapsulating each other (see Figure 13). Thus a model is decomposed into several levels of detail, since each active object typically represents a logical section of the model. The root of that tree is called the root object. The root object represents the highest abstraction level of your model. When you specify the class of the root object, you tell AnyLogic where to start the model creation.

Figure 13. Tree of active objects

AnyLogic supports easy model modification since you can change the root object of a model. You can create several experiments with different root objects in the same project. Thus you can simply adjust your model structure by changing current experiments.

►To set a root object for an experiment

1.Click the experiment in the Project window.

2.In the Properties window, select the root object of the experiment from the Root object drop-down list.

For example, you model an automobile. You define the Automobile class and set this class to be the root object class since it represents the highest abstraction level of your model. This class encapsulates objects representing parts of the automobile: wheels, engines, carburetors, etc. They, in turn, may encapsulate objects representing their parts, and so on. However, you may need to focus on the automobile engine. Therefore you can simply set