Plant Simulation 04 - source and drain statistics

Source and Drain Configuration
📌 Changing the number of produced parts in the source, initially set to 1000, automatically cuts the inheritance of this attribute from the origin.
⚙️ Inheritance of attributes can be toggled on or off by clicking the designated checkbox in the source dialog.
⏱️ Simulation can be initiated at full speed by clicking "start the full speed simulation".

Statistics and Part Creation Types
📊 The drain statistics tab displays crucial data like average lifespan, total throughput, and utilization.
⚙️ The source statistics show entries (created parts) and exits (parts that left the source).
🔄 The EMU selection in the source attributes tab offers 6 different creation modes, including defining parts via absolute paths referencing objects in the class library (indicated by a `*`).

Parameterizing Source with Table Objects (Percentage Mode)
🔗 When switching EMU selection to percentage, a table object must be created (from the information flow tab) and dragged/dropped into the source dialog to parameterize it.
🛠️ If the table object is dragged onto the graphic of the source, the EMU selection defaults to sequence cyclical; this must then be manually changed to percentage for value entry.
🔢 A correctly formatted table for percentage mode includes columns for the object/part, percentage ratio, batch size, part name, and user-defined attributes.

Customizing Parts and Attribute Assignment
🎨 Customized EMUs (like 'Screw' and 'Nut') are placed in the user objects folder, and their appearance (e.g., color) can be edited by deactivating material active inheritance.
⚖️ If a 50/50 ratio is set with batch sizes of 4 (Screws) and 2 (Nuts), the system produces them consecutively (2 nuts then 4 screws) to maintain the overall 50/50 distribution.
➕ User-defined attributes (e.g., 'cost') are added in the last column of the table; a sub-table opens upon entering a name, allowing specification of the value based on the data type column.

Drain Statistics Insights
🔍 Detailed drain statistics, accessible via the detailed statistics table, show the time the last EMU arrived, total throughput (e.g., 500/500 for a 1000 total production), and part distribution (50/50).
📈 The statistics table also provides metrics on part lifetime, including the mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum lifetime.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Changing the produced parts count in the source decouples that attribute's value from its original source definition.
➡️ Use the percentage mode with a table object to define a mixed production output, where batch sizes influence the immediate sequence to maintain the overall percentage ratio.
➡️ User-defined attributes in the final table column allow for dynamic data assignment to instances, overriding or supplementing class attributes.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 02, 2026, 18:17 UTC