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In today’s complex product development and manufacturing environment, designers and engineers use various software tools to design and simulate their products. Often, chained simulation process flows are required in which the parameters and results of one system are needed as inputs to another system. The manual process of entering the required data can reduce efficiency, slow product development, and introduce errors in modelling and simulation assumptions. Additionally, the decreasing time-to-market phases and the increasing complexity of advanced systems make it difficult for engineers to properly test the performance of systems, implement changes, and optimize the system architecture.

MBSE in SIMULIA and Magic Model Analyst enables a system model to be simulated and integrated with multidisciplinary engineering tools, providing a high level of fidelity to MBSE/digital engineering.


The process of simulation using a Simulation Template from SIMULIA.

To execute a model using a Simulation Template and get the results in a modeling tool follow these steps:

  1. Create the Simulation Process in SIMULIA Process Composer and share it as a Simulation Template on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

  2. Drag the Simulation Template from SIMULIA to the modeling tool and expose its inputs and outputs.

  3. Connect a SysML model with SIMULIA Process Composer and launch the simulation in the modeling tool.


Creating and sharing a Simulation Template

When you create the Simulation Process in SIMULIA Process Composer and save it as a template to be used in a modeling tool, make sure that the following criteria are met:

  • The simulation Process must expose at least one input and/or output parameter.
  • Defined parameters must be scalar: Real, Integer, String, Boolean. Array parameters are supported.
  • The Simulation Template must be shared on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The created workflows must have associated affinities which tell where the simulation job is executed. If specified station is not available (for example if private station is not started), then simulation process can hang without any result. For more information, please refer to SIMULIA documentation.

Dragging a Simulation Template to a modeling tool

You can use a Simulation Template in a modeling tool by dragging it to one of the following diagrams:

  • An Activity Diagram - in this case, an Activity with a hyperlink to the Simulation Template in SIMULIA is created. In addition, a Call Behavior Action with exposed input and/or output pins is created and displayed in the Activity Diagram.
  • A Parametric Diagram - in this case, a Constraint Block with a hyperlink to the Simulation Template in SIMULIA is created. In addition, a Constraint with exposed input and/or output Constraint Parameters is created and displayed in the Parametric Diagram.


To drag a Simulation Template to a diagram in a modeling tool

  1. In the main menu of a modeling tool, select 3DEXPERIENCE > Login and log into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
  2. Use an internet browser to open the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and find the Simulation Template from SIMULIA that you want to use.
  3. Drag the Simulation Template from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the web to an Activity or Parametric Diagram in your modeling tool.


Dragging a Simulation Template from SIMULIA to an Activity or Parametric Diagram.

Connecting a model with SIMULIA Process Composer and launching the simulation

After dragging a Simulation Template to an Activity or Parametric Diagram, connect the SysML model with the SIMULIA Process Composer. This means you need to define what SysML parameters should be provided to the Simulation Template as inputs and what parameters should be retrieved as outputs back to the SysML model. Once you connect the parameters, you can launch the simulation in a modeling tool.

SIMULIA Process Composer Project Options

You can modify the SIMULIA Process Composer project options from the Project Options dialog under Simulation section. To learn more about Project Options dialog, refer to Project Options.

  • Use New SIMULIA Web Service: The new SIMULIA Web Service has to be enabled to support platforms hosted on cloud and other advanced features.
  • Execution License: Specifies which license type is used for job execution. If the selected execution license is not available on the server, the next available license is used.


To connect input and output parameters and run the simulation using a Simulation Template

  1. Connect the exposed parameters of a Simulation Template:
    • If you work with an Activity Diagram, connect the Pins of the created Call Behavior Action to the required input and/or output parameters.
    • If you work with a Parametric Diagram, connect the Constraint Parameters of the created Constraint with the required input and/or output parameters.
  2. Run the simulation using a Simulation Configuration.


The sample diagrams illustrate how to connect the input and output parameters of a Simulation Template.

Storing simulation results

If the Results Location property of a Simulation Configuration is specified:
  • The simulation results are stored in an Instance Specification.
  • A hyperlink to the simulation process stored on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is added to the Instance Specification with the simulation results.
  • If the Instance Specification with the simulation results already has a hyperlink(s), it is removed and a new hyperlink to the simulation process is added and marked as active.
  • Hyperlinks to the simulation process are stored on the root Instance Specification with the simulation results.