1
Arena 3D
Daniel T,Brunner
Systemflow Simulations,Inc,
March 11,2003
2
Who are we?
Systemflow began as a simulation services company
founded in 1993,and launched a software product
development operation in 2000
The company founder worked for a simulation software
vendor from 1986-1993 and served as product manager for
a new animation software package there
Relationship with Rockwell Software (Systems Modeling)
people goes back to 1986 and extends through many years
of mutual involvement in the U.S,simulation community
When Systemflow’s first material handling 3D animation
prototype became ready in 2001,this became an obvious
matchup
3
What is it?
Arena 3D is a companion program to Arena
Arena 3D is used to create 3D animations of existing
or new Arena models
Arena 3D offers advanced 3D graphics capabilities for
visually appealing animations
4
How is it used?
Animation information is read from a,playback” file
generated by Arena
Layout information may be imported from existing 2D
Arena animations or re-created from scratch
The focus is on easy-to-create animations
5
Basic Architecture
Picture of information flow
Arena
A3D
Layout
Builder
A3D
Engine
2D Layout Info*
(optional one-time import)
Simulation and Playback Info
(re-generated with each run)
CAD
Data*
Layout
Information
Animation!
Shape
Data*
* if needed
Saved
Layout
6
Tech Notes
Arena 3D is written primarily in C# (new language
from Microsoft,pronounced,C-sharp”) which is part
of the,NET platform
The graphics platform is Direct3D 9.0 (also from
Microsoft)
All users must have the,NET Framework Runtime
installed and also DirectX 9.0 (or higher)
Both of these are available as downloads from
Microsoft and will also be distributed with the
software
7
Project Status
The core technology (originally in Java,later ported to
C#) has been under development since mid-2000
Arena 3D (A3D) development started in 2002
A3D is progressing according to plan and can be
learned and demonstrated now athough a few
features remain unimplemented
Software is in the process of becoming stable
Software will be released to testers within weeks
On track for launch in mid-2003
8
Project Status (continued)
The design of the software is complete but we may
ask for feedback on some specific aspects
Constructive feedback on any aspect of the software
is always welcomed
There may be some time (but not much) for some
features to be refined or modified
9
Steps for Installing A3D
Verify Operating System of Win98,Win2000,or WinXP
(warning,not yet tested under Win98)
Verify System Requirements,8 MB of video memory
or more (this is subject to change)
Install system pre-requisites if not already done (.NET
Framework,which may first require OS updating; and
DirectX 9.0)
Install the software
– Current procedure,copy the Arena 3D folder from the CD-ROM to
the hard disk (the installer is not ready yet)
– Also,if applicable,Install license activation (Programs->Rockwell
Software->Utilities->Move Activation)
10
Unit 1,Getting Familiar with A3D
Open A3D (by double clicking the executable in
the Arena 3D folder)
If there are problems opening the program…there
are no diagnostics yet…consider these steps:
– be sure the,NET Framework and Direct3D 9.0 are installed
– check your Display Properties (right-click on desktop,Properties,
Settings,“Color” setting) – so far the software is only tested with
16-bit and 32-bit color depth
– check the amount of video memory you have (right-click on
desktop,Properties->Settings->Advanced->Adapter) and if it is less
than 32 MB try running your display at a lower color depth (16-bit
instead of 32-bit),a lower resolution,or both
The display should look something like…
11
Initial Screen
12
Overview of the Initial Screen
The initial 3D display contains a Grid and a Floor
(Plane)
There are three main,panes” in the window
– Main 3D Viewing/Editing window (top right)
– Tree Selection area (left)
– 2D / Edit Parameters window (bottom)
You can resize the panes by dragging the
“splinters”…
13
Splinter moved to show selection tree
14
More Discussion of Initial Screen
The software starts in,Layout Creation Mode”
A new layout is assumed
The status information at the bottom has the following
information:
– Simulation time
– Ratio of simulation time to,wall clock” time
– Frame Rate*
– Active live non-static objects being rendered*
– Total live non-static objects being tracked*
– * = removal planned prior to release
15
3D Navigation
To zoom in or out,hold down the right mouse button,
Right-Drag up and down to zoom in and out
To move the viewpoint horizontally,Left-Drag left and
right (this is a rotation,not a sideways walk)
To move the viewpoint vertically,Left-Drag up and
down (this is a tilt,not a straight-up move)
To pan to a new center point,Middle-Click,or Shift-
Right-Click,on the new point
– With a wheel mouse,you should be able to click the middle button
by pressing on the wheel
– The wheel itself is not used
16
After some navigation…
17
Running an Animation
To run an existing animation requires both:
– a layout (.a3d) file
– a playback (.pbf) file
PBF files are generated using Arena 7.01 or higher
with playback creation authorization.
PBF files may be text or binary
18
Example 1,Running an Animation
From the File menu chose Open Trace With Layout
In the same folder with the A3D executable are a
layout and trace file for a version of the Flexible
Manufacturing demo model that comes with Arena
From the File Open dialog,navigate if necessary to
this folder and you should see the file name,Flexible
Manufacturing.pbf” meaning there are both an,a3d
and a,pbf file by this name present
Select this file and open (both files will open)
19
Newly opened animation in Layout Mode
20
Example 1 (continued)
When the file is open,you should see a layout along
with a large black rectangular floor area and a grid
Make the rectangular floor and the grid disappear by
unchecking the boxes in the list menu for,plane” and
“grid” respectively
Important,Select Run mode from the Mode menu (the
background will turn from gray to blue)
Navigate to any view at any time
Click the Run icon to begin the animation
21
Run Mode
22
User Interface (UI) note
Button appearance is still being refined
Button layout and icons are being designed where
possible to match or resemble those in Arena (this is
true of many other UI aspects as well)
23
Running an A3D Animation,Exploration
of Run-Mode Options
Navigating using the mouse (no keyboard action is
needed to go anywhere)
Adjusting the lighting using the Lighting menu
Navigating using Named Views
Speed Ratio
Fast Forward (jump)
Rewind to time zero
24
Unit 2
Starting with Existing Arena Animations
Premise,It is important for users to be able to import
animations created in 2D Arena
– Some users might want to convert existing animations to 3D
– Some users might want to start out a new animation using the
familiar 2D Arena layout creation environment
Premise,Eventually users will prefer to start their
animations from scratch in Arena 3D
Important,The line between,what is simulation
information” and,what is animation information”
from 2D Arena remains the same in Arena 3D
25
2D Arena Animation Review/Basics
In,two step” animation mode,
Arena has these basic building
blocks
– Shape Graphics
Lines,Text,Polylines,Polygons
– Paths
Routes,Segment Sets,Distances,Networks
– Locations
Queues,Seize Areas,Storages,Parking
– Shapes
Transporters,Resources (multi-state),Entities,Globals (multi-level)
– Business Graphics
Variable Text,Static Text,Bar Graphs,Plots,Clock
26
The 2D to 3D Connection
You can build an A3D animation from scratch,
or you can import an existing 2D Arena
animation as the basis for the 3D animation.
Imported animation information comes in via
COM (a live link to an open Arena
model…Arena must be running and the
model must be open)
– Geometry of path type constructs,queues,and static shape graphics (lines,
polygons,etc.)
– Placement of resources and status symbols
– Resource and entity shapes will match up with the 3D shape library by
category name if one exists
– Other constructs that are naturally 2D (text,clock,bargraph,etc.) are
placed in the control console (the,2D window” in A3D)
27
Recalling Two Key Overall Objectives
First,It should not be necessary to do a lot of 3D
drawing to get a nice animation
– It should be easy for someone with an existing Arena 2D animation
to convert it to 3D (more on this later)
– It should be easy to populate the animation with static (e.g,doors,
counters) and dynamic (e.g,fork trucks,medical patients) real
world objects from a library
We are building a large library of pre-defined shapes
We have worked to categorize these shapes by type (person,
machine,etc.) and application (manufacturing,health care,etc.)…
– It should be easy to add shapes to the animation if the shapes
already exist elsewhere
– Default shapes should make sense
28
Default 3D Symbols can be selected
using the Category and Application tags
The idea is to get a quick approximation of how the
animation will look on initial import
Categories – known by Arena
– People,Equipment,Vehicles,etc.
Application – specified in Arena 3D (symbols in the
symbol library can be filtered by application)
– Manufacturing,Material Handling,Health Care,Process
Engineering,etc.
29
Two Key Objectives (continued)
Second,It should be possible to produce an
arbitrarily sophisticated animated presentation if the
information already exists elswhere or the user wants
to take the time to create it
– Import of arbitrary CAD layouts
– Import of arbitrary VRML files
– Although every 3D technology has limits,we have a continuous
development emphasis on performance to accommodate
animations of ever-increasing complexity
in terms of visual detail
also in terms of number of objects being animated
30
What you get when you import an Arena
(2D) animation layout
Shape Graphics (lines,boxes,polygons,etc.) that identify
the general characteristics and sometimes internal detail of
the physical system (2D shapes can be extruded to 3D
shapes or,in some cases,rendered as surfaces)
Geometry of all path constructs (routes,segment sets,etc.)
Locations of all resources,queues,seize areas,and
storages
Names (and category names?) of entity shape graphics
(more on this later)
Category names of resource,vehicle,and global shape
graphics
,Business Graphics” primitives such as Text,Variables,
Bar,Plot,and Clock (these appear in the 2D Console)
31
The 2D to 3D Connection (continued)
You can only import once
– The reason is that it is too complicated for the generated and
modified information to be mapped back into the original
– importing a second time would overwrite any changes you have
made to anything with the same name
– If you try importing twice you will get errors
Simulation information is not part of the COM
import process
– This includes Conveyor and Vehicle Speeds (initial values are in the PBF
file)
Other Import Issues
– Coordinate System Translation
– Scaling
– Elimination of,extraneous” items
– Probably you will need to re-layout any 2D console info
32
Example 2,Importing a Layout
Open the Arena application
Open the Banking Customer.doe model
Open A3D
Select,Import 2D Arena Animation Layout”
Wait 1-2 minutes (timed on 700 MHz computer)
(improvements are in the works for this time)
Import Box signals,Done” and the layout appears
Pan,zoom,and rotate if needed to get the bank centered in
the window in the same orientation as Arena
This process is illustrated in the following set of slides…
33
Banking Transactions.doe
34
During importing
35
After importing
36
After importing and panning
37
Another view
38
Limitations of the Import Process,
Importing static Shape Graphics
If the user has drawn a polygon or box in 2D Arena,there is
no sure cue as to its intended height or its depth relative to
other objects
After experimenting with extruding all closed shapes,we
currently fill and extrude the boxes and leave the polygons
just below the floor (this is subject to change)
We will need a mode for adjusting the depth of all imported
shape graphics (not implemented yet)
We may need to leave the boxes as unfilled if they are not
filled in 2D
Please send examples of layouts you would like imported!
39
Limitations of the Import Process,Some
layouts just are not meant to be imported
Consider the,Flexible Manufacturing.doe” example
– Someone spent a lot of time carefully drawing that,2.5 D” layout
– Without extensive additional programming there is no way to
convert that back to plan view in preparation for 3D import
– The version we have demonstrated so far was not imported – it was
drawn separately (more on that later)
Consider the,Truck Assembly.doe” example
– Most of the small boxes that comprise the detail of the system are
part of resource shapes…and resource shapes are not imported
(the thinking is that 3D users will want to attach imported or custom
3D resources)
– The imported layout has the movement path but not much else of
use
40
3D Bank using drawn or refined geometry
41
Unit 3,Editing
Arena 3D has an editing mode that can be used for
modifying the locations and orientations of Resources and
changing the geometry of a path (i.e,a Route or Segment
Set)
To enter this editor,which is part of layout mode,Alt-Click
on a Resource or a path node
In edit mode,the appearance of the 3D and 2D panes
changes
– The 3D pane goes to wireframe view
– The 2D pane is replaced by a display of the attributes of the item being
edited
We will demonstrate this with the Flexible Manufacturing
example
42
Example 3a,Moving and Rotating
Shapes
Open the Flexible Manufacturing layout and trace
from Arena 3D
While in layout mode (gray background),Alt-Left-Click
on one of the big black boxes (these are the default
shapes for resources in this view)
The display changes to wireframe and one item will be
selected (pink)…
43
Move/Rotate Mode
44
Move/Rotate Mode (closer look)
45
Same view with Static turned invisible
46
Edit mode UI
You can change the display back to solid by clicking
on,nothing”
You must change the display back and forth in order
to mouse-navigate (this frees up the mouse for editing
functions while in wireframe editing mode)
47
Moving and rotating the Selected object
Drag on any of the axis arrows to drag the object in
that dimension (the arrow turns red)
Drag the the axis intersection to simultaneously move
in the XZ plane
Click on any of the axis,collars” (disks) to enable
mouse-drag rotation around that axis (the collar turns
red)
Click any other dynamic object to switch to that
object (static objects can’t be selected in this
mode…too confusing)
48
After moving and rotating the shape
49
The Shape Parameters Pane
While in wireframe mode,the lower right pane
changes from 2D console view to the Shape
Parameters view
The numeric properties of the currently selected
shape may be viewed and edited here
Scaling will be supported here and possibly* also
graphically
The,Hide” button is equivalent to exiting Shape
Parameter Edit mode by clicking,nothing”
50
Using the Shape Parameters Pane
51
Example 3b,Configuring Paths in 3
Dimensions
You can drag the individual nodes of a path (route,
segment set,etc.) in edit mode
You can multi-select nodes by Shift-Clicking
(currently Alt-Shift-Click but this will change)
We will select several nodes of one of the paths in the
Flex model…
52
Another view
53
Another view
54
Another view
55
Another view
56
Unit 4,Assigning Shapes
A substantial library of pre-defined shapes is being
created for the first release (remember the objective,
the user should not have to do a lot of drawing)
Ability to import custom VRML shapes for
backgrounds and for adding new library shapes will
be in the first release
There is no internal 3D shape drawing/editing tool in
the first release although some simple scaling
operations may be included (to help with imported
layouts and to make additional use of library icons)
57
Example 4,Shape Assignment,
Configuring Resource Graphics
By double-clicking,or right-clicking and choosing
Assign,on any resource,you can enter Shape
Assignment Mode
Shape Assignment Mode is also available from the
Mode menu (for entities,there is nothing to click on)
58
Shape Assignment Mode
59
Unit 5,CAD Import
A basic requirement for facility animation is the ability
to import CAD files
The widely used DXF file format was chosen
Arena 3D automatically handles the transition from
architectural (XY is flat and Z is up,righthanded) to
“3D world” (XZ is flat and Y is up,lefthanded)
Basic 2D and 3D line art translation is working for the
purpose of providing a background for drawing (this
is how the leading 3D competitor works)
Enhanced features (such as separating layers into
separate static systems) are,under consideration”
60
Coordinate system in Arena 3D
61
Example 5,Importing CAD Files
Obtain the necessary CAD file
– tip for today,explode blocks in the CAD program first,although
block processing is,under consideration”
From Arena 3D,choose the Import CAD File… option
Voila!
Blocks,Colors,and Layers are supported
62
Freshly Imported CAD File
63
Closer View of Imported CAD File
64
Unit 6,Building an Arena 3D Animation
from Scratch
If you are not starting with shape graphics from Arena
(Option 1),you have two other options to create a
“static system”
Option 2 is to,draw” any background needed from
the Arena 3D editing environment,by placing and
manipulating library graphics and simple 3D
primitives (such as boxes and cylinders)
Option 3 is to start with an imported static system that
comes from another source
65
Drawing and editing Static (Background)
Graphics (Option 2)
This is a much bigger requirement than 2D drawing
Arena 3D is not intended to be a full 3D drawing tool
– (although we are getting closer than we expected through the
included shape library/translate/rotate/stretch capabilities…imagine
populating an office with furniture,plants,even walls,etc.,or a
factory with racks,aisleways,etc.)
66
Importing a VRML World (Option 3)
For creating elaborate static 3D pictures in VRML
format,which Arena 3D can import,there are many
good 3D packages that we can recommend
– Most people have heard of the likes of 3D Studio Max,Maya,etc.
– an inexpensive one that you can try for free is Spazz3D
(www.spazz3D.com)
– Spazz3D was used to create the layout for the Flexible
Manufacturing animation (note,this was done in less than one day,
or it could have been made considerably more elaborate)
Please note that the supported import format is VRML
– DXF 3D-objects exist,but we are currently using DXF for line art
only
– most packages can export VRML
67
Unit 7,The Arena 3D
“Dashboard” 2D-Console
Some information is naturally,2D” and belongs in the
Arena 3D,dashboard” or 2D-console
This information is not subject to moving around with the
3D viewpoint
Arena 3D supports:
– Clock (digital or analog)
– Fixed text
– Variable text
– Bar graphs
– Plots
– Bitmaps (for logos etc.) (imported from a file)
Lines and Boxes are,under consideration”
– Some boxes in Arena are meant to organize numbers instead of to show
physical system detail
68
The 2D Console
69
Unit 8,Wrapping Up with Miscellaneous
Topics
Some,cool” features
Review of system requirements and comments on
performance considerations
Known Issues
Timeline
Summary
70
Some,cool” A3D Animation Features
3D text*
– Put signs on buildings,above machines,etc.
Materials*
Textures*
Multi-segmented continuous queues
Attach camera to entity feature*
* =,under consideration” so feedback is needed
71
Review of system requirements for
running A3D
Software
– OS,Windows 98 (untested),2000,XP
– Microsoft,NET Framework (currently 1.0,might change at release)
– DirectX 9.0 (or higher)
– Arena 7.01 (or higher)
Hardware requirements
– Floppy drive (for RS key)
– Processor,700 MHz or greater recommended
– RAM,As recommended for OS plus 64 MB
– Video
Video Memory,8 MB (16 MB recommended)
3D accelerated graphics recommended
72
3D Performance considerations
Keep polygon counts reasonable if possible
– The A3D shape library will have mostly optimized but some
complex shapes
– Performance so far is outstanding on modern (2002 and later)
computers
– Performance is good on 2000 and later computers
– We have done some good performance optimization work
Suggest that users have at least a low-end 3D
accelerator (the type that any new computer has
unless the graphics are integrated)
73
Known Issues
Some core features are still being completed
There are also some peripheral issues that are still
being investigated or worked on including:
– Shading algorithm is under construction (leading to unusual
patterns on some shapes; this is about to change)
– In the short term,Changing the computer’s pixel resolution while
A3DP is open will cause A3DP to fail (a solution to this is
underway)
– In the short term,Software has not yet been tested and made to
work on a wide variety of platforms
– Binary PBF support will be added late in the cycle
74
Timeline
Release to early test,2-4 weeks from now
Release to beta test,depends on results of early test
75
Summary
Arena 3D provides new opportunities for Arena users
around the world to build compelling animations
This product represents a major change in the
competitive dynamic of the simulation software
market
The Arena 3D software is designed to be fast,full-
featured,and accessible to current Arena users
We will look forward to any feedback!
Arena 3D
Daniel T,Brunner
Systemflow Simulations,Inc,
March 11,2003
2
Who are we?
Systemflow began as a simulation services company
founded in 1993,and launched a software product
development operation in 2000
The company founder worked for a simulation software
vendor from 1986-1993 and served as product manager for
a new animation software package there
Relationship with Rockwell Software (Systems Modeling)
people goes back to 1986 and extends through many years
of mutual involvement in the U.S,simulation community
When Systemflow’s first material handling 3D animation
prototype became ready in 2001,this became an obvious
matchup
3
What is it?
Arena 3D is a companion program to Arena
Arena 3D is used to create 3D animations of existing
or new Arena models
Arena 3D offers advanced 3D graphics capabilities for
visually appealing animations
4
How is it used?
Animation information is read from a,playback” file
generated by Arena
Layout information may be imported from existing 2D
Arena animations or re-created from scratch
The focus is on easy-to-create animations
5
Basic Architecture
Picture of information flow
Arena
A3D
Layout
Builder
A3D
Engine
2D Layout Info*
(optional one-time import)
Simulation and Playback Info
(re-generated with each run)
CAD
Data*
Layout
Information
Animation!
Shape
Data*
* if needed
Saved
Layout
6
Tech Notes
Arena 3D is written primarily in C# (new language
from Microsoft,pronounced,C-sharp”) which is part
of the,NET platform
The graphics platform is Direct3D 9.0 (also from
Microsoft)
All users must have the,NET Framework Runtime
installed and also DirectX 9.0 (or higher)
Both of these are available as downloads from
Microsoft and will also be distributed with the
software
7
Project Status
The core technology (originally in Java,later ported to
C#) has been under development since mid-2000
Arena 3D (A3D) development started in 2002
A3D is progressing according to plan and can be
learned and demonstrated now athough a few
features remain unimplemented
Software is in the process of becoming stable
Software will be released to testers within weeks
On track for launch in mid-2003
8
Project Status (continued)
The design of the software is complete but we may
ask for feedback on some specific aspects
Constructive feedback on any aspect of the software
is always welcomed
There may be some time (but not much) for some
features to be refined or modified
9
Steps for Installing A3D
Verify Operating System of Win98,Win2000,or WinXP
(warning,not yet tested under Win98)
Verify System Requirements,8 MB of video memory
or more (this is subject to change)
Install system pre-requisites if not already done (.NET
Framework,which may first require OS updating; and
DirectX 9.0)
Install the software
– Current procedure,copy the Arena 3D folder from the CD-ROM to
the hard disk (the installer is not ready yet)
– Also,if applicable,Install license activation (Programs->Rockwell
Software->Utilities->Move Activation)
10
Unit 1,Getting Familiar with A3D
Open A3D (by double clicking the executable in
the Arena 3D folder)
If there are problems opening the program…there
are no diagnostics yet…consider these steps:
– be sure the,NET Framework and Direct3D 9.0 are installed
– check your Display Properties (right-click on desktop,Properties,
Settings,“Color” setting) – so far the software is only tested with
16-bit and 32-bit color depth
– check the amount of video memory you have (right-click on
desktop,Properties->Settings->Advanced->Adapter) and if it is less
than 32 MB try running your display at a lower color depth (16-bit
instead of 32-bit),a lower resolution,or both
The display should look something like…
11
Initial Screen
12
Overview of the Initial Screen
The initial 3D display contains a Grid and a Floor
(Plane)
There are three main,panes” in the window
– Main 3D Viewing/Editing window (top right)
– Tree Selection area (left)
– 2D / Edit Parameters window (bottom)
You can resize the panes by dragging the
“splinters”…
13
Splinter moved to show selection tree
14
More Discussion of Initial Screen
The software starts in,Layout Creation Mode”
A new layout is assumed
The status information at the bottom has the following
information:
– Simulation time
– Ratio of simulation time to,wall clock” time
– Frame Rate*
– Active live non-static objects being rendered*
– Total live non-static objects being tracked*
– * = removal planned prior to release
15
3D Navigation
To zoom in or out,hold down the right mouse button,
Right-Drag up and down to zoom in and out
To move the viewpoint horizontally,Left-Drag left and
right (this is a rotation,not a sideways walk)
To move the viewpoint vertically,Left-Drag up and
down (this is a tilt,not a straight-up move)
To pan to a new center point,Middle-Click,or Shift-
Right-Click,on the new point
– With a wheel mouse,you should be able to click the middle button
by pressing on the wheel
– The wheel itself is not used
16
After some navigation…
17
Running an Animation
To run an existing animation requires both:
– a layout (.a3d) file
– a playback (.pbf) file
PBF files are generated using Arena 7.01 or higher
with playback creation authorization.
PBF files may be text or binary
18
Example 1,Running an Animation
From the File menu chose Open Trace With Layout
In the same folder with the A3D executable are a
layout and trace file for a version of the Flexible
Manufacturing demo model that comes with Arena
From the File Open dialog,navigate if necessary to
this folder and you should see the file name,Flexible
Manufacturing.pbf” meaning there are both an,a3d
and a,pbf file by this name present
Select this file and open (both files will open)
19
Newly opened animation in Layout Mode
20
Example 1 (continued)
When the file is open,you should see a layout along
with a large black rectangular floor area and a grid
Make the rectangular floor and the grid disappear by
unchecking the boxes in the list menu for,plane” and
“grid” respectively
Important,Select Run mode from the Mode menu (the
background will turn from gray to blue)
Navigate to any view at any time
Click the Run icon to begin the animation
21
Run Mode
22
User Interface (UI) note
Button appearance is still being refined
Button layout and icons are being designed where
possible to match or resemble those in Arena (this is
true of many other UI aspects as well)
23
Running an A3D Animation,Exploration
of Run-Mode Options
Navigating using the mouse (no keyboard action is
needed to go anywhere)
Adjusting the lighting using the Lighting menu
Navigating using Named Views
Speed Ratio
Fast Forward (jump)
Rewind to time zero
24
Unit 2
Starting with Existing Arena Animations
Premise,It is important for users to be able to import
animations created in 2D Arena
– Some users might want to convert existing animations to 3D
– Some users might want to start out a new animation using the
familiar 2D Arena layout creation environment
Premise,Eventually users will prefer to start their
animations from scratch in Arena 3D
Important,The line between,what is simulation
information” and,what is animation information”
from 2D Arena remains the same in Arena 3D
25
2D Arena Animation Review/Basics
In,two step” animation mode,
Arena has these basic building
blocks
– Shape Graphics
Lines,Text,Polylines,Polygons
– Paths
Routes,Segment Sets,Distances,Networks
– Locations
Queues,Seize Areas,Storages,Parking
– Shapes
Transporters,Resources (multi-state),Entities,Globals (multi-level)
– Business Graphics
Variable Text,Static Text,Bar Graphs,Plots,Clock
26
The 2D to 3D Connection
You can build an A3D animation from scratch,
or you can import an existing 2D Arena
animation as the basis for the 3D animation.
Imported animation information comes in via
COM (a live link to an open Arena
model…Arena must be running and the
model must be open)
– Geometry of path type constructs,queues,and static shape graphics (lines,
polygons,etc.)
– Placement of resources and status symbols
– Resource and entity shapes will match up with the 3D shape library by
category name if one exists
– Other constructs that are naturally 2D (text,clock,bargraph,etc.) are
placed in the control console (the,2D window” in A3D)
27
Recalling Two Key Overall Objectives
First,It should not be necessary to do a lot of 3D
drawing to get a nice animation
– It should be easy for someone with an existing Arena 2D animation
to convert it to 3D (more on this later)
– It should be easy to populate the animation with static (e.g,doors,
counters) and dynamic (e.g,fork trucks,medical patients) real
world objects from a library
We are building a large library of pre-defined shapes
We have worked to categorize these shapes by type (person,
machine,etc.) and application (manufacturing,health care,etc.)…
– It should be easy to add shapes to the animation if the shapes
already exist elsewhere
– Default shapes should make sense
28
Default 3D Symbols can be selected
using the Category and Application tags
The idea is to get a quick approximation of how the
animation will look on initial import
Categories – known by Arena
– People,Equipment,Vehicles,etc.
Application – specified in Arena 3D (symbols in the
symbol library can be filtered by application)
– Manufacturing,Material Handling,Health Care,Process
Engineering,etc.
29
Two Key Objectives (continued)
Second,It should be possible to produce an
arbitrarily sophisticated animated presentation if the
information already exists elswhere or the user wants
to take the time to create it
– Import of arbitrary CAD layouts
– Import of arbitrary VRML files
– Although every 3D technology has limits,we have a continuous
development emphasis on performance to accommodate
animations of ever-increasing complexity
in terms of visual detail
also in terms of number of objects being animated
30
What you get when you import an Arena
(2D) animation layout
Shape Graphics (lines,boxes,polygons,etc.) that identify
the general characteristics and sometimes internal detail of
the physical system (2D shapes can be extruded to 3D
shapes or,in some cases,rendered as surfaces)
Geometry of all path constructs (routes,segment sets,etc.)
Locations of all resources,queues,seize areas,and
storages
Names (and category names?) of entity shape graphics
Category names of resource,vehicle,and global shape
graphics
,Business Graphics” primitives such as Text,Variables,
Bar,Plot,and Clock (these appear in the 2D Console)
31
The 2D to 3D Connection (continued)
You can only import once
– The reason is that it is too complicated for the generated and
modified information to be mapped back into the original
– importing a second time would overwrite any changes you have
made to anything with the same name
– If you try importing twice you will get errors
Simulation information is not part of the COM
import process
– This includes Conveyor and Vehicle Speeds (initial values are in the PBF
file)
Other Import Issues
– Coordinate System Translation
– Scaling
– Elimination of,extraneous” items
– Probably you will need to re-layout any 2D console info
32
Example 2,Importing a Layout
Open the Arena application
Open the Banking Customer.doe model
Open A3D
Select,Import 2D Arena Animation Layout”
Wait 1-2 minutes (timed on 700 MHz computer)
(improvements are in the works for this time)
Import Box signals,Done” and the layout appears
Pan,zoom,and rotate if needed to get the bank centered in
the window in the same orientation as Arena
This process is illustrated in the following set of slides…
33
Banking Transactions.doe
34
During importing
35
After importing
36
After importing and panning
37
Another view
38
Limitations of the Import Process,
Importing static Shape Graphics
If the user has drawn a polygon or box in 2D Arena,there is
no sure cue as to its intended height or its depth relative to
other objects
After experimenting with extruding all closed shapes,we
currently fill and extrude the boxes and leave the polygons
just below the floor (this is subject to change)
We will need a mode for adjusting the depth of all imported
shape graphics (not implemented yet)
We may need to leave the boxes as unfilled if they are not
filled in 2D
Please send examples of layouts you would like imported!
39
Limitations of the Import Process,Some
layouts just are not meant to be imported
Consider the,Flexible Manufacturing.doe” example
– Someone spent a lot of time carefully drawing that,2.5 D” layout
– Without extensive additional programming there is no way to
convert that back to plan view in preparation for 3D import
– The version we have demonstrated so far was not imported – it was
drawn separately (more on that later)
Consider the,Truck Assembly.doe” example
– Most of the small boxes that comprise the detail of the system are
part of resource shapes…and resource shapes are not imported
(the thinking is that 3D users will want to attach imported or custom
3D resources)
– The imported layout has the movement path but not much else of
use
40
3D Bank using drawn or refined geometry
41
Unit 3,Editing
Arena 3D has an editing mode that can be used for
modifying the locations and orientations of Resources and
changing the geometry of a path (i.e,a Route or Segment
Set)
To enter this editor,which is part of layout mode,Alt-Click
on a Resource or a path node
In edit mode,the appearance of the 3D and 2D panes
changes
– The 3D pane goes to wireframe view
– The 2D pane is replaced by a display of the attributes of the item being
edited
We will demonstrate this with the Flexible Manufacturing
example
42
Example 3a,Moving and Rotating
Shapes
Open the Flexible Manufacturing layout and trace
from Arena 3D
While in layout mode (gray background),Alt-Left-Click
on one of the big black boxes (these are the default
shapes for resources in this view)
The display changes to wireframe and one item will be
selected (pink)…
43
Move/Rotate Mode
44
Move/Rotate Mode (closer look)
45
Same view with Static turned invisible
46
Edit mode UI
You can change the display back to solid by clicking
on,nothing”
You must change the display back and forth in order
to mouse-navigate (this frees up the mouse for editing
functions while in wireframe editing mode)
47
Moving and rotating the Selected object
Drag on any of the axis arrows to drag the object in
that dimension (the arrow turns red)
Drag the the axis intersection to simultaneously move
in the XZ plane
Click on any of the axis,collars” (disks) to enable
mouse-drag rotation around that axis (the collar turns
red)
Click any other dynamic object to switch to that
object (static objects can’t be selected in this
mode…too confusing)
48
After moving and rotating the shape
49
The Shape Parameters Pane
While in wireframe mode,the lower right pane
changes from 2D console view to the Shape
Parameters view
The numeric properties of the currently selected
shape may be viewed and edited here
Scaling will be supported here and possibly* also
graphically
The,Hide” button is equivalent to exiting Shape
Parameter Edit mode by clicking,nothing”
50
Using the Shape Parameters Pane
51
Example 3b,Configuring Paths in 3
Dimensions
You can drag the individual nodes of a path (route,
segment set,etc.) in edit mode
You can multi-select nodes by Shift-Clicking
(currently Alt-Shift-Click but this will change)
We will select several nodes of one of the paths in the
Flex model…
52
Another view
53
Another view
54
Another view
55
Another view
56
Unit 4,Assigning Shapes
A substantial library of pre-defined shapes is being
created for the first release (remember the objective,
the user should not have to do a lot of drawing)
Ability to import custom VRML shapes for
backgrounds and for adding new library shapes will
be in the first release
There is no internal 3D shape drawing/editing tool in
the first release although some simple scaling
operations may be included (to help with imported
layouts and to make additional use of library icons)
57
Example 4,Shape Assignment,
Configuring Resource Graphics
By double-clicking,or right-clicking and choosing
Assign,on any resource,you can enter Shape
Assignment Mode
Shape Assignment Mode is also available from the
Mode menu (for entities,there is nothing to click on)
58
Shape Assignment Mode
59
Unit 5,CAD Import
A basic requirement for facility animation is the ability
to import CAD files
The widely used DXF file format was chosen
Arena 3D automatically handles the transition from
architectural (XY is flat and Z is up,righthanded) to
“3D world” (XZ is flat and Y is up,lefthanded)
Basic 2D and 3D line art translation is working for the
purpose of providing a background for drawing (this
is how the leading 3D competitor works)
Enhanced features (such as separating layers into
separate static systems) are,under consideration”
60
Coordinate system in Arena 3D
61
Example 5,Importing CAD Files
Obtain the necessary CAD file
– tip for today,explode blocks in the CAD program first,although
block processing is,under consideration”
From Arena 3D,choose the Import CAD File… option
Voila!
Blocks,Colors,and Layers are supported
62
Freshly Imported CAD File
63
Closer View of Imported CAD File
64
Unit 6,Building an Arena 3D Animation
from Scratch
If you are not starting with shape graphics from Arena
(Option 1),you have two other options to create a
“static system”
Option 2 is to,draw” any background needed from
the Arena 3D editing environment,by placing and
manipulating library graphics and simple 3D
primitives (such as boxes and cylinders)
Option 3 is to start with an imported static system that
comes from another source
65
Drawing and editing Static (Background)
Graphics (Option 2)
This is a much bigger requirement than 2D drawing
Arena 3D is not intended to be a full 3D drawing tool
– (although we are getting closer than we expected through the
included shape library/translate/rotate/stretch capabilities…imagine
populating an office with furniture,plants,even walls,etc.,or a
factory with racks,aisleways,etc.)
66
Importing a VRML World (Option 3)
For creating elaborate static 3D pictures in VRML
format,which Arena 3D can import,there are many
good 3D packages that we can recommend
– Most people have heard of the likes of 3D Studio Max,Maya,etc.
– an inexpensive one that you can try for free is Spazz3D
(www.spazz3D.com)
– Spazz3D was used to create the layout for the Flexible
Manufacturing animation (note,this was done in less than one day,
or it could have been made considerably more elaborate)
Please note that the supported import format is VRML
– DXF 3D-objects exist,but we are currently using DXF for line art
only
– most packages can export VRML
67
Unit 7,The Arena 3D
“Dashboard” 2D-Console
Some information is naturally,2D” and belongs in the
Arena 3D,dashboard” or 2D-console
This information is not subject to moving around with the
3D viewpoint
Arena 3D supports:
– Clock (digital or analog)
– Fixed text
– Variable text
– Bar graphs
– Plots
– Bitmaps (for logos etc.) (imported from a file)
Lines and Boxes are,under consideration”
– Some boxes in Arena are meant to organize numbers instead of to show
physical system detail
68
The 2D Console
69
Unit 8,Wrapping Up with Miscellaneous
Topics
Some,cool” features
Review of system requirements and comments on
performance considerations
Known Issues
Timeline
Summary
70
Some,cool” A3D Animation Features
3D text*
– Put signs on buildings,above machines,etc.
Materials*
Textures*
Multi-segmented continuous queues
Attach camera to entity feature*
* =,under consideration” so feedback is needed
71
Review of system requirements for
running A3D
Software
– OS,Windows 98 (untested),2000,XP
– Microsoft,NET Framework (currently 1.0,might change at release)
– DirectX 9.0 (or higher)
– Arena 7.01 (or higher)
Hardware requirements
– Floppy drive (for RS key)
– Processor,700 MHz or greater recommended
– RAM,As recommended for OS plus 64 MB
– Video
Video Memory,8 MB (16 MB recommended)
3D accelerated graphics recommended
72
3D Performance considerations
Keep polygon counts reasonable if possible
– The A3D shape library will have mostly optimized but some
complex shapes
– Performance so far is outstanding on modern (2002 and later)
computers
– Performance is good on 2000 and later computers
– We have done some good performance optimization work
Suggest that users have at least a low-end 3D
accelerator (the type that any new computer has
unless the graphics are integrated)
73
Known Issues
Some core features are still being completed
There are also some peripheral issues that are still
being investigated or worked on including:
– Shading algorithm is under construction (leading to unusual
patterns on some shapes; this is about to change)
– In the short term,Changing the computer’s pixel resolution while
A3DP is open will cause A3DP to fail (a solution to this is
underway)
– In the short term,Software has not yet been tested and made to
work on a wide variety of platforms
– Binary PBF support will be added late in the cycle
74
Timeline
Release to early test,2-4 weeks from now
Release to beta test,depends on results of early test
75
Summary
Arena 3D provides new opportunities for Arena users
around the world to build compelling animations
This product represents a major change in the
competitive dynamic of the simulation software
market
The Arena 3D software is designed to be fast,full-
featured,and accessible to current Arena users
We will look forward to any feedback!
