Simulation Basics with Cameo Simulation Toolkit / Magic Model Analyst

www.STC.Arcfield.com
ChatGPT Video Summary:
In the "Simulation Basics with Cameo Simulation Toolkit / Magic Model Analyst" KZbin video, Brian Moberly from Strategic Technology Consulting provides an introduction to simulating models using Cameo Systems Modeler and the Cameo Simulation Toolkit. He covers the necessity of having the toolkit installed and licensed, setting up options for successful simulations, and the importance of simulation context. Brian also explains how to run simulations within a system block context, adding time events, dealing with parts of a system, and the significance of classifier behavior. Additionally, he discusses using accept event actions and opaque actions to capture data, managing levels of abstraction, and designing communication between parts of a system using proxy ports and connectors. Simulations bring models to life, allowing for the exploration of various SysML diagram types, including state machines and interaction behaviors.
00:00:00: Brian introduces the basics of simulations using Cameo Systems Modeler and the Cameo Simulation Toolkit, emphasizing its necessity for those new to simulation. He explains the importance of having the Cameo Simulation Toolkit installed and licensed and advises setting up certain options, such as initializing empty values to zero and checking the model before execution, to ensure successful simulations. He explains the concept of simulation context and its importance in providing access to value properties for the simulation to use.
00:05:00: Brian explains how to run simulations within a system block context. To do this, the system block must have a type and an instantiated value property. He also discusses the importance of object ids and how to instantiate reference properties. Brian introduces the concept of opaque actions and their usefulness in simulations for executing software scripts and accessing value properties. He demonstrates how to output engine rpm values to a signal for further use in the system.
00:10:00: Brian explains how to run a simulation using the Cameo Simulation Toolkit. Some value properties may not be instantiated because they have not been run with context. He demonstrates how to add a time event to the control flow and make it relative, allowing the simulation to wait for a certain amount of time before continuing. He discusses the concept of dealing with parts of a system, using an engine and a computer as examples. Brian explains that each part of the system is defined by a specific block, and running the simulation from that block will only instantiate and make visible that part. To instantiate and view all parts of the system, the simulation must be run from the system block itself. He mentions the importance of the classifier behavior, which is the main behavior associated with a system block.
00:15:00: Brian explains the concept of classifier behavior and its significance in the simulation process. Classifier behavior starts automatically when an activity or part property is instantiated. By default, the first behavior of an activity is set as the classifier behavior. Brian demonstrates how to change the classifier behavior to another behavior and move behaviors between parts in the containment tree. The simulation will start up the classifier behaviors of all part properties below the highest level context when run from that context. He introduces the concept of capturing data using an accept event action and setting the default property of the accept event action to "is un-marshal true" to parse out any properties of the signal.
00:20:00: Brian explains how to use an "accept event action" and "opaque action" in the simulation toolkit to capture data. He discusses what happens when multiple accept event actions exist in the same activity and how to use a "fork node" and "merge node" to handle this situation. Brian emphasizes the importance of managing levels of abstraction in the model and avoiding behaviors running at multiple levels of abstraction. The video demonstrates how to create a line of communication between parts of a system using an internal block diagram.
00:25:00: Brian explains how to designate communication between parts of a system using proxy ports and connectors. Proxy ports are recommended over full ports for simulation purposes, and they can be named for easy identification. To send a signal from one part of the system to another, Brian suggests right-clicking on the "send signal action" and designating the on port. The signal will then traverse the connector to its destination. Brian emphasizes the importance of simulations in bringing models to life and the ability to simulate various SysML diagram types simultaneously. State machines are useful for inhibiting certain behaviors, while interaction behaviors, represented in sequence diagrams, are valuable simulation subjects.

[@NabeelMahmood98]

Fantastic video. Always had the question in my head about how signals and proxy ports and activity diagrams were interconnected but this cleared it up perfectly. Thanks again for taking the time to professionally produce content like this.

[@jamessaari4785]

This is a great starting video for simulation. I've been pinging on this for a bit (some 50 internal "training" videos) which never mentioned the relationship between "context" and value properties, let alone demonstrated these by moving them along with the behavior between blocks. This simple concept got me past an issue getting a simulation I was working on for one of our designs off the rocks - just re-arranged the blocks so that the context for the simulation was correct.

[@spxnr]

I’ve had this explained to me a few times and this is the best explanation and the one that finally made it click

[@felipeabreu5393]

Great video, very clear and didactic. Thank you.

[@sadrahemmati1337]

Great video @MBSE iNsights !

[@kizersousa1155]

Just came across your site and I wanted to say thank you. This vid was very informative. It was well layout and explained. I plan on looking at your other vids as well. Please keep putting this type of vids out as there are so many of us who are just starting out with this and this can be such a big help for us newbies.

[@brianMoberley]

Glad to hear the video was helpful! Thanks for watching! I hope the other videos will add value as well!

[@kizersousa1155]

@@brianMoberley Do you have any videos that go into "interupt" regions and how to set them and use them? If not a vid on that would be very useful for things like Fault detection, etc. thanks again

[@brianMoberley]

@@kizersousa1155 Saulius has a video on that actually. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYmllYdvgK5nmsU

[@ymhao7673]

Great video~ Now I have my logical activity diagram finished already. Currently I need to simulate it. But when I want add the activity diagram to Block Classifier Behavior, it can't be choosed. I don't know what problem about it. Could you give me some suggestion? Thank you!

[@jamessaari4785]

6:29 - you might note that Reference Properties do not appear unless you set the Variables Options Show Reference Properties.

[@brianMoberley]

That is a good point, James. Thank you for mentioning it!

[@matthewjohnson2554]

Great video, thank you. Everything worked when I mimicked it with a few minor exceptions. For some reason, even when I displayed the activity diagrams on the main BDD, when I ran the simulation from the BDD, the BDD would close, and the simulations would run on the activity diagram screens. When multiple were going at once, Cameo would quickly switch between the activity diagrams. Also, for some reason, when simulating everything together, the computer activity diagram would just go through one loop and then stop. Any suggestions? Thanks again!

[@_Jo-El]

what a boss

[@brianMoberley]

Thanks Joel :)

[@ufukbolat3704]

Hello, thanks for video. I would like to ask you something. Let's say I dont have magic model analyst but I have Cameo Systems Modeler. So, I can design my system and create bdd, ibd, activity diagrams, signal flows, decision makings etc. And I want to co-simulate this design for example with "X" tool. So, according to my system design I would like to control my "X" tool. (Let's say I have an interface for that) Is it possible perform that without Magic Model Analyst or other Simulation toolkits which exists in Cameo? Or I just have to one of these simulation toolkits? Waiting your response. Thanks a lot.

[@ufukbolat3704]

chatgpt says "MMA plug-in is not necessary for this operation." To perform this, you need to define the decision point in CSM and write a function in "X" tool. Depending on the result of the decision point, the function calculates one of the values 5 or 10 and passes it as a parameter to the objects in CSM.

[@brianMoberley]

Ufuk, I believe you will need Magic Model Analyst (also known as Cameo Simulation Toolkit) to perform co-simulations as you’ve described.

[@hamburgengineer]

I have the following error in the Computer Block with the following message: What did I do wrong? 00:00:03,129 ERROR: Cannot evaluate Opaque Action: Illegal value, 'RPM Data@79c221ee { engineRPM = [] }' is not a number. expression body: rpmData= inputValue

[@brianMoberley]

Is rpmData the name of the Signal you created or the name of the attribute of the Signal that you created? It sounds like you may have tried to assign the value that enters the opaque action to the name of the Signal and not the Value Property. You should assign the inputValue to the name of the Value Property by using valuePropertyName=inputValue in the opaque action. Then, check to make sure the type for the Value Property is either an Integer or Real. Also, make sure the "Real" is actually a Value Type and not a Block. In the video, I mistakenly created a block named Real which I didn't notice during the recording of the video. That is why I was presented with options to choose which Real I wanted to assign to the value property. I should not have tried to type the reference property with a "Real" since reference properties cannot be typed by Value Types. That was a mistake. Hopefully this helps.

[@Trendkanal]

How much does a professional license cost in your experience?

[@jamessaari4785]

27:20 - I watch the execution go from the opaque action to the send signal action, but nothing is coming out of the engine block in the IBD. One again, signals don't... Grrrr... - update: this ended up as a result of selecting the "target" pin rather than the "argument" pin. Re-connecting to the "argument" pin fixed the problem.

[@brianMoberley]

James, Thank you for watching! I'm not sure I am following, however. Please let me know if there is something I can help make more clear.

[@radiatedracer3830]

I have the toolkit installed and simulation is nowhere to be found under options

[@brianMoberley]

Which version of Cameo are you using?

[@radiatedracer3830]

@@brianMoberley 2021x

[@brianMoberley]

If you go to Options, Project, you’ll find simulation.