Before reading this section, you might want to read
Creating and Importing Custom
3D Objects for some general tips and tricks about working with custom 3D objects. It
also includes suggestions about third party software and inexpensive 3D object services.
To import a custom 3D flow item:
In the Flow Item Bin, click the Add button
on the toolbar to open a flow item.
Select the type of flow item you want to create from the menu. If you are unsure of
what type you should create, select Basic FlowItem. (See
Types of Flow Items for more information about the types of flow items.)
In Quick Properties under General
Properties, use the first box to change the name of your flow item to something
more descriptive.
Click the arrow next to the Shape box
to open a menu. Select
Browse.
Navigate to the location of the 3D file on your computer. Then select
Open.
The custom 3D shape will appear in the preview window. You can modify the shape's
size and rotation in the preview window or using the other properties in Quick
Properties.
Key Concepts About Flow Item Shape Frames
You can use flow item shape frames to change the appearance of the flow item as it moves
through various stages or stations in your simulation model.
For example, imagine you want to simulate a bottling facility. You have four different
flow items objects to represent the bottle at different stages. An empty bottle:
A filled bottle:
A bottle that has been capped:
A bottle that has been labeled:
To create a flow item that can have different visual appearances, you'd use each object
as a different shape frame on the same flow item. You'd import the empty bottle to act as
the base frame and add three additional shape frames for the other three shapes. In the 3D
model, you would use triggers or Process Flow activities to change the shape frame at
various points in the simulation model, as shown in the following image:
In the flow item's Quick Properties under
Shape Frames, click the Add
button to add a new shape frame.
In the Shape Frame Name box, type a descriptive name
for this shape frame.
Click the arrow next to the Shape Frame Box and select
Browse.
Navigate to the location of the 3D file on your computer. Then select
Open.
The custom 3D shape will appear in the preview window.
Repeat steps 2-6 for additional shape frames.
Using Shape Frames in the 3D Model
After adding the logic that changes shape frames, you'll need to add the shape frames to
the 3D model. First, make sure that the Source or Create Object activity will add the custom
flow item to the 3D model during a simulation run. (See Getting Flow Items
into a 3D Model for more information.)
After you've added the flow item to the 3D model, you can change the flow item's shape
frame after it passes through another object in the 3D model, such as a processor. You can
do this by setting the object's trigger to change the shape frame:
Click on the 3D object that will change the flow item's shape frame (such as a
processor) to open its properties on the right.
Under the Triggers section, click the
Add button to
add the trigger that will change the flow item. For example, you could add an On Exit or
On Process Finish trigger.
Click the Add button
next to the newly added trigger to open a
menu. Point to Visual, then select
Change Shape Frame to open the Change
Shape Frame pick list.
Click the arrow next to the Object box to open a menu.
Select item.
Click the Frame menu and select the name of the shape
frame you want to use.
Alternatively, you could use a Change Visual process flow activity. See
Overview
of the Process Flow Interface for more information about the Process Flow tool.