By Dale Farris, Vice President
Golden Triangle PC Club
January 2005

Program Overview

Modeling is a powerful tool. With it, you can analyze, design, and operate complex systems. You use models to assess real-world processes too complex to analyze via spreadsheets or flowcharts, testing hypotheses at a fraction of the cost of undertaking the actual activities. An efficient communication tool, modeling shows how an operation works and stimulates creative thinking about how to improve it. Models in industry, government, and educational institutions shorten design cycles, reduce costs, and enhance knowledge.

A model is a logical description of how a system, process, or component behaves. Instead of interacting with the real system, you can create a model that corresponds to it in certain aspects. For example, the board game Monopoly is a model of a real system: the hotels and facilities of Atlantic City.

Simulation involves designing a model of a system and carrying out experiments on it. The purpose of these "what if” experiments is to determine how the real system performs and to predict the effect of changes to the system as time progresses.

For example, you use simulation to answer questions like: Will this change to our process result in higher yields/quality/revenues? How many people are required to maintain service at a specified level? Can we design this television with fewer components and still maintain picture clarity? Models are either static or dynamic. The increased computational power and speed of today's computers, coupled with the need for more exact answers, has vaulted dynamic modeling ahead of static modeling as the method of choice.

Dynamic modeling (also known as simulation) is a software representation of the dynamic or time-based behavior of a system. While a static model involves a single computation of an equation, dynamic modeling, on the other hand, is iterative. A dynamic model constantly recomputes its equations as time changes.

Dynamic modeling tools greatly facilitate the model-building process. A good modeling tool is flexible enough to fit a specific project, company, or industry. It should provide benchmark figures for comparing current "as is" processes to future "to be" processes, allow you to explore alternative approaches, help you determine how to prudently use resources, and show where to eliminate tasks that add no value.

Combined applications (such as Extend) can model systems either discretely or continuously. These hybrid applications combine all the features of both types of modeling. Some systems, especially when a portion of the flow has a delay or wait time, can be modeled as either discrete event or continuous. In this case, you choose how to model the system based on the level of detail required. Discrete event models provide much more detail about the workings of a system than continuous models do.

Whether discrete or continuous, the field of modeling is a fascinating one. Simulations have played important roles in numerous areas for a long time. Expect to see them combine with intelligent technology to produce exciting applications for the economies and the industries of the future.

The process of simulation involves building a dynamic model of a process or system, then performing what-if analysis to see how changes would effect the actual process. By mimicking its operation you can understand the system better, explore alternative strategies, optimize performance, and train personnel – all at a fraction of the cost and time it would take to experiment with the real system.

Extend 6 is designed from the ground up to be a flexible, extendable simulation tool. It can be used to model every aspect of an organization at all levels of expertise - from manager to engineer/scientist and from novice to professional modeler.

The goal of Extend is that a modeler will be able to:

Build models quickly
Make changes interactively
See results immediately
Explore all alternatives
Develop customized components
Simulate any system or process
Share models and components with others
Use the model as a virtual environment for communicating ideas

Extend has an interactive and graphical architecture that is combined with a robust development environment. Since you can model the most complex of systems, there are virtually no limits to what you can do with Extend. The Extend concept is that you are more likely to get the best answer if you can try all your ideas quickly.

How Extend Works

You use Extend to create dynamic models from building blocks, explore the processes involved, and see how they relate. Then change assumptions to arrive at an optimum solution.

Blocks are the basic model-building components in Extend. Each block represents some part of the process being modeled, such as a chemical reaction or a machine’s activity. A block’s icon shows its meaning in the model, and double-clicking the icon reveals a dialog for entering data. Blocks contain unique procedural information and are grouped into libraries according to function.

You create an Extend model by dragging blocks from a library onto a worksheet, connecting them, and then entering the appropriate data in the dialog. For visual clarity, and for reuse in other projects, you can encapsulate sections of the model into hierarchical blocks. Once you are satisfied that your model accurately represents the system, explore alternatives by changing data or by adding or removing blocks, or use the optimizer to maximize or minimize important variables.

Extend is one of the most powerful and sophisticated software program I have worked with in a long time. This unique program allows you to graphically create and improve business processes on an individual PC. The simulation you create will behave just like your real system. As you modify, visualize, and evaluate your business processes, you will see how much money you can save, how much faster you can service your customers, and how much further you can take your business.

While most quality companies have long since integrated into their quality process the use of process flowcharts, a fundamental quality tool, with Extend these flowcharts will literally come to life as you enter data that further describes the steps and the resources designed in the program. Extend combines the power of flowcharting features with the data analysis features of spreadsheets or relational databases, all in one super program.

Creating the Extend simulation is relatively simple, and the true value of this awesome program is the additional capacity to simulate the work processes and help management better structure these processes for the best cost-benefit results.

Process Optimization

Extend will work best in companies with quality professionals and staff that understand optimization. Optimization technology improves on the "trial and error" process by intelligently and automatically conducting a search for the best solutions to system design problems. Optimization is the process of finding the best solution or setting the components of a system, and can be applied to almost any process in any industry.

Advantages of Extend

Extend maximizes modeler productivity. It is an interactive, reusable, and visual tool that accelerates model building and enhances your understanding of complex systems.

Interactive

Even during a model run, Extend parameters and model logic can be changed "on the fly" rather than having to wait until the simulation ends. This means you can get fully involved with an Extend model, even play with it, and leave no alternative unexplored. Extend's point and click interactivity translates into faster answers and winning solutions.

Reusable
You can create, reuse, even distribute Extend blocks – the components that comprise a model. Group existing blocks to save them as one hierarchical block. Or develop custom blocks with unique behaviors, icons, and dialogs. Store your new block in an Extend library for reuse in other models or for distribution to others. Block reusability increases productivity, improves consistency of design, and avoids having to reinvent the wheel each time you build a new model.

Scalable
Because of its powerful constructs and unlimited hierarchical structure, Extend is used to produce complex enterprise-wide models. Yet its accessibility makes it the simulation tool of choice for small and mid scale models. While you can add more functionality to Extend, in the form of third party modules and companion products, you always have full capability to model any size project.

Visually Transparent
Block icons convey the structure and behavior of the model at a glance. In Extend, both the flow of items and the flow of values are graphically represented. This unique mapping of visual meanings into their equivalent icons promotes quick understanding of a model to anyone viewing it.

Well Connected
Extend supports the component object model (COM/ActiveX) and open database connectivity (ODBC). You can embed an Excel spreadsheet into your Extend model, directly access data from a database, control an application from within Extend, or have it control Extend. These technologies have been implemented as modeling components so that communication between applications is a drag-and-drop operation, with no programming necessary.

Extendable (open source)
Extend block components are developed using its compiled language and integrated development environment. They are Open Source to allow modification and enhancement. You can alter existing blocks and develop new proprietary components for distribution to internal or external customers. Linking to code and routines written in external languages is also supported. Extend's open source architecture gives you the freedom to model anything.

Global Reach
Extend is so flexible it has become the simulation engine used by most OEM developers and the learning tool used by most educators. This expands Extend’s reach around the globe. That’s why you will find Extend in so many applications, products, and textbooks.

Extend Firsts
Extend was the first simulation tool developed specifically for a windowing environment.

Super Features

The key features of the Extend Suite edition of Extend, the high-end, most fully developed edition, include the following:

Modular Design
Generic module for continuous modeling
Electronic engineering module
Business reengineering module
Material handling components
Advanced discrete event modeling constructs
Statistical analysis components
Embedded Database for managing large data files
Flow module for rate-based systems
Proof for vector-based animation of layouts and paths
Stat::Fit for fitting data to a distribution

State-Of-The-Art Interface
Animation - built-in and customizable 2D
Authoring environment for custom user interface
Explorer-style Navigator to jump through model structure
Infinite Hierarchical layers and submodels
Transform model look and feel using icon classes
Animation of objects moving through model
Flowchart and Classic icon classes
Centralized data management system
Import CAD drawings as animation objects
Create AVI files of animations

High-Performance Modeling
COM/ActiveX - control of and by other applications
Compiled simulation models
Exchange data via the Internet
Interact with model during simulation run
ODBC/SQL direct linking to databases
Run multiple models simultaneously
Scalability: build, view, & run models of any size
Quick-block templates for fast model building
Discrete rate simulations for high speed processes

Advanced Analysis
Evolutionary Optimizer - fully integrated
Hot link interactively to MS Office applications
Save models during run, continue later
Sensitivity analysis for exploring alternatives
Activity-Based Costing for financial outcomes
Gantt charts for analyzing system components
Statistical analysis with confidence intervals
Warm-up period with statistical clearing
3D Gantt charts
Integration of Stat::Fit for distribution fitting
Distribution viewer

Developer Power
Build libraries of new blocks and components
Call Windows DLLs written in other languages
Compiled for speed with over 600 built-in functions
Code completion and colorization
Create wizards for tasks or to interact with users
Interactive Source Code Debugger
Robust icon tools: classes, plus zoom and rotate
Serial I/O drivers for interacting with external ports
Open Source discrete event messaging architecture
Proof Animation API

Targeted Customers

Extend has wide application in any process in any business. You can use the program to best understand such critical processes as staff scheduling and shift planning, task prioritization and interruption, method selection, capacity planning, lot sizing, appointment scheduling, job sequencing, production scheduling, productivity improvement, cycle time reduction, cost reduction, quality management, bottleneck analyses, activity and resource-based costing, and resource scheduling for breaks and downtime. The professionals most likely to more quickly learn the powerful capabilities of Extend will probably be quality professionals in the quality management and improvement function, along with the engineering professionals or scientific technicians.

Price

$   895 Extend CP
$1,595 Extend OR
$2,295 Extend Industry
$3,995 Extend Suite

Extend CP - Designed for modeling continuous processes, Extend CP is the cornerstone of the Extend family of simulation tools.

Extend OR - The essential tool for simulating the operation of any system or process. Extend OR adds message-based discrete event architecture and capabilities to the Extend CP product.

Extend Industry - Indispensable for large-scale simulation projects. Extend Industry adds a relational database for data management to Extend OR and additional high-end features and tools for the power simulation user.

Extend Suite - A comprehensive and integrated set of tools, Extend Suite bundles leading analysis and animation software with the Extend Industry product. Use this package for modeling any process, plus get analytical distribution fitting and professional animation capabilities.

The above prices are for a stand-alone license for one computer. Contact Imagine That, Inc. for further information about pricing for multiple licenses, network licenses, and academic pricing for eligible education institutions and students.

In addition, Imagine That, Inc. also sells additional add-on modules for Extend that further enrich this already powerful program. These include modules for analytical chemistry, biology, chemical process control, think-powers, engineering of complex systems, pulp and papermaking processes, semiconductor and automated material handling systems, and other modules available as part of their consulting services.

System Configuration Requirements

Windows

Pentium or better processor
Windows NT4, 2000, XP, ME, 98
64MB RAM (128+MB RAM recommended)
300MB free hard disk space

Macintosh

PowerMac processor
System 9.1+ (OS X recommended)
64MB RAM (128+MB RAM recommended)
150MB free hard disk space

With the power and complexity of this software, and the potential for hugely complex process models many customers may wish to work with in this program, I would advise these types of customers to consider running this powerful program on a "high-end" machine, with as fast a processor you can manage, along with as much RAM and free hard disk space you also can manage. Also, the more powerful the video card, the better this program will function.

Contact Information

Imagine That, Inc.
6830 Via Del Oro, Suite 230
San Jose, California 95119
408-365-0305
FAX 408-629-1251
extend@imaginethatinc.com
www.imaginethatinc.com