Recensioni su SIMUL8

Ease of use and WONDERFUL customer experience

Commenti: 10/10 - I would purchase again. I also took the training with customer service rep and that unlocked my use of the tool more than if I were to just buy and use without going.Both the reps are the two employees I interface with most and I can't say enough positive things about my experience as a customer and user. They already had the sale, they didn't need to keep helping me but I feel their attitude is for the product to truly help my decision making.

Aspetti positivi:

Product is easy to use but the absolute BEST feature is the support. I can shoot an email with a question and get a very helpful response in under a day or, even better, I have emailed them my file and had support respond with where my error was. I wish I could give them 6/5 stars in this category.

Aspetti negativi:

In today's world we are spoiled with things like the iPhone "just working" and there are a few features that require some extra clicks when trying to make changes. Also could have more "flashy" charts/features but I just export the data to excel when needed to make these.

The best software to simulate discrete manufacturing processes simulation

Commenti: I have a positive experience with Simul8. My final thoughts are:-If you are an engineer in a corporation and want to simulate discrete processes I absolutely recommend using simul8 over any other product in the market-If you are a freelancer or a simulation firm working for clients, this may not be the best choice for you. Either go for Anylogic, Simio, or Flexsim since they give you 3D capabilities

Aspetti positivi:

I have used Arena, Anylogic, and Simio prior to moving to simul8. I believe simul8 is the best option for 90% of users if you want to simulate discrete event processes. The main advantages of simul8 are:1) Extremely easy and intuitive2) Online trainings are helpful and set you up for success. You don't really need to google for majority of your needs3) Very affordable compare to other software that are usually +$20k per user. Simul8 costs only $5k / user Most importantly, based on my past experience you don't need a 3d simulation in your projects to communicate with stakeholders since they don't care about how beautiful your simulation is. Usually they don't even care how it looks!They only want results and recommendations. They know their processes very well and simulation is just a tool to help them make better decisions. So save your many and don't purchase an expensive software because they provide 3d visuals. Simul8 is the only tool you need if you are about to do discrete event simulation.

Aspetti negativi:

Simul8 has weakness in two areas:1) Charts are very old school. They remind you of Window 98. They are good enough for yourself, but if you want to have them in your presentation I recommend exporting the data and using excel.2) All features are somewhere in properties and tabs. You need take your time to learn where they are and this takes time if you are simulating complex processes

Great support staff. But poor documentation.

Aspetti positivi:

I value the availability of the support chat function. The support staff are very forthcoming and helpful.

Aspetti negativi:

I need to use the visual logic functionality for most of my modelling. But the documentation for this is lacking. Comprehensive documentation, tutorials and documented examples would improve the experience significantly. The VL interface is also quite frustrating as compared to normal programming languages. Finding commands is difficult, and the use of the interface is not intuitive.

Simul8 Review

Commenti: - active weekly usage for the last 6 years
- the team has done a great job improving the tool recently
- keep adding more and better capabilities
- drop-in sessions are great. keep them going!
- increase the price of the product but don't raise by a lot since it is hard to convince management to keep allocating budget

Aspetti positivi:

- ease of use - used to be cheaper than most alternatives (which makes it easier to convince the management to allocate budget for it) - ability to use both coding (Visual Logic) and drag-drop

Aspetti negativi:

- charts and visualizations - sometimes unexplained bugs happen. rebuilding the model helps - recently raised prices. it is totally ok to raise the prices especially since the product got better recently. but be careful to not raise prices to the level of FlexSim and AnyLogic. In that price category, users might prefer FlexSim/AnyLogic over Simul8

Versatile software for trialing and optimization healthcare processes

Commenti: We have been able to model several different clinical scenarios in our facility: post-acute care units, outpatient clinic patient flows, and vaccination clinics. We have also been able to optimize schedules to best meet demand by using the OptQuest interface. Building these processes in Simul8 and testing different configurations has saved us many weeks of PDSA trial-and-error testing in the real unit, allowing us to move much more quickly to ideal improvements. This has made our patient experience more pleasant and allowed our staff to focus more on patient care delivery.

Aspetti positivi:

Building process flows, decision points, distributions, and timings is intuitive. Data visualization tools allow you to see an analyze input and output variables and make reasoned conclusions. Integration with OptQuest can find ideal solutions, saving a lot of trial and error guesswork.

Aspetti negativi:

Some of the more advanced features require specific coding syntax that takes time to learn. However, once you get the syntax down, it's powerful. It just takes a little time to get over the learning curve.

World Class Simulation Software and Customer Support

Commenti: An additional note on the consultant we worked with, not only is he thoroughly competent and knowledgeable about the Simul8 software features and functionalities, he was quite fun to work with and a great conversationalist. Simul8 clearly recruits great talent, both on a personal and professional level. Overall - Simul8 has been great to do business with and well worth the investment!

Aspetti positivi:

The software is very user friendly and the Simul8 consulting team is one of a kind. Our team had the majority of the model set up and ready configure within the first 2-3 weeks. We ran some test to see if the model was working properly before engaging with the internal consulting team, and we were able to do so with minimal effort - the software is quite intuitive. The configuration of the model did take some time, as our process is quite complex, but the consultant we worked with was a great resource and helped us get our model running accounting for all of our process specifics. An additional note on the consultant we worked with, not only is he thoroughly competent and knowledgeable about the Simul8 software features and functionalities, he was quite fun to work with and a great conversationalist. Simul8 clearly recruits great talent, both on a personal and professional level. Overall - Simul8 has been great to do business with and well worth the investment!

Aspetti negativi:

There are no cons about the software that we wish to report at this time.

Easy way of simulation

Commenti: My overall experience is very good, and is important to note that there is a free license for students which is an amazing opportunity.

Aspetti positivi:

Simul8 is very easy and intuitive to implement my system and convert in a simulation, based on LCD´s and the final DCA. All the work items are easy to introduce and connect between them, which saves a lot of time and reduce the probability of errors.

Aspetti negativi:

The Simul8 is amazing but still can improve regarding the graphics. In fact, still use pixels items which reduced the probability to present a Simul8 system during a pitch or professional report.

Easy, fast, and powerful simulations.

Commenti: Overall experience has been great. I have shared this tool with many other sites in Plexus as well as other non-competitive companies as a great asset.

Aspetti positivi:

The best part about Simul8 is how easy it is to pick up. I have easily trained many people how to become powerful users in a short time period to where they can create customer level simulations.

Aspetti negativi:

There are very few minor flaws in the software that are very industry specific. None that are worth mentioning due to insignificance.

Powerful simulation program with an incredible support

Commenti: Simul8 provides extensive tools to create simulations and meets our needs about visual representation of the data.

Aspetti positivi:

Simul8 is probably the the most comprehensive yet easiest to explore simulation creation program in the market. User interface is highly optimized to enable the user reflect the paper version of the model to the visual graph.

Aspetti negativi:

Simul8 has great 2D visualization tools however it fails when it comes to 3D visualization requirements.

nine out of ten

Commenti: The course was super helpful to better understand the basic building blocks and all of their options.

Aspetti positivi:

simple to build quick simulations but has capability for more complex simulations

Aspetti negativi:

Some options are quite hidden and are hard to find.

A powerful tool

Commenti: Overall I have had a very positive experience of using the software. We've used Simul8 for looking at explaining why ambulances queuing at emergency departments in recent years has increased. Currently are using it to look at staff required to deal with call demands at GP practices. We also use it for training other analysts to help them understand what discrete event simulation is and can do.

Aspetti positivi:

I find that the visualisation aspect of using Simul8 software for discrete event simulations really helps management and frontline staff to enagage in discussions around how to improve their system and gives them more confidence in results. Some of the features included make producing a model quicker for me than alternative solutions. One of the main reasons I'll use Simul8 over alternatives is the speed of reply and the very knowledgeable support staff. The ability to export full documentation of your model does help in making it more transparent to those who want to reproduce a similar model in alternative software and it does now connect to R as well as Excel. Really like the ability to use the online version of Simul8 as well as the desktop version. You can build simple models with the standard features quite rapidly which is great for beginners but the additional features like Optquest and Visual Logic expand its possibilities much further.

Aspetti negativi:

The obvious one is being a commercial company there is always going to be a cost and my organisation being public sector means there is a push right now to use opensource solutions instead. I sometimes find the visual logic help on the website doesn't resolve my query but a quick sometimes usually export to R or Excel for final versions. It is possible to occasionally crash but I can't remember it ever not recovering my work.

SIMUL8 for healthcare use

Commenti: The tool is great for modeling and addressing process throughput and constraint troubleshooting and forecasting. The SIMUL8 support team is also responsive and knowledgable.

Aspetti positivi:

Creating initial models in SIMUL8 is very easy - like Visio on steroids. Once we got the flow parameters of the processes we were simulating, the current state model was built in hours, not days or weeks. Doing what-if adjustments and scenarios in cycle times etc to test future state is relatively easy. The model scenarios show 2 critical things very quickly; the points of constraint in the process, and the ability to meet end to end process throughput goals.

Aspetti negativi:

Would be great if the multiple scenario adjustments for future state modeling & results could be tried and recorded in more rapid fire/automated fashion. That would allow for quicker optimizing of future process throughput/cost etc. Another helpful tool enhancement would be to install SIMUL8 on top of current enterprise software platforms (ie. SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, etc) to monitor and record activity timing that would auto-create the current state SIMUL8 model. This is very sophisticated, I realize.

Powerful and intuitive

Commenti: I used SIMUL8 mainly in the healthcare sector. I may have done in the last 5 years approximately ten projects, big and small. I also use SIMUL8 with my students to teach operations management. SIMUL8 is powerful because it is fast but also because it is intuitive. This makes the results of a simulation easy to explain to customers that are not familiar with simulation.

Aspetti positivi:

The pros: The software is intuitive and easy-to-use. It has all the features to simulate complex organizations. I have been using it regularly since 2014. SIMUL8 is constantly being improved and users are involved in setting priorities for new developments. The SIMUL8 team offers excellent support. They have engineers experienced in all types of industries. In the field for which I mainly work (health care), I have always found all the support I needed for my projects. I have tested other simulation software and can confirm that SIMUL8 is powerful, well designed and robust. Its cost (license and maintenance) is very competitive compared to other simulation software.

Aspetti negativi:

3D animation is not the strength of SIMUL8, but the 3D animation features offered by SIMUL8 are more than enough to test, debug and present the simulation results to customers. 3D animation is not the most important feature of a simulation program. Simulation speed and presentation of results are essential and SIMUL8 is fast and provides results that are easy to manage and interpret.

OptimiseQI review of Simul8

Commenti: Simul8 remains my goto software of choice when I wish to model a process or system due to its ease of use. I have used agent based and system dynamics previously. Simul8 remains the one that allows me to get a working model up and running quickly and produce insights

Aspetti positivi:

I have used Simul8 for over 10 years. It continues to evolve with new features. However, the ease fo use and intuitive interface make it straightforward to build models quickly, from simple to complex. The ability to link to MS Excel, or R, etc is helpful when undertaking in depth analysis of the results

Aspetti negativi:

More personal preference, I don't tend to use Simul8 for visualisation of results. Instead I will send the data to MS Excel, and more recently R, for further analysis and visualisation

Assessment

Commenti: My initial 6 months with using and learning the software has been nothing short of exceptional!
The customer support and development team have been incredibly helpful, skilled, and overly available to assist me during my initial learning phase.

Aspetti positivi:

Ease of use Sophisticating modeling potential Training resources Sample models 1:1 Model development with knowledgeable developers

Aspetti negativi:

More updated standard graphics related to my industry - healthcare

Simulation for Pre-op Clinic Redesign

Commenti: Overall it was great and will definitely be using when designing or redesigning hospital space in the future. I'll be moving to a new hospital and leading a team in the new year and will definitely be keeping this software in mind for use there!

Aspetti positivi:

My colleague drafted up various designs for remodeling our Pre-op clinic and was able to walk us through the pros and cons in a number of variables like patient wait time, count of patients waiting, anticipated overtime for clinic staff etc. It was great to be able to have this software to simulation redesigns like this. My past simulation experience is with Arena which was clunky in comparison and not as user friendly when setting up simulation designs as seen with my colleagues setup.

Aspetti negativi:

The reporting functionality was good but it looked like my colleague would have to manually add items to show up on the report as opposed to just providing all the information. This is really if I have to pick one con, it wasn't a big inconvenience.

"What If" analysis beyond Microsoft Excel

Commenti: We wanted to model our mechanized warehouse investments and thus have started to introduce the value of simulation and so far the feedback from the leadership has been "interesting, very interesting, let's see how we can use this..."

Aspetti positivi:

SIMUL8 has enough intuitive configuration based features coupled with visual logic that I spent most of time building the model as opposed to learning the tool. Given how quickly, I was able to setup my model meant that I soon found myself using step through logic features like "work item tracking" to validate the results my model was generating.

Aspetti negativi:

The share feature is a great way to engage others but the 1 week limit is a bit short - the base default should be longer.

Consultant's Review

Commenti: 1) New systems - first provide objective analysis that the new system design will actually obtain desired results - then fine tune proposed new design to facilitate rapid ramp up 2) Existing systems - test out improvement ideas to identify those with high impact of actually improving the system

Aspetti positivi:

I recommend to my clients that they first simulate proposed changes to their systems in order to have objective evidence that the proposal will achieve desired results. I recommend Simul8 simulation software because of its' ease of use especially for those who only use simulation occasionally.

Aspetti negativi:

None when I consider manufacturing type flow systems.

What a great product and company

Commenti: 5 STAR

Aspetti positivi:

A mature and stable product, fast and intuitive. Customer support is first rate. ***** I searched for a few years to find this product and it has exceeded my expectations.

Aspetti negativi:

Regular changes in pricing models and new charges for new bolt ons is a little frustrating (hard to budegt)

General simul8 review

Commenti: Generally very useful. The stochastic nature of the runs give us very good representations of the models we are working with; this allows us to inform the stakeholders using valuable analysis.

Aspetti positivi:

Particularly very easy to use as a starter; having a clear idea of the process is most of the job done because, it is easy to implement- thanks to the user-friendliness of the software.

Aspetti negativi:

Nothing of note, although slightly frustrating that scroll zooms and ctrl scroll moves the window as opposed to other software where it's the other way round. Maybe there is a setting where I can change that?

Powerful software for decision making and process improvement with the best support

Aspetti positivi:

The interface is simple and intuitive but carries a range of powerful features like Machine Learning and real time data integrations. I really benefit from the flexibility of having desktop and online access to the software. The support team are responsive and always there to help you with any difficulties and there is an engaged user community which makes the software easy to learn

Aspetti negativi:

I would like to see even more Simul8 academy modules added in the future as they really assisted me in building my skills with the software!

New User Experience

Commenti: Great experience, the support team is great! My problems were addressed quickly and effectively.

Aspetti positivi:

I enjoy the quality of support received from Simul8 team. The team is able to help you identify your needs for software version. It has the ability to take into account the complexities present in health care system, by using visual logic.

Aspetti negativi:

Having templates for processes will help newer user learn the capabilities and limitations of the software quicker. For example if the software is applied to health care systems, templates of real life scenarios/problems where Simul8 was used would be very helpful. I recognize there are instructional videos on YouTube but having built-in template would be very helpful.

Simul8: a handy multipurpose simulation platform

Commenti: From an educational view (as this was my experience with Simul8 up to now), and after discussing with our students who used the software for some case studies, our impression and experience was really great. Surely, the supporting material and the high level lecture given from Simul8's representative, played an important role for all of us to know better the world of simulation and learn the wide possibilities and usage in real problems.

Aspetti positivi:

Simul8 is a highly useful product that can adapt to a variety of users and applications. Namely, from undergraduate students that have their first contact with simulation concept and techniques, up to engineers, consultants and staff from any industry that want to design and study real applications. It is a very easy to learn and use simulation environment with many features and customization options while it provides special features and programming environment for expert users.

Aspetti negativi:

It could be an improvement in the graphical representation of models meaning an integrated library of ready-to-use objects.

SIMUL7 Review

Commenti: My overall experience with this software is excellent. it helps me to improve my skills and knowledge of the work.

Aspetti positivi:

The learning curve is low. All of the modeling choices are standard and simple to explain to executives. Once you've got your simulation running well, you can go really fancy with it thanks to the scripting language.

Aspetti negativi:

The lagging of time and simulation is the least point about the software.

An Ode to Simul8

Commenti: Completely happy. Blown away by the capabilities. Looking forward to further my project with the team.

Aspetti positivi:

Simul8 is the first simulation application I've used in my career and just wow! I'm completely blown out of the water. While still being in the early stages of production, this program has already solved multiple headaches.

Aspetti negativi:

My one and only gripe, I wish simul8 would auto update itself.