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Model Using Resources

Resource Blocks

Resources are commodities shared by entities in your model. They are independent of entities and attributes, and can exist in the model even if no entity exists or uses them. Resources are different from attributes, which are associated with entities and exist or disappear with their entity.

For example, if you are modeling a restaurant, you can create tables and food as resources for customer entities. Entities can access resources from types of resources.

The SimEvents® software supplies the following resource allocation blocks:

ActionBlock

Acquire resource

Resource Acquirer

Define resource

Resource Pool

Release resource

Resource Releaser

Resource Creation Workflow

  1. Specify resources using the Resource Pool block. Define one resource per Resource Pool block. Multiple Resource Pool blocks can exist in the model with multiple entities sharing the resources.

  2. Identify resources to be used with the Resource Acquirer block. You can identify these resources before specifying them in a Resource Pool block, or select them from the available resources list. However, the resource definitions must exist by the time you simulate the model. Multiple Resource Acquire blocks can exist in the model.

  3. To release resources, include one or more Resource Releaser blocks. You can configure Resource Release blocks to release some or all resources for an entity. Alternatively, you can release all resources for an entity directly using the Entity Terminator block.

Tip

To determine how long an entity holds a resource, insert a server block after the Resource Acquire block. In the Service time parameter, enter how long you want the entity to hold the resource.

An entity implicitly releases held resources when it:

  • Is destroyed.

  • Enters an Entity Replicator block and the block creates multiple copies of that entity.

  • Is combined with other entities using the Composite Entity Creator block.

  • Is split into its component entities using the Composite Entity Splitter block.

See Also

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