SIMUL8 Reviews

Ease of use and WONDERFUL customer experience

Comments: 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.

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

Comments: 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

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

Simul8 Review

Pros:

It has some good features such as importing/exporting data via Excel easily. It provides ready to use simulation results. Visual logic is perfectly helpful for interact the simulation as user wants.

Cons:

The software always hangs while we're using/creating simulations. In addition, due to huge amount of data is imported to the software, it slogs on to process the data. The graphs display poor visualisations.

Simul8 Review

Comments: - 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

Pros:

- 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

Cons:

- 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

World Class Simulation Software and Customer Support

Comments: 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!

Pros:

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!

Cons:

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

Easy, fast, and powerful simulations.

Comments: 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.

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

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

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

Simul8 to sell

Comments: I have worked hard to learn and understand it. Constantly changing what i use and how i use it.

Pros:

Being able to prove to a customer that our conveyor system would work and to show any issues and changes that we would need to make.

Cons:

Moving images and uploading your own small images for the activity icons would be good.

User Feedback

Pros:

1. Ability to visualize results, KPIs in Result Manager 2. Ability to export results easily 3. Ability to have Visual Logic code at one place 4. Built in plot features e.g. Utilization, Contents

Cons:

1. Hangs/Crashes a lot if the simulation input data is huge 2. Takes huge time loading (on every click) if simulation input data is huge 3. Visual logic needs experience (unlike java or other commonly used languages) 4. The resource-pool size value changes after optimisation experiment is run 5. Their is no direct way to plot utilization for activities that have replications (>0)

nine out of ten

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

Pros:

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

Cons:

Some options are quite hidden and are hard to find.

A powerful tool

Comments: 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.

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

easy-to-use software that allows you to create simulations with precision, flexibility and speed.

Comments: It has been a very useful software in the subject of simulation and Models, especially in the units of simulation of discrete models and in the units of study of tail systems, and events

Pros:

Easy to use software that allows you to create simulations with precision, flexibility and speed. It allows simulation of events and also allows the creation of scenarios similar to reality, minimizing the risks associated with the administration of processes and projects. in addition, the creation of the simulation is done in the most simple and intuitive way possible, by the use of an explicit interface and the basic but efficient method of "drag-drop" to define the process. The user can run animated simulations very quickly without writing any line of code. And Simul 8 Professional plus all the features of the standard allow Customize the results, graphics and reports to show the KPIs (key performance indicators) that matter. Easily compare scenarios to make informed decisions. Realistic graphics Convert 2D models to 3D simulations with a simple click. Use photos and graphics known by your customers, or download from the large SIMUL8 image library, Optimize: save time and avoid errors using Optquest: it will show you the different scenarios and offer you the optimal solution. Share simulations "Viewer" allows you to share your simulations with clients or associates who do not have the full SIMUL8 license. Even more powerful with "Visual Logic" allows you to add complexities and nuances to your simulation in a way that reflects your real life system and processes. Other interfaces can be connected including Microsoft Excel, VBA, VB, and C ++.

Cons:

Actually, as such, I do not have any disadvantage or feature that is not my taste, I think a very good software

For the Student version - from U of T

Comments: Overall very good .... especially for simulation which hasd a rap of beeing complicated and hard to understand.. I can get a class of 30 people from a zero knowledge base, to build, test and run a basic simulation in under 40 minutes. that is fast Student experience is almost always very favourable ... some even find it slightly addictive!

Pros:

Simplicity - visual nature and very Visio like in design and appearance makes it a natural fit with process analysis which for us starts with a Viso Flowchart

Cons:

Use of Inter-arival time at work entry point.. I always find this trips up most people at first .. couldn't we just put another factor such as arrival rate . Secondly adding or deleting lines in results manager is a pain.. I am starting to export to excel more and more

SIMUL8–A must have tool

Comments: We use Simul8 to solve complex problems for our clients in healthcare, manufacturing and service industry.

Pros:

It’s easy to use. Everything about the software is excellent. Each year there are awesome updates to the software, adding new features to put the power of simulation in the hands of users.

Cons:

There is nothing l do not like about the software.

Simul8 Review

Pros:

Initially, the product wasn't easy to use, as the variety of features made it hard to remember what each feature could do. However, as I gained in familiarity, the software become really easy to use and navigate around. The varied features allowed discrete event simulation modelling to be done with ease, and include significant levels of detail. The ability to record/ store results in simul8, at a very granular level, and then export them to Excel made the analysis of the model thorough and comprehensive.

Cons:

Lack of available examples of Visual Logic coding online made it hard for me to do my work. I had to use simul8 support, which were very helpful. However, if more information was available online, I think this would benefit the wider community, and release strain on simul8 support.

Intuitive Software and Outstanding Training Resources

Comments: SIMUL8 customer support and training staff are outstanding! This support is what sets SIMUL8 apart and allows basic users to create models to support business decisions.

Pros:

This software was extremely intuitive and easy to get up and running fast on your first model. I also highly recommend their in-person training classes. The training staff are approachable and take the time to personally meet you at your skill level to help you understand and complete models.

Cons:

None for my personal use. I have seen some competitive products 3D floor layouts visuals that look slicker, but I don’t find this beneficial for my application of discrete event modeling. This could be my technical understanding of the software and not the software capability.

Powerful, Flexible, Easy to Use

Comments: I work for a medical device company, and our customers are physicians and hospitals. I have used this software to simulate how cath labs and device follow-up clinics operate, and how they can increase efficiency. I have published results in a peer reviewed medical journal and used output to influence internal strategies. The method (discrete event simulation) and the tool (SIMUL8) form an intuitive and powerful message. The support from the company is top notch. The software downloads, installs and operates easily. I don't often need help, but when I run into problems they immediately point me in the right direction for resolution, often going beyond what I ask for to point out better/more efficient ways of solving the problem than I had considered.

Pros:

Flexibility - I can simuate most anything I can imagine Ease of use - I tried other simulators and could barely get simple simulations to work, with SIMUL8 I had reasonable simulations going within days of completing the training Power/Efficiency - I have simulated hundreds of thousands of virtual patients in a single simulation on a Windows laptop

Cons:

The documentation of some of the more esoteric functions can be a little thin. This is easily overcome with a quick message to the support desk where they immediately give a good explanation.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Modeling

Comments: Simul8 has been a great software for providing insight in specific metrics prior to creation of our fab. We will continue to develop the model with our fab and it is exciting to see the results align with reality as we progress forward. This software has allowed us to make data driven decisions at a management level for how to operate the fab effectively.

Pros:

This software was not designed specifically for our use case, but the expert we worked with at Simul8 was able to develop a model that would meet the needs we have for modeling our fab.

Cons:

Granularity of chamber modeling and a more robust ability to model chambers. This is not the specific design of the software, however.

Useful For Work Flow Planning

Comments: I used this product in depth to help consulting clients see and understand their process dynamics. I found this product excellent for that purpose. I found I was able to use video recordings of current and future state simulations to convince people to go forward with particular process improvement plans. I struggled a bit with modeling the process at the right level of detail, but that was a learning curve issue of mine. I would definitely buy this product again for this purpose.

Pros:

Easy to set up models quickly. Capable of modeling detailed nuances if you want it. Cloud-based functionality available.

Cons:

There's a learning curve. (But it's worth it.) Hard to record videos of a simulation run. (I used a third-party program.) Hard to know what level of detail to use.

Excellent Simulation software...

Comments: Excellent software to develop production planning & scheduling solutions..

Pros:

Very easy to build any discrete process and writing logics is easy. Very less license cost and supports com interface..

Cons:

Not possible build the simulaion in3D. No OPC interface.

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

Pros:

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

Cons:

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!

An SME using SIMUL8 in the Airports sector

Comments: Very positive.

Pros:

The people behind SIMUL8 want to help and get you to achieve what you want from SIMUL8.

Cons:

It is quite expensive for an SME to purchase, maintain and learn.

Excellent for teaching my manufacturing management class

Comments: Excellent. The representatives we have dealt with from Simul8 have been fantastic assets. They have been so so helpful supporting both staff and students in our use of the software.

Pros:

Simul8 has been easy to learn for my students, and the support on offer from their customer service team through supporting delivery of a lecture and the Simul8 academy has been very helpful to them all. We have been able to design an assignment focussed around the software, which students have thoroughly enjoyed and felt it gave them real life practical skills using simulation software.

Cons:

In all honesty, there is nothing I can think of. It is easy to learn, a user friendly interface, provides us with the reports and outcomes we need for our class!

Great software for discrete event simulation

Comments: I can solve healthcare problems easily while using Simul8 rather than writing Python code by myself.

Pros:

- Easy to understand of the UI of the software- Several options to set for simulation- Great diagram- Easy to interpret results

Cons:

I used a student version of the software when I was a Master's degree student. Thus, there were limited features to use and I could not link data directly for result analysis or plotting graphs.

Simul8 in engineering education

Comments: Excellent.

Pros:

Simul8 is easy to use, easy to train on, and very useful to visualize and communicate. We use it to expand the system thinking approach to our manufacturing engineers.

Cons:

The interface is a bit outdated (like windows) and would benefit from an uplift from a UX/UI perspective.