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Note: You do not need to uninstall your prior GoldSim versions (e.g., GoldSim 9.6 or 10.02) in order to install Version 10.1. GoldSim 10.1 will be installed in parallel to any GoldSim versions currently on your machine (it will not overwrite them). You may choose to leave older versions on your computer if you wish. In fact, until you have fully converted your existing models we recommend that you keep your previous GoldSim version installed on your machine.
The installation file for Version 10.1 is named “GoldSim_10.1_Setup.exe”. Download and run this file to install Version 10.1. You should have at least 200 MB of disk space available before downloading.
After installing Version 10.1, when you start the program it will automatically detect and use your existing license. It’s important to note that all versions subsequent to and including Version 10 use an updated version of the licensing software. If you wish to retain access to GoldSim 9.60 and earlier versions you should not use the license management features in Version 10.1, as licenses registered with the new version cannot be used by earlier versions of GoldSim. If you need to extend or upgrade your license you should do this using GoldSim 9.60 as Licenses registered using 9.60 can be simultaneously used by Version 10.1 and earlier GoldSim versions.
Note: You MUST have administrative privileges in order to install GoldSim successfully.
In addition to these Release Notes, a more detailed document that summarizes the major new features in Version 10.1 is provided in the Start Menu (under All Programs | GoldSim 10.1 | Version 10.1 Summary). It is strongly recommended that all existing GoldSim users read this document!
· Resources can now be modeled in GoldSim. The user can define one or more Resource Types, and specify locations in the model where Stores of the different Resource Types exist. Various elements can have specified requirements for Resources, and will automatically wait for Resources to be available before carrying out their activities. Resources are typically used to represent things such as funds, spare parts, fuel, equipment, or personnel.
· Time Series elements have been significantly enhanced-
· They can contain multiple time series data sets, and the user can control which data set is used for a given model simulation or realization.
· They can import data sets from existing GoldSim model files that are in result mode.
· They have options to allow shifting the time base of their stored histories to match the requirements of the current simulation.
Version 10.1 also includes a large number of smaller improvements and modifications. The most important of these are listed below:
· Array outputs can be directly accessed with arguments that can be functions of time, for example “”Array[X + 2 * Time |yr|].
· User-defined Table functions can be applied to an entire array at one time.
· Logical operators, min(), max() and mod() can process arguments that are a combination of arrays and scalars, e.g. “max(Array, 3)”
· User-defined dates in input fields are automatically converted to the date format set for their Windows computer. This allows a model built in one country to be run in another country with no conversion issues.
· Discrete Change Delay elements can specify that their delay time as a function of the signal that is being delayed.
· Discrete Change Delay elements can require resources in order to process signals, can specify individual delay times for individual signals, and can queue up incoming signals that are not ready to process.
· Command-line options allow a user to directly change model input data and to run sets of simulations from a batch file.
· Reliability Module elements can automatically import failure mode definitions from a spreadsheet, can export reliability to a spreadsheet at the end of a simulation, and can require resources in order to operate or be repaired.
· Reliability Module elements can simulate reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) by selectively triggering repairs of aging components during a PM.
· Reliability Module element can now have custom outputs. This makes it much easier to use the elements to directly output key results such as throughput.
· Contaminant Transport Module Source elements can simulate waste inventory exposure due to congruent dissolution of a waste matrix that itself is dissolved and transported within the model.
· Enhanced Latin hypercube sampling options allow the user to control sampling sequences for SubModels, and to choose mid-point or random-point sampling for LHS strata.
· Within array constructors, row and col variables are interpreted differently from previous versions. In previous versions, row and col always referred to the ordinal row or column number. They now refer to the actual row or column label (for labeled sets, they necessarily still refer to the ordinal row or column number).
· Within Allocators, you can specify how demands with equal priorities are treated. The can be shared equally (as in previous versions), or shared proportionally to the demands.
· Reservoirs now have a new state variable outputs (called Is_Full) that reports True if the Reservoir is at its upper bound.
· Several new navigation features were added to Dashboards.
· Switching between Dashboards in the Player is now faster.
· In previous versions of GoldSim, if you modified the graphical properties of the influences connecting elements (e.g., changed the shape or color) and then copied and pasted (or moved) the Container in which those influences were located, the graphical properties were lost. In Version 10.1, these properties are preserved in the new (pasted) Container.
· A Timed Event Generator that uses the “Remaining time until event” option can emit a spurious second event in the time step following the planned event.
· The GoldSim Player cannot open files that were previously saved by the Player.
· The Convolution element does not require correct units for the transfer function definition.
· Under some circumstances a Material Delay element can produce ‘noisy’ outflow rates. The total amount released is still correct.
· Under rare circumstances a Cell element with an extremely small amount of water present can cause a floating point overflow.
· If a Sum element’s value goes to zero, affected elements may not reflect this change.
· If a CT-Module pathway element experiences a change in an advective outflow rate, under certain circumstances it will not incorporate this change.
· When adding elements, under certain conditions (e.g., if the graphics pane was scrolled down or zoomed out), the element could be inserted in the wrong location (i.e., different from where the cursor was placed when right-clicking to insert the element).
In addition to these Release Notes, a more detailed document that summarizes the major new features in Version 10 is provided in the Start Menu (under All Programs | GoldSim 10 | Version 10 Summary). It is strongly recommended that all existing GoldSim users read this document!
· An optional user-defined password can be used to protect a model file.
· A large number of changes have been implemented to improve the performance of GoldSim, particularly when editing and manipulating large models.
· Tool-tips for elements now provide a substantial amount of information (previously, they only displayed the name, description and the value). This allows you to better explore and understand a model without having to open dialogs.
· The expression editor in GoldSim has been significantly improved (enhanced error handling, improved tool-tips to facilitate debugging).
· Version 10 supports both .xls and .xlsx Microsoft Excel files.
· A stair-step option (i.e., no interpolation is applied) is now available for Lookup Tables.
· The correlation algorithm for Stochastics has been significantly enhanced. This includes the ability to define a correlation matrix for Stochastic vectors.
· You can now specify a percentile level for a Stochastic. When you do so, GoldSim uses the value corresponding to the specified percentile. Among other things, this can be used to force a particular correlation scheme.
· The Latin Hybercube sampling (LHS) algorithm has been modified to provide a stratified LHS, where subsets of the total set of realizations also represent LHS strata.
· The Importance sampling algorithm for Stochastics has been enhanced.
· Five new distributions are now available (Beta using success/failure, Extreme Probability, Extreme Value, Pearson Type III, Sampled Results).
· An Event Importance Sampling capability has been added to facilitate efficient simulation of low-probability, high-consequence events.
· The Selector dialog has been modified to make it easier to create and view the switches.
· Cloned elements are now graphically identified in the graphics pane.
· Several powerful new vector and matrix constructor capabilities have been added.
· Conditional Containers have been modified to better support project planning simulations.
· Time Series elements have been enhanced to facilitate modeling multiple scenarios.
· GoldSim can now run on 64-bit Windows operating systems. 64-bit native DLLs are also supported for External and External Pathway elements.
· You can now copy and paste multiple elements (previous versions only supported copying and pasting of elements one at a time).
· The licensing system was streamlined to make it more stable, improve assisted registration, and make it easier to switch between floating and standalone licenses.
· The Note Pane has been modified to provide a cleaner interface and full RTF formatting capabilities.
· The Discrete Change Generator element has been modified to allow users to force a specific sequence of operations when causal loops are involved.
Version 10 includes a number of significant enhancements to the Contaminant Transport Module:
· A new array label set (Elements) is available. This allows you to enter Fluid and Solid properties (e.g., Solubilities, Partition Coefficients) on an elemental, rather than species basis.
· The Source element has an option to provide a uniform degradation rate of a waste matrix over a specified time period.
· Solubilities can now be entered in terms of either mass/volume or moles/volume.
· All Pathway elements now allow you to specify boundary conditions with either Initial Conditions or Contaminant Input Rates.
· The Cell Pathway allows you to specify a Defined (fixed) Concentration boundary condition.
· Negative flow rates are now allowed between Cell elements (a negative Outflow is treated as a positive Inflow).
· Powerful new capabilities have been added to facilitate simulation of diffusion through partially saturated porous media.
· The Plume function now accepts vector arguments.
· Numerous enhancements have been made to the CellNet Generator.
· An advanced solid property has been added to allow you to specify that suspended particulates may move at a different velocity than the advecting fluid.
· Modifications have been made to the Contaminant Transport Module solution algorithm to better support coupled flow and transport models.
Version 10 includes a number of significant enhancements to the Reliability Module:
· Several new outputs have been provided for Reliability elements. The most important of these is the Failed output, a vector that provides the status (failed/unfailed) of every failure mode.
· Modifications have been made to the Status output of Reliability elements. Existing users should note that this could potentially change the behavior or some models, so it is critical that you read about these changes in the Summary document.
· Failure modes are now treated as Internal Requirements. This has the advantage of allowing you to define failure modes that are non-fatal.
· The Results tab for Reliability elements has been redesigned.
· An Importance Sampling capability has been added to Reliability elements to facilitate efficient simulation of low-probability, high-consequence failures.
· Improvements have been made to better support simulating internally handled Actions.
Two important improvements were made to the Distributed Processing Module:
· You can now specify that multiple realizations are sent (at the same time) to each Slave. This is valuable in situations when the Slave communication process is the bottleneck (e.g., running a large number of quick realizations).
· If a distributed processing run is halted, the Master now provides an option to resume the simulation.
One of the more significant sets of enhancements included in Version 10 are changes to the Dashboard Authoring Module. The most important of these are listed below.
· You can now control the size of the Dashboard window in the Player, and if this is smaller than the Dashboard itself, the Dashboard supports scrolling.
· You can now copy and paste Dashboard elements and individual Dashboard controls.
· You can now toggle between an Active and Design View when viewing a Dashboard in Edit Mode within GoldSim.
· The Edit control has been updated such that any entered values are immediately recognized and validated (previous versions required you to press Enter or change focus). In addition, you can choose to force the value to be a multiple of a particular increment.
· Improved alignment tools have been provided to help you to design your Dashboards.
· You can now set the Tab Order for all controls in a Dashboard.
· The Checkbox control has been updated to allow, among other things, a label and a default value.
· The button control has been updated. Additional button options include an option to edit a lookup table, and to select a new spreadsheet to link to for a Spreadsheet, Time Series, or Lookup Table element.
· The Slider control has been updated such that can choose to force the value to be a multiple of a particular increment.
· A new Date-Picker control has been added to allow you to enter dates directly on a Dashboard.
· List and Combo Box controls have been added to allow you to select one value from a list of values.
· A new Grid control has been added that allows you to create a grid of controls. The grid cells can be made up of scalar, vector or matrix Data elements, and can be Edit Boxes, Check Boxes or Combo Boxes.
· A new Status output control has been added that allows you to display a specified image on the Dashboard based on the value of an output (e.g., show a green light if X >- 0 and a red light if X<0).
· You can now reset all controls to their default values either through a button command or via a context menu when designing the Dashboard.
A large number of minor modifications were also implemented. The most notable of these are:
· The expanded Open and Save File dialogs are supported when using Windows Vista.
· Print Preview (which was previously disabled) is now supported again.
· Improved Hyperlink object functionality.
· Financial elements now support negative discrete changes. For example, a negative Deposit is now accepted and treated as a Withdrawal).
· You can now browse into SubModels within the Function of or Affects browser.
· The CT Module’s Network Pathway element was modified to support up to 999 watch groups for monitoring internal flux rates.
· The Function-of and Affects browsers that let users follow the chain of logic through a model have been modified to allow tracing logic into and through SubModel elements.
· Corrected a problem with the Time Series element that could cause it to compute incorrect ‘Average value over timestep’ when extremely short timesteps occurred.
· Corrected a problem when using recording Time Series elements inside looping Containers.
· Corrected a problem with the Event Generator element, for the option ‘time to next event occurrence’, where the event time would not be rescheduled unless the input time changed.
· Corrected a problem with the Dashboard’s ‘digital output display’, which could cause a crash if its value was updated at an extremely high rate.
· Corrected a problem in SP3 where an invalid input to an Allocator element would cause a crash while editing the model.
· Corrected a problem where a Submodel could erroneously accept a link that caused an invalid (recursive) model sequence.
· Corrected some problems associated with the Submodel element’s interface definitions.
· Corrected a problem where a Submodel user interface could be changed without the versioning system recording the change.
· Corrected a problem in computing sensitivity analysis coefficients for very large matrices (due to roundoff). Also corrected a problem where sensitivity analysis results were not updated after changing the input selections.
· Corrected a problem where a bad hyperlink could be created that would crash GoldSim when clicked on.
· Corrected a problem where a displayed result chart would be invalid following maximizing or printing.
· Corrected a problem associated with discarding results following an aborted simulation.
· Modified the Start_Time run property to be ‘static’ so that it can be used for inputs to the initial values of model elements.
· Corrected a problem in reversing changes when a user cancelled out of editing a previously-invalid input expression.
· Corrected user-interface problems that could cause crashes while running distributed processing.
· ·A new run property, Start_Time, was added. This represents the date/time of the start of the simulation. It can be used to help specify initial conditions for a model.
· Modified the Time Series element’s behavior when it is set to record. If it is in an active container at the start of the realization, it records and simultaneously outputs the signal that it is recording. However, if its container is inactive at the start of the realization, the element outputs the last history that it recorded.
· Corrected a bug in the Allocator element, which affected how identical-priority outputs were allocated their shares.
· Corrected a bug in the Event Generator element that affected results for date-time models that had time-varying event rates.
· Corrected a bug in the Material Delay element that affected vector items with different delay times for each item.
· Corrected a bug in the CT module, where incorrect mass amounts could be calculated for Source and Pipe elements when decay chains had feedback loops.
· Corrected errors in the RL module that could cause crashes when displaying element performance results.
· A number of changes were made to reduce the time required for routine tasks, such as parsing large model files, moving elements or containers in large files, displaying time history results.
· Corrected a bug in the Allocator element, that prevented output values from dropping to zero when the input amount was insufficient for them to receive a fraction.
· Corrected a bug that could result in erroneous results for array-type “if then else” calculations. NB: this is a potentially serious that could have resulted in incorrect results for users doing vector or matrix calculations. See http://www.goldsim.com/downloads/Documents/IfTestIssue.pdf for information on how to check your existing models to see if they were affected by this bug.
· Corrected a bug that affected the import of temperature data (in C or F) to time series or lookup-table elements.
· Corrected a bug that prevented importing vectors defined as rows in Excel files.
· Corrected a bug that prevented using the “ symbol to represent inches.
· Allow feedback loops in decay chains used by Pipe elements provided they are unused.
· Allow the Fund, CashFlow, and Investment elements to accept negative discrete change inputs.
· Player file users cannot change the simulation duration.
· Using the GetColumn() function on a vector item caused GoldSim to crash.
· Clicking the “Export now” button in a new Time History element could cause GoldSim to crash.
· The Splitter and Allocator elements permitted duplicate output names.
· GoldSim crashed if the array-labels for the columns of a matrix-type Time Series element were changed.
· Pipe and Network pathway elements could give inaccurate results when used for extremely long simulation times.
· The total mass reported for a Network Pathway could be incorrect.
· The CellNet Generator element always placed the generated elements in the model root container.
· Dashboard buttons that were defined as transparent appeared black when opened with the GoldSim Player.
The most significant changes included in Version 9.60 are listed below:
· The Material Time Series and Information Time Series elements have been retired, and replaced by a single new Time Series element which is both simpler and more versatile than the old elements. Existing models with Material or Information Time Series elements will be automatically converted. Refer to the Help information or the User Manual for documentation of the new Time Series element. Amongst other capabilities, the Time Series element is now capable of recording a time series that can be ‘played back’ later. The automatic conversion of Time Series elements is discussed in more detail in a brief document that can be found in the Start Menu (under All Programs | GoldSim 9.60 | Release Info | Converting to 9.6).
· Options have been added to the Simulation Settings dialog to allow a user to use calendar-based (monthly, quarterly, or annual) as opposed to constant timesteps in their models. To learn about this feature, open the Help system, select the Index tab, and enter "Timesteps", and then select "calendar-based".
· Results inside of SubModels can now be saved and viewed. To learn about this feature, open the Help system, select the Index tab, and enter "Submodels", and then select "saving results inside".
· The user interface and functionality for External elements and External Pathways (in the CT Module) has been enhanced and improved. Among other things, external functions can now input and output Time Series.
· As mentioned above, the old-style lookup Table elements have been retired.
· At the start of a new simulation GoldSim’s “Timestep_length” parameter used to be set equal to 0. In version 9.60 it is set equal to the first defined timestep’s length. This allows users to divide by Timestep_length with causing a divide-by-zero error.
· Array-label sets are now allowed to have a single item (previously at least two items were required).
· The unit “L” for liters can now be used with SI-type modifiers, e.g. mL, ML, GL etc.
· The Distributed Processing module has been enhanced for faster file transfer and greater stability.
· Numerous changes were made to correct minor bugs and to improve stability and performance when linking GoldSim to spreadsheets.
· Numerous changes were made to correct minor bugs and to improve stability and performance when using SubModels.
· The Watch Groups features within Network Pathways (in the CT Module) has been enhanced.
· An error in the element sequencer has been corrected that had the potential to put static elements inside subsystems in an incorrect update order. The problem has existed since version 9.00.
In addition to these Release Notes, a more detailed document that summarizes the major new features in Version 9.50 is provided in the Start Menu (under All Programs | GoldSim 9.50 | Release Info | Summary of New Features). It is strongly recommended that all existing GoldSim users read this document!
· A new Splitter element has been added. These elements split an incoming signal according to some specified fractions or amounts. Typically, the signal will be a flow of material (e.g., water), but it could also be a resource, or a discrete transaction.
· A new Allocator element has been added. Allocator elements allocate an incoming signal according to a specified set of demands and priorities. Typically, the signal will be a flow of material (e.g., water), but it could also be a resource, or a discrete transaction.
· A new History Generator element has been added. History Generators allow users to easily generate stochastic time histories, and should be useful for simulating financial and economic variables (e.g., security prices, interest rates), as well as stochastic variables in other arenas (e.g., demands for resources such as water).
· A new Interrupt element has been added. The Interrupt element is triggered by an event, and responds by interrupting the simulation. The triggering event can be a discrete event signal or another type of event (e.g., a condition, such as X becoming greater than Y).
·
A new element has been added (called a SubModel)
that allows you to embed one model within another model. This powerful
feature facilitates a number of advanced modeling applications, including
two-dimensional
· An entire new module has been added to GoldSim: the Financial Module. The Financial Module provides five types of financial elements to support simulation of financial systems or financial aspects of engineering systems. It allows you to probabilistically simulate components such as accounts and funds, investments, options, projects or undertakings with specified cash flows, and insurance policies.
· In previous versions of GoldSim, local variables were accessed using the prefix "local". For example, within a Looping Container, the loop counter was accessed as "local.LoopCount". The "local" prefix has now been replaced by the tilde (~). For example, within a Looping Container, the loop counter is now accessed as "~LoopCount".
· In some cases, it is useful to retrieve a particular item from a 1-D array (a vector) or a particularly row or column from a 2-D array (a matrix). Version 9.5 provides new functions to facilitate this.
· A new tab has been added to the Simulation Settings dialog to allow you to define global properties (constants) that can be referenced throughout the model.
· To better support the development of financial models, Version 9.5 now provides an easier way to access and modify currency units. In particular, GoldSim now provides a new menu option (under Model in then main menu) for editing and defining Currencies….
· All input edit controls in Dashboards (input edit fields, checkboxes and sliders) now contain an extra field for specifying whether or not the control can be changed by the user during a simulation.
· The Calculator section of a Stochastic (and Distribution result) now displays a new statistic, the Conditional Tail Expectation for the specified Cumulative Probability/Value pair.
· Material Time Series elements now display a fatal error if they encounter a negative values. Previous versions allowed negative value.
· An error in the distributed processing logic has been corrected that has existed since version 9.10 (September 2005). In simulations where not all of the realization histories were saved the calculated time-history statistics are partially incorrect: the standard deviation and quantile values are invalid. The minimum, maximum, and mean values are correct.
· Numerous changes were made to improve stability and performance when linking GoldSim to spreadsheets.
· In previous versions, when plotting probability histories of multiple outputs with multiple realizations, GoldSim always plotted (or displayed in tables) the mean value for each output. In 9.21, the user can now select what statistic to plot and display (e.g., median, mean, or a specified percentile).
· A new export format has been added to Time History Result elements. The new export option creates a simple ASCII text file in the form of a table. It has a format similar to the Table View of the output. Each row in the table is exported as a single row in the text file, and values are separated by tabs.
· A new option has been added to Time History Result elements to enable deactivation of the element. When a Result element is deactivated, it no longer forces the outputs that it references to be automatically saved.
· In all previous versions of GoldSim, Reservoir elements could not accept Discrete Changes with a Replace instruction. In 9.21, the Discrete Addition field in a Reservoir can now accept Discrete Changes with Replace instructions.
· A number of improvements and corrections were made to support defining and importing/exporting species in the Contaminant Transport Module.
· Changes have been made to improve the performance of models when deleting large containers.
· In Version 9.20, the Stochastic element distribution dialog was not accessible in Result Mode. This problem has been corrected.
· Source Containers did not previously support aliases for exposed outputs. This problem has been corrected.
· The Source element has been significantly modified, and now serves as a container element. All Cell elements associated with a Source element must now be placed within the Source. Users with existing pre-9.20 models that use Source element should refer to the conversion notes below for information about how to convert their models.
· The Species element’s information can be exported to and imported from a spreadsheet. This allows for the transfer of a species list, along with decay properties, between GoldSim models. Also, new options allow for specification of decay rates as either rates or half lives, and for sorting of the species list by either name or atomic weight.
· The Cell-net generator element has been enhanced with better support for axisymmetric models, direct links to media types, and an option for anisotropic diffusion properties.
· The Network Pathway element, typically used to represent transport through fractured rock masses, has been enhanced to support “Watch Groups” which track the mass flux through selected ‘windows’ within the system. This allows the user to monitor the progress of transport through a complex network.
In addition, a number of minor corrections and upgrades were made to GoldSim.
The GoldSim CT Module’s Source element was modified in GoldSim version 9.20 so as to make the logic of “Associated Cells” much clearer. As discussed in the GoldSim Contaminant Transport Module User’s Guide, Associated Cells and their interconnecting flux links are automatically scaled in proportion to the number of failed Source containers. Prior to version 9.20, any Cell in the same Container as a Source was automatically designated an Associated Cell (unless the user manually edited the Cell and deactivated the association).
As of version 9.20, the Source element acts as a container. This means that other elements can be placed inside a Source element. There are two purposes for this change:
· Associated Cell elements are now uniquely identified by being placed within their associated Source.
· Any other elements that represent logic associated with a specific Source can now be located within the Source, for greater model clarity.
When a pre- 9.20 model that used Source elements is first loaded, a dialog will appear that summarizes the number of Source elements and their Associated Cells. Before the model can be run using GoldSim version 9.20 (or higher), each associated Cell must be moved into its associated Source. This can typically be done by dragging and dropping it onto the Source. If the Cell is in a different container than the Source, right-click on it and select the Move option. (Note: if the elements that are moved are inside a localized Container, and they have outputs that are exposed on the localized Container, these outputs will have to be re-exposed after the elements are moved).
Optionally, other elements can also be moved inside a Source element. However, Source elements cannot contain other Source elements.
· Importing of Table element data from spreadsheets may fail if the model accesses multiple spreadsheets.
· An error in the calculation sequence can occur in rare cases where feedback loops are involved, and can result in incorrect solutions of Cell networks for time = 0.
· Several other user-interface and installation problems.
· A problem with displaying probability time-history results, when not all time histories were saved.
· An error in the sequencing logic for Reservoir element “Overflow rate” and “Actual withdrawal rate” outputs. This error allowed these outputs to be treated as ‘state variables’, which was not correct.
· Formatting problems with dashboard input fields when using % units.
· Several other user-interface and installation problems.
· The Reservoir element has been enhanced to anticipate the times when its value would hit its upper or lower bound, and it automatically generates an event in the system time queue. This means that longer time steps can be used without concern for the accuracy of Reservoir element results due to overshooting a limit.
· Automatic conversion of version-8 models has been enhanced, so that previous-value links for events and discrete changes are now automatically converted to use Previous Value elements.
· The Status element now reports an error if it receives both a True and a False trigger at the same time.
In addition, a number of minor corrections and upgrades were made. Items of note include the following:
· Some issues with dashboard output values not being updated, or incorrectly being editable, were corrected.
· A number of problems with Spreadsheet elements were corrected.
· A problem where a normal distribution Stochastic with a zero standard deviation would cause a crash was fixed.
·
A problem was corrected with result interpretation,
for condition-type results, that occurred when the
· Problems in running Sensitivity analyses were corrected, including a problem when controlling the probability levels of Stochastic elements.
· Problems when using the changed(..) or Occurs(..) operators in the input to a Data element or an And element were corrected.
· A problem with generating statistical history results for values larger than 1e20 was corrected.
· Corrects problems with the Previous Value element’s initial value.
· Allows the use of Selector elements to define initial values for other elements.
· Fixes a minor chart axis labeling problem and an error in date-time based probability history charts.
· Corrects a problem with units for the Pareto distribution of the Stochastic element.
· Fixes a problem with the Reservoir element, which could produce incorrect results after it receives a discrete change during an unscheduled timestep (due to an event of some kind).
· Fixes a problem with the Timed Event Generator element, which caused GoldSim to freeze if the element is used in date-time simulations.
· Miscellaneous minor user-interface enhancements.
· Enhanced graphics allow customization of the colors and shapes of influence arrows (including support for curved arrows), draw influences from center-to-center of elements (instead of from port to port), and use auto-layering of graphics. These modifications provide a much improved look and feel to the user interface.
· Improved influence filtering, such that influences can now be filtered differently in each Container and filtering can be specified based on the type of data that the influence represents (e.g., continuous values or discrete signals).
· Improved timestepping algorithms to support both continuous and discrete simulations, including the ability to dynamically adjust the timestep during a simulation based on the current value of variables in the model.
· Enhanced Container functionality, including the ability to create:
· Looping Systems defined by do-while or repeat-until conditions; and
· Internal Clock Systems which allow specific Containers to have a different (smaller) timsteps than the rest of the model.
· Simplified approach to creating conditional systems with activation and deactivation rules.
· Enhanced and tighter integration with Microsoft Excel ® spreadsheets, including:
· User-interface for selecting reference cells directly in Excel from GoldSim;
· Ability to use dynamically calculate cell offsets (row, column, sheet) based on a GoldSim expression;
· Ability to manually or dynamically import Time Series and Table element data from a spreadsheet; and
· Ability to manually or dynamically export simulation results to spreadsheets.
· Enhanced support for discrete-event models, including an improved triggering dialog.
· Automated sensitivity analysis capabilities, including:
· A new Multi-Variate Result display that provides statistical measures of sensitivity; and
· A separate run option that carries out calculations that provide additional graphical sensitivity analyses (e.g., tornado charts).
· Automated global Optimization capabilities. The new optimization features allow you to specify an objective function (a specific result that you would like to minimize or maximize), a constraint (a condition that must be met), and one or more optimization variables (variables in your model that you conceptually have some control over). GoldSim then runs the model multiple times, systematically selecting combinations of values for each of the optimization variables. By doing so, GoldSim can determine the values of the optimization variables that optimize (minimize or maximize) the objective function while meeting the specified constraint.
· New powerful elements:
· An enhanced Lookup Table element, which combines the former three Lookup Table elements into one element and adds new functionality such as the ability to link directly to spreadsheets.
· The Random Choice element, which is similar to a Decision element, and is particularly useful for representing event trees (processes consisting of specified random event sequences).
· The Previous-Value element, which replaces the ~ operator and provides access to the previous value of any model output. This element is particularly useful for simualating recursive systems, and facilitates looping calculations within the new Looping Container.
· Improvements to the GoldSim licensing system designed to make it easier to manage your license. For example, you can now run multiple GoldSim versions on a single machine using a single license.
· A problem related to moving cloned Containers has been corrected. In previous versions, if you moved a cloned Container, all of the cloning information was lost (the Container and its contents were no longer cloned). This has been fixed.
· Several very powerful additions to the Contaminant transport module:
· A new CellNet Generator element to automate the creation of large networks of Cells.
· A new mass flux link has been added (precipitate removal mass flux links) that can be used to transport precipitated mass directly from one pathway to another.
· A new mass flux link has been added (treatment mass flux links) that can be used to provide a mechanism for treating or removing a fraction of the amount of mass entering a Cell.
In addition to these major changes, Version 9 also includes a large number of smaller improvements and modifications, as well as a number of bug fixes. As pointed out above, in addition to these Release Notes, a more detailed document that summarizes the modifications in Version 9, and discusses any issues related to converting model files from Version 8 is provided in the Start Menu (under All Programs | GoldSim 9.0 | Release Info | Converting v8 Models). It is strongly recommended that all existing GoldSim users read this document!
· Enhanced fonts in dialogs for Chinese versions of Windows.
· Implements changes to the GoldSim license system to be compatible with version 9.
· Improved solution times for very large CT models.
· Allow user-defined cumulative probability distributions to have repeated values or probabilities.
· Miscellaneous minor user-interface enhancements.
· Corrects a problem with excessive outflow rates that could cause solver errors.
· Fixes a problem with sealed and locked containers, which allowed users to change attributes without breaking the seal or preventing the change. Also, fixes a password problem with locked containers
· Implements a number of changes to the GoldSim license system that allow shared licenses and a more robust registration process.
· Help files have been updated. Help for the Contaminant Transport module is now included.
Click here for a complete list of changes.
· For decay-chain solutions the CT-Module ‘direct-transfer-rate’ option could ‘shuffle’ its outputs. This was corrected.
· The Event-Delay element can now have the delay times randomly sampled from a Stochastic element’s distribution.
· The Timed Event Generator can now have the event times randomly sampled from a Stochastic element’s distribution.
· Corrected a problem with reparsing elements.
· Changed expression updating and pre-run model checks.
· Fixed shortcut keys for subscript and superscript fonts in text boxes (Ctrl-=, Ctrl-+)
· Improved reparse performance for distributed processing simulations.
· Corrected a problem where an element’s name could be changed but not all elements referencing it would have the references corrected. This problem existed in all earlier version of GoldSim, but seldom occurred and usually generated an error message that the user could easily correct.
· Modified the contaminant transport algorithm to allow carrying out of transport and decay calculations for masses as small as 1e-24 kg (high precision option).
· Modified the contaminant transport algorithm to allow shorter time sub-steps, and to limit the generation of warning messages for zero-solubility chemical elements.
· Corrected an SP4 problem where a CT solution could hang and not complete.
· Corrected an
· Increased the efficiency of model re-parsing.
· Allow triangular probability distributions to have min = mode = max..
· Corrected a problem where Reservoir elements with multiple discrete changes could cause a GoldSim crash.
· The method used to create the Latin hypercube strata in GoldSim was modified so as to have completely separate, independent sets of strata. (All previous version of GoldSim used the same suite of strata for different Stochastic elements, simply shifting the array of strata by one for each element).
· License error checking and reporting of license errors has been enhanced.
· Last run log is available for display in edit mode.
· Error checking in the cell-net solver of the CT/RT module has been improved.
· Chart keyword %#cr% has been added to allow automatic display of current realization number
· The Integrator element has been given an option to use a ‘backwards-looking’ integration algorithm, which applies the current rate of change to the previous time step. (By default, the current rate of change is applied to the next time step). This option is intended to allow CT/RT-module users to integrate mass fluxes in a way that is consistent with the CT/RT modules. Enable the feature using the Model/Options dialog, and then each Integrator element will provide a new tab to allow you to enable the feature for that element.
· A bug was fixed that would affect model results if a) importance-sampling was enabled for some Stochastic elements, and b) the Distributed Processing option was selected.
· The CT/RT module was enhanced for better solution of problems involving both huge and small masses, and to give more precise warning messages if negative masses were created (and ignored) during a solution.
· Some problem areas involving extremely large models and results, run using the Distributed Processing module, were resolved.
· A new Convolution element, which lets you project future consequences that can be mathematically described as convolution integrals . For example, if you are selling new cars at a rate of 1000 per month, what are your future liabilities for warranty repairs? Convolution can be used to solve problems like this.
· You can now define data arrays (vectors and matrices) within an input field using array constructor functions.
· Stochastic elements can now be defined as vectors.
· Date/Time models are no longer limited in their duration (previously, they could not extend beyond 2035).
· Improved functionality for globally changing symbols for elements. For example, you could instruct GoldSim to change the symbols for all Integrator elements in the model to a specified image.
· Improved Hyperlink functionality. The Hyperlink object is now more powerful and easier to use.
· Improved array functions. The If statement now supports term-by-term calculation (i.e., the condition can be an array). You can also raise an array to a power, and the calculation will be carried out term-by-term.
· Improved triggering functionality. The Trigger dialog for specifying triggering events now support two additional types: OnFalse and IfTrue. In addition, you can specify multiple events and instruct GoldSim not to pull the trigger until all events have occurred.
· Improved sequencing logic. The sequencing logic in GoldSim has been totally redesigned. This particularly improves the ability of GoldSim to represent recursive discrete event systems.
· A new textbox object has been added. This allows you to add scrollable textboxes (with multiple fonts) to the graphics pane.
· The equality operator can now be entered as either == or = (previously, only == was accepted).
· When you open a model file that contains large amounts of simulation results, the results can now be loaded in the background while the model can be browsed and individual results viewed in the foreground.
· Lists of slave names or their IP addresses used for complex distributed network runs can be imported from or exported to files.
· GoldSim internally stores images (e.g. background pictures) in a highly compressed format that preserves the quality, color depth and resolution of the original. GoldSim also supports a number of new graphic file formats.
· A new slave manager service (only supported on Windows NT and above) has been added that can remotely launch slaves for distributed network simulations.
· The distributed networking module (DP) has been largely rewritten for faster and more reliable communication, data exchange and simulation execution.
· Model files can now be larger than 2GB (on NTFS file systems only) and support virtually unlimited amounts of history results.
· Generalized units ‘date’ and ‘datetime’ have been added to provide better support for time-based display units.
· Viewing probabilistic results of conditions and discrete distributions has been improved.
· Two new outputs (the number of realizations and the total duration) have been added to the MasterClock.
· Discrete Changes and Discrete Change Delays can now handle matrices (previously, they could only handle scalars and vectors).
· When exporting charts, more graphics formats are now available.
· Units for several foreign currencies (euro, yen, pound sterling) are now supported (i.e., you can add new units for these).
· A new % unit has been added so you can enter data as percentages.
· The Information and Material Delay elements now allow you to specify the Delay Time and Dispersion as arrays (if the input signal is an array), and then each item is delayed separately.
· The CT (Contaminant Transport) and RT (Radionuclide Tranport) modules also have some significant changes:
· The old ‘Chain-by-chain’ solution algorithm for cell-nets is no longer supported (it has been replaced by the faster “family-by-family” algorithm.
· A change has been made in how partition factors are defined for fluids that have defined solubilities:
1. For any fluid for which solubilities have been defined, GoldSim will internally compute a partition coefficient for the species in that fluid (with respect to the reference fluid) that is equal to the ratio of the solubility of the species in the fluid to the solubility of the species in the reference fluid.
2. If the reference fluid has an unlimited solubility for a species, any other fluids with specified solubilities must also have an unlimited solubility for that species (and GoldSim will assume a partition coefficent equal to unity).
3. If you wish a fluid to have different solubility limits from the reference fluid, but to have a partition coefficient relative to the reference fluid of 1.0, you can do so by creating a clone of the reference fluid.
· A new ‘direct transfer’ option for mass flux has been added to the existing advective and diffusive capabilities. This new option provides a very general first-order transfer process for cases that aren’t advective or diffusive.
· Contaminant species can have up to four daughter products.
· The stoichiometry of a species can now be a link (rather than a constant).
· Cells now compute the Dissolved Concentration in fluids (if a suspended solid is present) and the Precipitated Mass (i.e., the total amount of mass in the cell which has precipitated out of solution).
· Cell-nets can span multiple Containers.
· Associated Cells (for Sources) can now reside in Containers other than the Source Container.
· Fixed a problem with correlation factor of -1 between stochastic elements.
· Fixed a problem with suspended solids in Pipe elements.
· Fixed numerous minor editing and cosmetic problems.
· Adds context-sensitive help support to GoldSim
·
Removes limitation on maximum number of table rows in
· Adds error code information to Registration Failure dialog
· Fixes minor problem with temperature units in unit-expressions
· CT Species element isotope flag does not trigger saving changes
· Fixes a problem in the Round function which did not correctly handle big numbers (> 2.4e9)
· Fixes a problem that could case GoldSim to crash when adding or removing the Expression element’s initial value input
· Fixes a file saving bug when using versioning
· Corrects an error in pipe pathway if pipe completely empties and then its properties change
· Fixes a problem that causes correlations between Stochastics to cease working
· Corrects a problem causing incorrect Import/export from/to spreadsheets if columns > 'Z' referenced
· Fixes a problem in random number generator which would not always generate unique random number seeds when pasting a container with elements into a model
· Corrects decay-chain logic which incorrectly indicates a loop
· Fixes cloning problems in information or material Delay elements
· Fixes several issues when exporting result database
· Fixes a problem in CT solver (family-by-family) which could fail when very small delta masses are involved
· Fixes a problem with hyperlink components, which did not always function correctly when embedded in dashboards.
· Fixes problems when cloning Material Time Series, Information Time Series, Sum, Extrema, Fluid and Source elements.
· Fixes a problem with constant date/time strings (e.g. “01/01/2003”) in input expressions. GoldSim mistakenly requested a unit string to be added to the date.
· Fixes a problem with memory buildup while running complex models.
· Fixes a problem with the result file import function, which is used to import single realization result files that were output during a distributed processing simulation.
· Fixes several problems with large system fonts.
· Fixes a CT/RT-module problem for better convergence of low-solubility, low-mobility species.
· A new distribution type, the Student’s t-distribution, has been added to the Stochastic element.
· Almost all math and logical functions in GoldSim now support arrays. For example, for matrices A and B the expression A * B will create a new matrix with each term being the product of the corresponding terms in A and B. Also, sin(A) would now produce a matrix containing the sine of each term in A. The details of these changes are described in a separate document GS_75_NewMathFuncs.pdf.
· The way that GoldSim manages result memory has been redesigned, so that more results can be generated using less RAM memory. When GoldSim is running, the time history results are now stored in a temporary result file. The result data are automatically loaded and cached in memory only for as long as needed for result display.
· Time history results are now compressed when saved to the model file, allowing for larger result sets to be created.
· Application memory tuning (a.k.a. 4-gigabyte tuning or 4GT) is applied by default. This feature allows GoldSim to use 50 percent more virtual memory (up to 3 GB) on Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.
· External elements can optionally be flagged to run in separate processes. This frees the GoldSim process space during the simulation and allows larger external processes and more results to be stored. Each such external process can use up to 2 GB (3 GB with 4GT) of virtual memory.
· A basic printing capability for result tables has been added. This can be used to print out time histories, result statistics, etc.
· New math functions have been added for calculating normal, Student-t and gamma distributions.
· Cumulative and discrete data tables from Stochastic elements can now be copied to the clipboard.
· GoldSim no longer supports Microsoft Windows 95. While it will still run on Windows 95 systems, compatibility will not be guaranteed for future releases.
· An optional enhanced cell-net solver algorithm has been added, which will produce much faster, more stable solutions with large numbers of Cell elements. This option is the default for new models, and can be modified from the Model/Options/Contaminant Transport menu. The new option is called the ‘family-by-family’ algorithm, and the original option is called the ‘chain-by-chain’ algorithm.
· A single user-definable precision setting, with a value of High, Medium, or Low has been added to the Options dialog. This replaces the deHoog ‘nterms’ and also controls the accuracy of Cell-net solutions.
· An option to disable logging of CT/RT-specific warnings during a model simulation was added.
· For multiple isotopes, GoldSim will now generate a warning message if the specified solubility values are not proportional to the atomic weights of the isotopes.
·
The Species element has a new output vector, called Mol_Weight,
which provides the atomic (or molecular) weights of the species. For
models involving isotopes, users are encouraged to define solubilities
using a simple formula:
Define a data-vector (e.g. “SOLS”) containing the molar solubilities (mol/m3) for each species. In
the input-field for Water solubilities, simply enter
the name of the solubility element multiplied by the atomic weights, e.g.
“SOLS * Species.Mol_Weight”).
This approach will give consistent values and avoid the warning messages that
GoldSim will generate if inconsistent values are entered for different
isotopes.
· Fixed a problem with the trunc() function when used with very small or very large numbers, e.g. > 2e9.
· Fixed a problem with Stochastic element’s gamma distribution, if a large mean value was used.
· A dashboard component that was linked to an input of a Data Definition element that also had clones, only updated the linked element but not its clones.
· Fixed a problem when pasting data into a grid, e.g. a vector or matrix edit dialog.
· Generating large result tables with more than 10,000 cells is now significantly faster.
· Fixed a problem with versioning, which mistakenly recorded global changes to result-saving flags.
· A problem with using the date-time option for simulations was fixed. This bug could cause incorrect results for discrete change calculations.
· A problem with displaying confidence limits for some time-history results was fixed.
· A problem which could cause a fatal error in the material time-history element was fixed,.
· Pipe pathways were not correctly handling time-dependent changes to species decay rates.
· A roundoff problem that could cause a timed event to be emitted one timestep too late was fixed.
· Delay elements were given an improved algorithm for more accurate results.
This version is a minor release with only a few modifications from version 7.30.
Note, however, that version 7.30 was a major new release with a large number of new features. If you are upgrading from a version previous to 7.30, you should read the 7.30 Upgrade Document. This document discusses some of the key changes in version 7.30, identifies those cases in which your results may be different from those generated by previous versions, and identifies those cases where old models may be invalid in the new version.
The user documentation has also been updated and can downloaded
from the
This version contains the following notable new features:
· A capacity input was added to the Event Delay element. The number of signals in the Delay cannot exceed the capacity. Signals received while the Delay is at its capacity are stored in a queue until there is room in the Delay. This facilitates the simulation of actual queues, such as that at a bank teller.
· You can now “lock onto” a DLL in an External element, a spreadsheet file in a Spreadsheet element, or any file referenced by a File element. When you lock onto a file, a CRC signature is generated. The CRC signature is an alphanumeric code that can be used to uniquely identify whether the file contents have changed. When you run a model that has locked onto a file, GoldSim compares the CRC signature of the file with the original signature that was stored. If these are not identical (indicating that the file has been changed), GoldSim displays an error message and will not run the model.
·
Vectors and matrices can now be downloaded into Data elements from
· A New Model Wizard was added to automatically set the major simulation settings when a new model is created. (You can choose to disable the wizard through the Options dialog).
Version 7.40 also includes a number of minor changes, the most significant of which are as follows:
· The license agreement is now viewed when you register (or upgrade) GoldSim, which for most users eliminates the need for printed license agreements.
· When you start GoldSim, a Start dialog automatically appears from which you can choose to open a new file, open an existing file, or open a recent file.
· Stochastic elements can now be cloned (previously, this was not permitted).
· Three new outputs were added to the MasterClock: DayofWeek, DayofYear and WeekofYear.
· When you download from a database to an element, the database download status information is now shown in the element’s tool-tip.
· The Model Author has been added to the Simulation Settings. This is written to the Run Log and can be referenced via a keyword (%author%) in chart styles.
· Changing a result saving flag no longer triggers an entry in the version log.
· Academic versions of GoldSim are now limited to 500 elements.
· The Contaminant Transport Module now has two types of licenses: CT and RT. CT does not have Source elements, Network pathways, and does not allow reaction (daughter products). All existing licenses will automatically convert to RT licenses.
· The Distributed Processing Module now has two types of licenses: DP and DP Plus. DP allows up to 5 slaves, while DP Plus allows an unlimited number of slaves. All existing licenses will automatically convert to DP Plus licenses.
GoldSim 7.40 addresses several minor bugs, the most significant being the following:
· Several bugs associated with copying, pasting and moving Dashboard controls (and elements linked to controls) have been corrected.
· GoldSim now applies more careful tests when checking the validity of previous-value (feedback) links, and when sequencing the calculations of models that involve previous-value links or discrete changes.
Version 7.30 is a major new release with a large number of new features. Version 7.30 was previously released as a beta version (7.30.0) to a limited number of users for testing. Version 7.30.1 is a point release that addresses problems uncovered during beta testing.
In addition to adding new features, some of the terminology in GoldSim has changed, and there have been some modifications to the underlying philosophy on which the software is based. Most importantly, due to improvements in some of the algorithms, some existing models will compute (slightly) different answers with the new version. In some rare cases, old models will need to be modified slightly before they will run in the new version.
The changes have been documented in detail in an updated version of the user’s manual, which can be downloaded from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC). Because the changes are so significant, all users should update their documentation. The significant changes are outlined below, and where appropriate, references are made to pages in the manual.
In addition, to make the migration to GoldSim 7.30 easier, a 7.30 Upgrade Document has been produced. It is highly recommended that existing users read this document before using GoldSim 7.30. The document discusses some of the key changes, identifies those cases in which your results may be different from those generated by previous versions, and identifies those cases where old models may be invalid in the new version.
A number of modifications to GoldSim terminology have been made:
· Ordinal Sets are now called Array Labels.
· Accumulators are now called Integrators.
· Consequences are now called Discrete Changes.
· Events are now called Timed Events.
· Delays are now called Event Delays.
· Transaction outputs are now called Discrete Signals; Event Transactions are called Discrete Event Signals; Consequence Transactions are called Discrete Change Signals
· Feedback links are now called Previous Value Links
· Some of the Table and Field names for the result export database format have been changed (to be consistent with the changes outlined above).
This version contains a large number of major new features:
· Several powerful new elements have been added to support discrete event simulation:
o Decision element
o Milestone element
o Status element
o Triggered Event
o Discrete Change (Consequence) Delay
These are discussed in detail starting on page 9-17 of the User’s Guide.
· The Event Delay element has been updated and improved in several ways:
o The signal can now be dispersed while in transit.
o The Delay behaves like a conveyor belt, which impacts behavior if the delay time changes dynamically.
o Events no longer output a Completion Status.
Event Delays are discussed in detail on page 9-31.
· Two new elements for delaying continuous signals have been added: Information Delays (page 4-108) and Material Delays (page 4-116).
· Two new elements for entering and manipulating time series data have been added: Information Time Series (page 4-38) and Material Time Series (page 4-50).
· A new logical (Not) element has been added (page 4-106).
· The integration algorithm for Accumulators (now called Integrators) and Reservoirs has been changed. As a result, in most cases, feedback links (now called previous value links) will no longer be required. This is discussed in detail on pages 4-65, 4-70, and 4-126.
· Conditional Containers have been completely reworked and greatly expanded (page 9-48).
· Element triggering has been completely reworked and greatly expanded (page 9-20).
· Expressions are now colorized in input fields to make them easier to read and edit.
· Version Tracking has been added. This allows you to track the changes made to your model file over time (page 9-83).
· All users now have access to the GoldSim Dashboard Authoring tools (described in detail in the GoldSim Dashboard Authoring Module User’s Guide). In order to create Player files with Dashboards, however, your license must have Dashboard Publishing option activated.
Version 7.30 also includes a significant number of minor changes, the most significant of which are as follows:
· An Occurs function has been added. This function accepts a discrete event signal as an argument, and outputs a condition (page 9-33).
· The Changed function has been modified. It accepts a continuous input argument and outputs a condition (page 4-4).
· The functionality of the insert link dialog has been improved to make it easier to find elements (page 3-21).
· You can now insert jpeg images (although they are still internally stored as bitmaps).
· The Insert element menu is now hierarchical.
· Tool-tip functionality in expressions has been improved (tool-tips now can appear while you are editing).
· A number of commonly encountered error messages have been improved (e.g., for dimensional inconsistencies).
· Output icons in browsers have changed. Discrete signal (transaction) outputs in the browser are differentiated by an exclamation point.
· The Main browser has been removed. There is only a single browser now.
· Search capabilities in the browser have been improved (page 3-43).
· You can zoom in and out in the graphics pane using mouse wheel.
· You can navigate Containers using hot-key combinations (page 3-29).
· The size of the graphics pane document has been expanded.
· The Time History Result element is now more robust and flexible.
· Discrete Signals (transaction outputs) are ignored if received by elements in inactive Containers (in previous versions, they were stored). See page 9-49.
· The default number of substeps is 0 if the Contaminant Transport Module is not being used (and 10 if it is being used).
· When you replace an element’s image, GoldSim allows you to choose if you want the new image to be scaled to fit the existing element size, or if you want the element size to adjust to the new image size.
GoldSim 7.30 addresses a large number of minor bugs, the most significant being the following:
· Probability densities for discrete distributions were being displayed incorrectly.
· Axis label fonts were not being saved for result elements.
· The number of phases was limited to 5.
· Under some situations (small cell volumes, high flow rates), we could generate large overshoots (and create mass) within the CT Module (this was correctly noted in the run log). The algorithm has been improved to better handle these situations.
· Several problems associated with exporting results to databases have been corrected.
This version is a point release with minor modifications from version 7.21. Note that while 7.21.200 is a verified version of GoldSim, the Player is still considered a beta version and is not verified.
· There are no major changes in 7.21.200.
Version 7.21.200 has one minor change:
· Result distribution analyses for Monte Carlo simulations can now display confidence bounds on the mean value of the result.
Version 7.21.200 addresses a number of bugs, including:
· In previous versions a Source element would stop releasing mass when it got below 1e-9 of its inventory. This has been corrected so that all mass is released.
· For Pipe elements, a stagnant zone was required to have a solid medium specified or it would be ignored. This has been corrected, and no medium is required.
· Pipe elements would incorrectly output invalid numbers following an event.
· Hyperlink elements would not jump the user into Containers or Dashboards.
· Financial math functions required an integer number of periods (months, years). This is no longer required.
· GoldSim would crash when running on Windows 9x machines and a Sum, And, or Or element was edited.
· GoldSim could crash when running on Windows NT machines when editing inputs in grids.
· A conditional Container could not be re-activated based on its prior completion event.
· A bug was fixed where, in unusual circumstances, one of the Stochastic elements in a model could fail to correctly generate its random values. This would occur only if the number of Stochastic elements exceeds the number of realizations by exactly one, with LHS enabled.
· Numerous minor problems with Dashboards and the Player were corrected.
· The reservoir element could incorrectly report an error if its lower bound was increasing more rapidly than its value.
GoldSim 7.21 incorporates several significant new features and internal modifications. As a result it is treated as a beta version, even though it has been verified. Users requiring the highest degree of confidence are advised to wait until the first point release (likely to be 7.21.100) before installing it.
· The manuals have all been updated, and can be downloaded from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC).
· Edit fields for input expressions automatically expand. These fields allow the user to view and edit arbitrarily long input expressions.
· Support for Dashboards and Player files has been added. Dashboards are special containers that contain user-defined controls (sliders, etc.) and information that are designed to allow an untrained user to run the new GoldSim Player program. Note that a special license is required in order to create Dashboarded files. The Dashboard Authoring Module User’s Guide has been posted along with the other manuals on the website.
· The Simulation Settings dialog has been modified. Most of the changes are cosmetic. However, a feature has been added to allow you to run a deterministic simulation, and override the settings specified for each Stochastic element. For more information, see Chapter 6 of the GoldSim User’s Guide.
Version 7.21 addresses a significant number of minor changes, including:
· A number of modifications were made to the Spreadsheet element. First, the changes made to a spreadsheet during a simulation can now be saved. Also, a spreadsheet element is no longer required to have any inputs (e.g., if it is a data source). Spreadsheet elements can now reference spreadsheet cells beyond column 26 (Z). Finally, multiple Spreadsheet elements can access the same Excel file.
· When you define a specified (deterministic) value for a Stochastic, the value is saved when you switch to a multiple realization run.
· A new command line argument was added to allow you to read in an old GoldSim file, save it, and then close GoldSim. When used in a batch file, this provides a convenient way to convert all of your GoldSim files to the latest format.
· The maximum cell-net matrix size was increased from 330 to 1000.
· Relative paths to hyperlinks in Notes can now be specified (previously, the full path was necessary).
· Access to databases has been streamlined.
· The tool-tip for Expression elements now shows the formula used.
· The thickness of influences is no longer determined by the number of links. All influences, regardless of the number of links, have the same width by default. The influence property dialog, however, allows you to adjust the thickness for each influence. Existing models (in which the thickness reflects the number of links) keep their old thickness settings. You can, however, modify the thickness individually for each influence.
· GoldSim now remembers the last viewed Container and displays the contents of that Container when the file is reopened.
· Printer settings for Containers are now applied to all Containers, not just the current one.
· The Extrema element can now output the time at which the maximum (or minimum) value occurred.
· New math functions rowmin( ) and rowmax( ) record the row number of the largest or smallest entry in a vector.
· Tables defining probabilities and values can now be copied from spreadsheets and pasted into cumulative and discrete Stochastic element definitions.
· Result time history tables can now display up to 10,000 columns (realizations).
· Switches can now be inserted into a Selector (previously, new switches were always added at the bottom). In addition, the Switch dialog in a Selector is now resizable.
· A new status bar field has been added which provides additional information about the file and Container being viewed.
· A new keyword, the element’s description (%ed%n) has been added for use in result displays.
· Contaminant transport elements can no longer be within a conditional Container which gets deactivated. That is, if they are in a conditional Container, that Container can never be deactivated. If it is, a fatal error will be displayed.
Version 7.21 addresses a number of bugs, including:
· If a Cell or Pipe pathway had its output flux rate go to zero, GoldSim would retain its last non-zero flux rate rather than setting the rate to zero.
· For complex decay chains where a single parent had two daughters, and both daughters’ decay-chains subsequently merged, Pipe elements could lose the mass generated by one branch of the merged chain.
· Several bugs related to use of the ‘importing from database’ and ‘exporting to database’ have been fixed.
· Text objects can now contain empty lines (e.g., between paragraphs). In previous versions, empty lines were ignored (removed). In addition, word-wrap is now defaulted to on when a text object is inserted.
· Several bugs related to the Note window have been fixed.
· When you replace the symbol for an element in the graphics pane, the size setting is now over-ridden so that the new image is not distorted.
· Several bugs related to use of the Distributed Processing Module have been fixed.
These versions are point releases with minor modifications from version 7.17:
· A problem that could cause slow file-save times after a very large network run was fixed.
· A memory-management problem for network solutions with large numbers of realizations was addressed (version 7.17.100 only). This fix worked on some but not all Windows NT systems, and was removed in version 7.17.200.
Version 7.17 is a point release with several minor modifications from version 7.15. These include:
· A bug was fixed which in unusual circumstances caused Extrema elements to give incorrect values in multiple-realization simulations.
· An error was fixed, that caused simulations solved using the Network solver to give incorrect probability time histories if not all time histories were saved.
· Some unclear error and warning messages were improved.
· A capability was developed to allow unloading a user-provided DLL after calling it.
Version 7.15 is a point release with several minor modifications from version 7.12. These include:
· The model archiving process was redesigned such that model load/save speeds are significantly improved.
· The shortcut key to switch back to Edit Mode (F4) now works while element property dialogs are open.
· Fixed minor problems with default values using old-style unit definitions (i.e., curly braces).
· Fixed a bug in unit conversion of user-defined stochastic distribution types when exporting results to a database.
· Fixed a bug with selected vector sub-items in time history charts.
· Fixed a problem with container conditionality.
· Fixed a problem where elements could be pasted into a model while in Result Mode.
· Minor cosmetic improvements.
Version 7.12 is a point release with only minor modifications from version 7.11. These include:
· Fixed a bug where Pipe elements give unreliable results following the occurrence of any Event.
· Fixed a problem where Expression elements could generate an incorrect error message.
· Minor cosmetic improvements.
Version 7.11 is a point release with only minor modifications from version 7.10. These include:
· Fixed a bug which in unusual circumstances could cause one Stochastic element in a model to produce incorrect results.
· Fixed a problem where Reservoir elements could generate an incorrect error message.
· Improved the display of dynamic results in charts.
· Minor cosmetic improvements.
A large number of new features and modifications have been made to version 7.10. The key changes are highlighted below.
· The manuals have all been updated, and can be downloaded from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC). Due to the large number of changes (and the fundamental nature of some of the changes), you are strongly encouraged to update your documentation with this version.
· GoldSim simulations are now controlled using the GoldSim Run Controller. Using the Run Controller, you can start and abort a simulation, as well as pause (to explore outputs) and resume it, and step through the simulation one realization or one timestep at a time. (The next version of GoldSim will allow you to add breakpoints to an element so that the model will pause when a particular condition is met.) The Run Controller is described on page 6-13 of the GoldSim User’s Guide, and you are strongly encourged to read this section before using Version 7.10.
· GoldSim now makes a strong distinction between Edit Mode, Run Mode and Result Mode. You can only edit a model while it is in Edit Mode. While Run Mode and Result Mode allow for some limited editing capabilities, most dialogs are locked in these modes. This prevents you from creating a model which is inconsistent with the saved results. In order to return to Edit Mode, you must abort the run (if in Run Mode) and/or discard the results. The three GoldSim modes are discussed in detail on page 6-14 of the GoldSim User’s Guide. To return from Result Mode to Edit Mode you can press F4 or click the new toolbar icon which has been provided.
· Result elements can now be left open during a simulation so that you can view the results dynamically as they are generated during a simulation (see page 7-83 of the GoldSim User’s Guide). The ability to manually slow down a simulation (using the Run Controller) facilitates the viewing of such plots even for simulations which run very rapidly
· Several restrictions have been added regarding the use of feedback links to ensure their proper application. In particular, feedback links can now only originate from the following outputs:
o Accumulators
o Reservoirs
o Expressions with Specified Initial Values
o Transaction outputs (i.e., events and consequences);
o All Contaminant Transport Module elements.
In addition, the Initial Values for Accumulators, Reservoirs and Expressions cannot themselves be functions of feedback links. These limitations are discussed on page 9-17 in the GoldSim User’s Guide. Note that due to these new limitations, some existing models may now contain invalid expressions that will need to be modified prior to running your model.
· A new database format for importing data into a GoldSim model has been added. This format (referred to as a Simple GoldSim Database) is discussed on page 9-39 of the GoldSim User’s Guide.
· You can now specify a “deterministic value” for each Stochastic element in your model. The deterministic value can be the mean, the median, a specified quantile, or a specified value. When you run a “deterministic simulation” in GoldSim, the specified “deterministic value” is used for each Stochastic. This is discussed in detail on page 4-26 of the GoldSim User’s Guide.
· The manner in which Initial Values for outputs within inactivated Containers are evaluated has been modified:
o Before becoming active, all elements except constant Data elements, output zero (previously, they output an expected value). Constant Data elements output their defined value.
o Once they are activated, the elements output their normal (computed) output.
o Elements with Initial Values (e.g., Accumulators, Reservoirs and Expressions with initial values) output zero until they are first activated, and the Initial Value is not applied (i.e., they are not initialized) until they activate. (Previously, they output their Initial Value prior to activation).
These new rules are discussed on page 9-31 of the GoldSim User’s Guide. Note that due to these changes, some existing models may now behave differently. Hence, if you are using conditional Container in your models, you are strongly advised to read this section and, if necessary, modify your models accordingly.
· You can now reference units in an expression without using curly braces. That is, you can enter “10 m” instead of “10 {m}”. The curly braces are still recognized (omitting them is optional). The specific rules which must be followed if you wish to omit the curly braces are discussed on page 3-19 of the GoldSim User’s Guide.
· A new function (the Plume function) has been added which outputs a correction factor allowing you to compute the spatially variable concentration at the end of a Pipe pathway (accounting for transverse dispersion and a non-uniform source). The Plume function is described in detail in page 4-66 of the Contaminant Transport Module User’s Guide.
· GoldSim can now create a Player file (see page 8-33 of the GoldSim User’s Guide). Player files can only be viewed in the (free) GoldSim Player. The Player is essentially complete, and is now being beta tested. After the beta testing is complete, we will post the Player to the website (March or April of 2001). If you would like to help beta test the Player, contact us at software@goldsim.com.
· The GoldSim Dashboard Authoring Module allows you to create Player files that can be edited and run by others (Player files created without this module can only be viewed). This Module is also essentially complete and is currrently being beta-tested. Use of this Module will require a modification to user’s existing license agreements and an additional license fee. It will be available in March or April of 2001.
· Result elements now “remember” the last type of chart or table which was viewed. For example, if you last viewed a distribution result element as a CCDF, the next time it is viewed, it will be displayed as a CCDF.
· You can now control the number of significant figures viewed in a result table (see page 7-15 of the GoldSim User’s Guide).
· Round and truncate functions only accept dimensionless arguments.
· New dialogs have been provided to assist in adding inputs for multiple discrete changes and triggers to an Element.
· When viewing the contents of a locked Container, the cursor takes on the appearance of a lock.
· A bug was corrected regarding how Stochastic elements were being correlated. This bug resulted in actual correlations being slightly different from specified correlations.
· Entering Full Screen View in version 7.01 resulted in a crash. This has been corrected.
· The following bugs in the Contaminant Transport Module were corrected:
o Under some circumstances, GoldSim crashed when deleting species.
o Pipe elements with a matrix diffusion skin layer crashed when simulating decay chains.
o A bug in the manner that matrix diffusion is Pipes with retardation and anion exclusion was simulated was corrected.
o Inner and outer inventories for a Source were being reversed in 7.01.
o Pipes with zero flow rates were being incorrectly computed.
o The inner barrier inventory could not be released in the first timestep.
o Source inventory cell fractions and matrix degradation rates where not updated dynamically if they were entered as expressions (rather than links).
· Corrected problems with Internet registration.
· CT Module: fixed problems for cell elements in conditional containers, fixed problem with specifying time-varying degradation rate for source term, fixed problem with losing “Radioactive” setting for species.
· The manuals have all been updated, and can be downloaded from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC).
· Starting with this version, all copies of GoldSim will need to be registered (licensed) to a specific machine. There are several different ways in which you can register GoldSim, all of which will be explained when you first try to run the program. In all cases, you will be required to enter a Registration Code. All licensed users should have received a Registration Code via email. If you are a licensed user and have not already received your Code, you can request one by sending an email to support@goldsim.com. Note that once you have registered GoldSim version 7 on your PC, you can not move it to a different folder without getting a new Registration Code. Note also that a GoldSim copy that is only acting as a Slave does not need to be registered (unregistered copies can be run in Slave mode). (For more information, see page 1-7 of the GoldSim User’s Guide).
· The basic GoldSim framework and the specialized GoldSim extension modules have been separated, with the modules (e.g., the Contaminant Transport module) now being provided as separate .DLL files. Your particular license determines which of the modules are available to you. If you are building a model that does not require an extension module, you can deactivate that module (via File|Extension Modules). For example, if you do not need the Contaminant Transport features, you can turn off this module for a particular model, and the contaminant transport elements will be removed from the model. (For more information, see page 1-15 of the GoldSim User’s Guide)
· GoldSim now provides the ability to Lock or Seal a container, for QA purposes. The contents of a locked container can be viewed but not edited (until it is unlocked via a password). Nothing inside a sealed container can be changed without breaking the seal. GoldSim prompts the user before any changes are implemented to the contents of a sealed container (after which the seal is broken). (For more information, see page 4-9 of the GoldSim User’s Guide).
· All or part of your model results can now be exported (via File|Export|Results) into one of three formats: as an ASCII file, a binary file, or directly into an Access database. (For more information, see page 7-58 of the GoldSim User’s Guide).
· If a model has an invalid input, when you try to run it GoldSim will show an error message with a button that allows you to directly edit the element causing the problem.
· A number of command line parameters have been added which can be used to better control how GoldSim is run. For example, one parameter causes the model to open, run, and immediately close. This allows you to “stack” a number of runs in a batch file. (For more information, see page 6-16 of the GoldSim User’s Guide)
· GoldSim will no longer allow you to delete an ordinal set or a user-defined unit if it is currently being used in your model.
· The names of elements with attached notes are now underlined in the graphics pane (and appear as if they are a hyperlink). Clicking on the element’s name displays the Note Pane. Note that this means that you can no longer double-click on an element’s name in the graphics pane to directly edit it; instead you must Ctrl+double-click on the name.
· Added layout tools (via Graphics|Layout) and a new Layout toolbar to allow you to space and size elements and objects.
· Result elements now “remember” the type of display that was last shown (i.e., table or chart).
· Improved implementation of the Function-of and Affects calculations. These are now carried out much more efficiently when dealing with large models.
· Tool-tips have been added to the Exposed Outputs dialog of a localized container to show the full path of the output.
· When viewing data tables for multivariate results, you can instruct GoldSim to show the full path of the output in the header to the table.
· A number of names (e.g., sin, cos) have now been protected so you can’t create elements with those names.
· Improved error handling for user-created DLL’s.
· Added the ability to send a GoldSim file via email (File|Send…).
· The Units dialog (for creating and activating units) has been streamlined and simplified.
· Simplified influence filtering dialog.
· You can now filter the outputs of conditional Containers (this was not previously available in the Define Filter dialog).
· Improved accuracy of the Laplace-transform solution for pipe and network elements.
· Added new capabilities to the Hyperlink object (the ability to jump to a particular container or element).
· Some problems with the Note editing window have been corrected.
· Corrected an error in the erf( ) built-in function.
· Corrected a problem related to pasting numbers with a comma format from a spreadsheet into a GoldSim table.
· Hidden influences can no longer be selected accidentally.
· A bug involving the matrix degradation rate in Sources was corrected. In particular, if the matrix degradation rate was specified locally (with the Degradation Rate field) as an expression, the expression was not updated (the value at the first timestep was used for the entire simulation).
· A bug involving associated cells was corrected. In particular, of the model used substeps during the first fill timestep, and multiple packages failed during that step, solubility limits in associated cells were ignored.
· After pasting numerical values in scientific notation into a Table element the auto-sorting did not work correct and mistakenly stored the numbers in an incorrect order.
· For contaminant transport solutions using Pipe or Network elements, where both parent and daughter species in a decay-chain had the same (non-zero) decay-rate, inaccurate outputs could be produced in GoldSim versions prior to 6.04.006.
· Some pipe-networks with complex interconnections were not being solved correctly.
· A bug which caused GoldSim to crash when using the ‘activation/deactivation results’ feature on a container level has been corrected.
· The Gamma distribution of the stochastic element mistakenly accepted invalid numbers for some of the inputs.
· Source element problems with disruptive events have been corrected.
· Linkage between External (DLL) pathways feeding Pipe elements was not functioning correctly.
· Effects of disruptions and time sub-steps on Source-term inner barriers were not being handled correctly.
Over 100 new features and modifications have been made to version 6.04. The key changes are highlighted below.
· Updated User Manuals: download from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC).
· The Quantity element is now referred to as an Accumulator.
· We have slightly modified the way that conditional Containers are defined. Please refer to Chapter 9 of the documentation for the details.
· We have modified the way in which Stochastics, Consequences and Delays can be triggered.
· You can now sort result tables in ascending or descending order by clicking on the header column.
· When plotting time histories of a vector, you can now display the mean time history of each item on a single plot (previously, you could only look at a single realization with all items, or the mean time history for a single item).
· Feedback links are now specified by placing a tilde (~) in expressions in front of the output for which you wish to use the previous value. The user must do this explicitly. GoldSim will no longer automatically create a feedback link when one is required. Note, however, that this new method has several significant advantages, including 1) you can immediately tell which output is a feedback; and 2) when you copy or move a container with feedback links, the feedbacks are always preserved. Please refer to the manual for details.
· You can now save the final values for outputs at the end of each phase. This allows you, for example, to view a result distribution at multiple time points.
· Within the Simulation Settings dialog, we have simplified the manner in which you can specify a static simulation (with no timesteps).
· File elements now support distributed processor simulations, and use of local files.
· Pipe pathway elements have been augmented to support a distributed line source zone (parallel to the flow direction).
· Improved efficiency of distributed processing simulations.
· Modified tab order in dialogs to be more logical.
· Improved accuracy of computed outflows and withdrawal rates from a Reservoir (taking into account that bound is reached in middle of timestep).
· Reservoir elements were not properly computing overflow rates and withdrawal rates if bounds were changing with time.
· A bug which caused nodes which are added to influences to “jump” erratically when they are added has been corrected.
· Several bugs related to moving elements have been corrected.
· The Extrema element was reporting incorrect values when operating on vectors.
· The Log-Normal distribution was displaying an incorrect mean if inputs had dimensions.
· Calculation of probability time histories sometimes reported an error if number of saved time histories was less than the number of realizations.
· It was not possible to repeat a single realization when running in Distributed Processing mode.
· Spreadsheet elements were not correctly handling spreadsheet entries formatted as currency.
· Numerous additional minor bugs have been fixed.
· Updated User Manuals: download from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC).
· We have changed how you specify the display units for a GoldSim element- they are now defined in the main dialog following the element description.
· When you edit an input field, simply Tab or click elsewhere in the dialog and your input will immediately be checked- you no longer need to click the OK button. Prior to editing an input field, hold your mouse over it to see a Tool-tip showing the input’s value, or the error message if there is something wrong with it.
· Tool tips now have a light yellow background when you are in Edit mode, and a light green background when you are in Result mode.
· The little yellow or blue rectangles used to represent links to other Containers have been removed. Now, input or output Ports having links to other Containers are outlined in black. To see all of the links for a Port, right-click on the Port and select the appropriate ‘display links’ option.
· Finally! You can now copy information from a spreadsheet or a Word table and paste it into GoldSim grids (vectors, matrices, Tables). You can also copy tab-delimited text from an ASCII file and paste it. Also, the array-editing dialogs for matrices and tables are now resizable.
· So long as you elect to save at least two time-histories, GoldSim now automatically generates time-history statistics so that you can see percentiles in history plots. This means that you no longer need to save all of your histories in order to generate these plots, which can save a lot of disk space for your GoldSim file.
· If you are browsing your model in Graphics-view, there are now ‘back’ and ‘next’ buttons similar to a Web browser.
· The ability to define Conditionality for Containers is now fully functional, and is described in the Manuals. However, we’re still working on this and will enhance it a little more in the next GoldSim version.
· You can now minimize GoldSim while running a simulation, by clicking on a button in the ‘Running model…’ dialog.
· If you are editing your model, and want to know what results you have selected to save, you can display them in bold by selecting a new option in the View menu.
· You can enable or disable saving all results within a given Container from a new option within the Container’s property dialog.
· Numerous minor bugs have been fixed.
· A bad bug in the Selector element was repaired. This bug could corrupt the GoldSim file if you deleted an input to the Selector element.
· If you selected Latin hypercube sampling, there was a bug that prevented GoldSim from repeating a specified realization from a Monte Carlo simulation. This is now fixed.
The Version 6.02 install process will automatically upgrade any necessary Windows DLL files on your system. It will add support for ODBC database connectivity if it is not already present.
· Updated User Manuals: download from the GoldSim Resource Center (GRC).
· You can reference Table elements like functions within expressions.
· Major improvements to result-processing, use of Styles for charts, etc.
· Contaminant transport users can have multiple ‘Reference fluids’ to define variable solubilities within a single cell network.
· Multi-processor network solver problems have been resolved.
· Numerous minor bugs have been fixed.
To run GoldSim, you should have the following:
· Microsoft Windows XP (SP2), Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista
· Administrative Privileges on the system during the installation process
· Disk Space required: 100 MB of free space in the target directory and 40 MB of free space in Common Files folder. During the installation a minimum of 200 MB is required.
For problems regarding the installation and setup process of the GoldSim software send a message to support@goldsim.com.
GoldSim is a trademark of GoldSim Technology Group LLC. © Copyright 2008 GoldSim Technology Group LLC. All rights reserved.