Analyze Results Using Simulation Manager

The Simulation Manager allows you to monitor multiple simulations, in serial or in parallel, and their progress. You can view the details of every run, such as parameters, elapsed time, and diagnostics. The Simulation Manager provides the option to analyze and compare your logged signal results in theSimulation Data Inspector. Through Simulation Manager, you can select a run and apply its values to the model. Simulation Manager opens when you run aparsimor asimcommand withShowSimulationManagerargument set toon. For more information, seeSimulation Manager.

The dimensions of the tank have an impact on the total cost of production of the product. For this example, we observe the behavior ofTotalCostfor different values of the width and the height. By analyzing the behavior of the parameters, we find the combination ofAandhthat results in lowestTotalCost. To solve this design problem, we run multiple simulations (in parallel or in serial) with different values of the parametersAandh.

This example shows how you can use the Simulation Manager to analyze the simulations and solve a design problem using a model of a continually stirred tank reactor. The reactors are specialized tanks that are used to mix various chemicals or compounds to create a product. The important variables used in this model are:

VariableA, which represents the cross-sectional area of the tank (width).
Variableh, which represents the height.
VariableTotalCost, which represents the cost, in dollars, to produce a tankful of product.

Simulation Manager enables you to analyze the simulations as they are running. When the simulations are in progress, you can visualize the simulation data of the model by plotting the simulation outputs against the input parameters. Visualizing trend of the simulations as they are happening allows you to learn about the design space of the simulations and evaluate whether the simulations are running as required. You can stop the simulations if the progress is not as desired thus saving time.

Open Simulation Manager

In this example, use a set of sweep parameters provided to the model throughSimulink.SimulationInputobjects and then use theparsimcommand to run the simulations in parallel.

Create aPostSimFcnfunction as follows in a MATLAB script to call later in the parameter sweep. Name the filecalculateCost.m. ThePostSimFcnfunction calculatesTotalCostfrom the variablesAandh, and its calculation can vary depending on the application.

functioncostOutput = calculateCost(out) costOutput.yout = out.yout; coolantOutput = out.yout.get('Coolant') .Values.Data;costCoolant = abs(意思是(coolantOutput - 294))/30; costOutput.costFromCoolant = costCoolant; concentrationOutput = out.yout.get('Residual Concentration') .Values.Data;costConcentration = 10*std(concentrationOutput - 2); costOutput.costFromConcentration = costConcentration; costOutput.TotalCost = costCoolant + costConcentration;end

Open the model.

openExample('simulink/OpenTheModelToUseWithSimulationManagerExample'); open_system('simManagerCSTR');

Create a sample of values for parameter sweep.

rangeA = [0.1, 5]; rangeH = [0.1, 5]; rngdefault; numSamples = 60; allAValues = rangeA(1) + (rangeA(2) - rangeA(1)).*rand(numSamples, 1); allhValues = rangeH(1) + (rangeH(2) - rangeH(1)).*rand(numSamples, 1);

Create an array ofSimulink.SimulationInputobjects. For this example, theTotalCostis calculated and returned using thePostSimFcn.

in(1:numSamples) = Simulink.SimulationInput('simManagerCSTR'); in = in.setPostSimFcn(@(out)calculateCost(out));

Run the simulations in parallel and open the Simulation Manager.

fork = 1:numSamples in(k) = in(k).setVariable('A', allAValues(k),'Workspace','simManagerCSTR'); in(k) = in(k).setVariable('h', allhValues(k),'Workspace','simManagerCSTR');endout = parsim(in,'ShowSimulationManager','on');

The default view in the Simulation Manager shows a scatter plot with two parameters on its X and Y axes. In this case, the variableAis on the X-axis and variablehis on the Y-axis. When the simulations are running you can see dots appear on the plot, color coded according to the simulation status. Completed simulations are marked in green, in-progress simulations are blue, and simulations with errors are red.

ThePlot Propertiespanel on the right enables you to edit and configure the data that plot shows. By selecting grid for X and Y axes, the plot appears with grid lines.

If a particular parameter is a time-series, the Simulation Manager plots only the last value of the time series.

With the Simulation Manager, you can visualize the above data in a surf plot. Click thesurfplot in theResultssection of the toolstrip.

Add and Configure Plots

TheResultssection of the Simulation Manager allows you to add multiple plots and configure them. To add a plot, click the type of the plot in theResultssection. For this example, click thesurf plotinResultssection of the Simulation Manager toolstrip. Using the plot properties, change the parameters to display on the plots. You can change properties such as the plot labels, axes labels and you can add a colormap to denote the third parameter. You can also change the value limits of the colormap.

With the second plot and the first plot together, you can determine the value of the variablesAandh, that gives the bestTotalCost.

For the Z-axis of the surf plot, change theDatatoTotalCost. By observing the surf plot, you can find the lowest point ofTotalCost. Clicking the lowest point shows the values for X-axis and Y-axis, which ishandA, respectively.

Save and Load Simulation Manager

Save the session information, which includes simulation data all the plot configurations. To save the session, click theSavebutton on the toolstrip. The session saves as a.mldatxfile. To reopen the saved session, navigate to the location where the file is saved and double-click the.mldatxfile.

The Simulation Manager allows you to reuse the plot configuration when you want to run similar simulations with different sets of values. To reuse the plot configuration, click theReuse Windowbutton on the toolstrip. Selecting theReuse Windowsaves the plot configurations, such as labels, axis orientation, which parameters to display on which axis that you can reuse with the next simulation of the same model. When you use this functionality while running simulations for different models, the simulation errors out due to a limitation.