Introducing the Simulation Playground

The goal of the Universal Automation Wiki is to provide a clear, data-driven understanding of the world's processes. A text description, however, is only half the story. To really analyse, improve, and understand a complex workflow, you need to interact with it, test its limits, and see how its parts work together.

That’s where the Simulation Playground comes in: an interactive, web-based environment designed to build, test, and refine simulations. It serves as the bridge between the conceptual process maps on the wiki and the practical realities of dynamic, time-based models.

The Playground is a comprehensive toolset for anyone interested in process modelling, from students and researchers to engineers, compliance officers, HR professionals, and business analysts.

A Powerful Editor at its Core

At the heart of the Playground is a powerful JSON editor, built with the same editor found in modern web-based IDEs and code editors. It provides full syntax highlighting, error detection, and auto-formatting, making it straightforward to edit even the most complex simulation structures.

For those who prefer a guided approach, the interface includes a GUI for creating new objects via modals. You can add objects of certain types (actors, resources, equipment, or products) or define new tasks with specific timings, actor assignments, and resource dependencies. As you make changes to the JSON, the system provides immediate visual feedback, allowing for a rapid and iterative design workflow.

Visualise Your Process in Motion

A simulation comes to life when you can see it unfold. The Playground’s primary feature is its interactive timeline renderer. This component transforms the raw simulation data into a clear, time-based chart, similar to a Gantt chart. You can instantly see which actors are assigned to which tasks, how long each step takes, and where potential idle time or bottlenecks exist.

The timeline is not just a static image; users can drag and drop tasks to change their start times or reassign them to different actors. A built-in animation player allows you to watch the process execute from start to finish, with variable speed controls and the ability to scrub to any point in time. This is an invaluable tool for debugging timing issues and presenting complex workflows to others.

Add Space to your Process

To enhance the time-based simulation, the Playground includes a Space Editor for modelling the physical environment where a process occurs. This tool allows users to create a top-down layout of a workspace, such as a factory floor, office, or warehouse. Using simple drawing tools with grid snapping for precision, you can define specific zones, workstations, and equipment locations.

These defined areas can then be directly referenced by tasks in the simulation, adding a crucial spatial context to the workflow. This feature allows for a more holistic analysis, connecting the sequence of operations with the physical layout of a facility.

A System for Trustworthy Simulations

A model is only as useful as it is reliable. To that end, the Playground is equipped with a real-time validation engine that constantly checks your work against a central catalogue of metrics and constraints.

This system automatically detects a wide range of common issues, including:

• Structural Errors: Ensuring the simulation file conforms to the Universal Object Model.

• Scheduling Conflicts: Identifying when a single actor has been assigned to overlapping tasks.

• Resource Shortages: Tracking stock levels on a minute-by-minute (simulation time) basis to ensure a resource is never consumed before it is available.

• Logical Dependencies: Verifying that a task does not begin before its prerequisite tasks have been completed.

The results are displayed in a clear, categorised panel, allowing you to quickly identify and resolve errors or warnings.

Supporting Features for Comprehensive Modelling

Beyond these core functions, the Playground includes a suite of tools to support a variety of use cases:

• Space Editor: A drag-and-drop tool for designing the physical layout of a workspace, from a factory floor to an office, which can be integrated into simulations.

• Simulation Library: A collection of pre-built templates, such as the breadmaking process, providing a starting point for new projects or for learning modelling techniques.

• Save & Load System: Simulations can be saved and shared via unique codes, allowing for collaboration and version control.

• Tutorial System: A guided, step-by-step introduction to the platform’s features, designed to onboard new users quickly.

Potential Use Cases

The toolset is designed to be versatile. Process engineers can model complex manufacturing workflows to identify bottlenecks before they impact production. Educators can use the interactive tutorials and visualisations to teach simulation concepts. Business analysts can validate operational efficiency and resource utilisation, while facility planners can design and test workspace layouts in tandem with their process models.

The Next Step for the UAW

The Playground is a significant step towards our long-term vision. In the future, this tool will be directly integrated with the main wiki. Users will be able to open a simulation from a wiki article, refine it in the Playground, and contribute their improvements back to the community.

We invite you to explore the Simulation Playground today. For those interested in contributing to its development, our GitHub repository is the best place to start.