This blog post seeks to inform the user of the thought process behind model and library selection for a particular application.
There are many application libraries that are available for Dymola and users often wonder which libraries and models within them they should use. I have witnessed on many occasions that the user is keen to achieve a certain accuracy of their models with respect to the real world. In relation to this, it is thought that a detailed and complex model that takes in many parameters is required to achieve the accuracy objectives.
Data might be the limitation for which models you can/should use and this has been presented and discussed in previous blog posts such as ‘An Introduction to System Modelling – 1. Before Building the Models‘
Future proofing your purchases
Particularly when considering the purchase of commercial libraries you should think about what level of detail you want to be modelling in the future. You may not see the reason to go for a more expensive but broader detail commercial library if you are only targeting a specific level of model detail. However, objectives and requirements might rapidly change as is experienced commonly in the workplace. Therefore, if this chance exists, it is probably better to choose a broader capability and range of detail commercial application library than one that only covers for example map based system models or fully detailed physical component models. This thought process can help avoid purchasing multiple application libraries over a period of time which might not be strictly compatible with each other, each offering a differing level of detail for the same type of application, e.g. fluids modelling amongst many others.
Good cross library compatibility and common integration architecture helps
If there is good cross library compatibility, for example as per in our VeSyMA suite of libraries and other Dassault Systemes portfolio of libraries, then the breadth of model detail in the initially purchased library is not an issue as there are add-on libraries that can cater for this which are perfectly compatible with the model architecture and allow a truly comprehensive modelling capability without having to tear up old models to replace them with new ones.
We have actually created several demos of this type of integration. These are located within the Dymola File > Demos >Vehicle Demos library
In conclusion:
When making application library purchases or developing your own, the key decision factor might not only be the level of detail you want to model but also the data that you actually have available.
However, for future-proofing you might want to consider the following:
- Range of detail that can be modelled in a single application library and thinking about what you might need in the future when for example more extensive data becomes available to be able to parameterise and validate more detailed models.
- Ensuring a particular library has good cross library compatibility (uses Modelica Standard Library connectors for example) which will allow you to plug in or integrate models from more detailed application libraries in the future that use the same connectors.
Model libraries with a limited range of model detail and non-compatible connectors will present potential usability issues if the scope of your work expands.
Written by: Alessandro Picarelli – Engineering Director
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