question

Technically, FlexSim is flexible enough to do agent-based simulation models. In 2008, Brandon Peterson put together a Game of Life demo model that demonstrated that agent-based modeling could be done in FlexSim. (The attachment on that forum post was lost so you can't download it from there anymore though.)

Agent-based simulation is based on having many little objects that follow simple rules. The interaction of these different objects results in overall emergent behavior that is more complicated than the simple rules that defined the logic.

You can do anything in Flexsim, including agent-based modeling, but FlexSim does not currently have any drag-and-drop objects or pre-made picklists that enable agent-based functionality. You have to code it up yourself for now, using FlexScript, C++, or ProcessFlow for the agent logic.

If you search the web for "social force model," you can find C++ libraries, such as Menge, that have been written to be used for modeling crowd simulation that you might be able to integrate with a FlexSim model to simulate pedestrian movements. https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_easy_way_to_implement_social-force_model

Someone with the know-how and gumption could probably put together a library of agent-based objects that would make it easier to start an agent-based model within FlexSim. As you know, we develop custom libraries and modules for clients who pay for them, so that could be something to offer to your potential customer.