The fluidblender is used to mix materials from multiple input ports based on percentages the user defines (not fixed amounts). It is most commonly used for in-line blending where the mixing is not done in batches.
Details
The fluidblender receives material from more than one input port based on a series of percentages that the modeller defines. Once the material has been pulled into the Blender it is ready to be pulled out immediately by downstream objects. The modeller defines the ProductID of the material that is released by the Blender. The sub-components of the mix will be a mixture of the sub-components of the material that was pulled in. The sub-component percentages are based on how much of each incoming product is mixed together.
The percentages that the Blender uses are defined in a table called the Blender Recipe. There is one row in the table for each input port that the Blender has. The rows in the table are not visible in the Properties window until there are objects connected to the Blender's input ports. Each row has two columns: the ingredient name and the percentage. The name is a text string that the modeller uses to identify the material that is being pulled in. It is for the modeller's benefit only, it does not affect how the Blender will work. The percentage value is a number between 0 and 100, indicating what percentage of the incoming material will come from the port represented by the row.
The Blender always makes sure it is pulling the correct percentages. Each tick, the Blender will calculate how much from each port it needs to either fill itself or pull at its maximum input rate. If there is not enough of a material to meet this demand, the amount it pulls from the other ports will be reduced to keep the percentages correct. If there is not enough empty space in the Blender to pull at the full input rate, the Blender will lower the input rate (while still maintaining the defined percentages) to fill itself. It recommended, therefore, that the maximum content of the Blender be at least twice the input rate. This will allow the Blender to receive at the maximum input rate, as long as material is flowing out at least as fast.
Because the Blender controls how much it pulls from each port at any point in time, the modeller does not have access to the maximum port rate or the input port scale factors. They can, however, edit the object's maximum input rate. The user has complete control over the output rates and scale factors. They can change these values with the AdjustOutputRates function, which fires every tick. This allows them to update the output rates and scale factors as the model is running.
States
Empty - The Blender has no material in it.
Mixing - The Blender has received material that it mixed together.
Blocked - The Blender has received material, but it cannot send it downstream.
Properties pages
Blender
Recipe
Triggers
FluidLevelDisplay
Labels
General
