I have used AStar in a building logistics simulation. If the heatmap is on, the model gets really messy on reset (see picture). It happens constantly but randomly. Sometimes (very seldom) the model is ok and sometimes the coloured spots are all over the floors. Most often the coloured spots fill about half of the AStar area. I even tried to duplicate the problem with simplified model but couldn't do that.
Do you have any idea how to get rid of those spots?
@tanner.p We found the model. The first time it runs fine. Second time, after reset, it shows something strange. In my case a complete blue area with some small artifacts at the top.
Thanks for finding and posting that model so we can take a look at it. I'm not sure what is creating the large blue area, but I am able to eliminate it by checking the "Transparent Base Color" box under the Visual tab of the A* Navigator Properties. I don't think this is a good fix, but it can be a workaround. @Matthew Gillespie, could you take a look at this?
Thanks @steven.hamoen for finding the model. Seems to be the same behavior. Mine is just much larger. Isn't the blue area normal which is supposed to be there?
AStar heatmap also causes the model crash randomly. If I press reset and run for couple of times, the FlexSim shuts down. Sometimes this (crash) happens during the simulation run. If heatmap is set off, the model works perfectly. Could the artifacts and the crashing be somehow connected?
Hi @tomi.kosunen, no the blue area should not be there. After reset the the area should be clean again and fill itself slowly with the colored elements of the heatmap. We haven't much experience with crashing but because the heatmap messed up the model we usually shut the model down so I think it didn't have time to crash.
I used to see this same fuzzy dot look intermittently when displaying a heat map back in the 2019 version, but after @anthony.johnson made some improvements to the heatmap beginning with 2020, I haven't seen the problem. I'm curious if you would still see the problem with the latest 20.2.2 version??
Perhaps you activated accidentically the heatmap option of the A* Navigator Visual Tab: Show Heat Map option
Yes I activated the heatmap option. And then I get this effect. It doesn't happen if heatmap is off. I did not activate the heatmap by mistake.
If you intentionally activated the heat map, what is the problem with it? You can toggle the heat map option on and off, so if you don't want it to show up, you can turn it off.
If there's another question you have about it or a problem with the heat map, please post a model so we can see. Thanks!
@tanner.p, @tomi.kosunen We have seen the same issue. I'm not sure we still have that model so that we can post it.
There were some heat map fixes in 20.2.3 that may address this problem. I understand it is intermittent so it will be hard to say for sure, but please let us know if you ever see the problem come up after 20.2.3!
20.2.3 is much better! The randomly coloured dots are not there anymore. Also the random crash seems to be fixed. Thanks.
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