Once you have run a model with structural intelligence (loop dominance) analysis turned on, the Simulation replay toolbar lets you step through the run and see which loops dominate at each point, highlighted directly on the sketch.
This topic explains how to read the loop highlighting. For how to open the toolbar and use each of its controls, see Replaying simulations.
Reading the display
Each loop in the independent loop set is highlighted along its path on the sketch, through the stocks and the auxiliaries that connect them. Stronger loops are drawn more strongly; weaker loops fade. The strength is relative: at each time the most dominant loop is shown at full strength and the least dominant at its faintest. As you move the time slider, you can watch dominance shift from one loop to another.
The measure you choose changes the question being answered:
Measure |
Shows |
Best for |
|---|---|---|
Eigen |
Which loops control the dominant behavior mode |
Understanding the overall character of the system |
Loop impact |
Which loops are bending the stocks' behavior right now |
Explaining turning points and shifts in behavior |
Loop power |
Which loops are adding or removing the most energy right now |
Seeing where the action is at a given time |
Loop energy |
Which loops have done the most work since the start of the run |
Finding the loops that are most important over the long run |
Switching between the measures at the same time is a quick way to compare them. Where they agree, you can be more confident about which loop is responsible; where they disagree, look more closely.
Notes
•Loops are shown only from the first analysis point onward. Before that there is no data to show.
•The analysis results are stored in the run, so you can replay a run at any time without simulating again. If you change the model structure, simulate again before replaying.
•Loop numbering belongs to a single run. Comparing loops between runs is only meaningful if the model structure is the same.
See also
