Getting Started

7 Arena Visual Designer
Introduction
Arena Visual Designer is the visualization application inside Arena for quickly and
easily designing dashboards for advanced business graphic reporting, 3D animation
in customizable display windows and OptQuest optimizations can be configured.
Dashboards create and display business graphics using controls such as Picture; Text
Box; Level; Column, Bar and Pie charts; Histogram; Plot; and Scoreboard that will
update dynamically as the simulation runs. The Scene Editor allows you to create
realistic 3D animations of your Arena model. Dashboards and the Scene are visible
simultaneously for professional presentations. The OptQuest optimization interface
allows you to create OptQuest optimization projects. See the separate OptQuest for
Arena user’s guide for details on how to use OptQuest in Visual Designer.
Arena Visual Designer offers:
• Intuitive drag-and-drop environment to build dashboards and animations quickly
and easily
• Greater flexibility and visuual control of your models
• Use of common charting controls to communicate your simulation results
• Unlimited dashboard functionality
Visual Designer is a separate application that can be launched in Arena by selecting
either the Visual Designer button from the Standard toolbar or by selecting Visual
Designer from the Tools menu.
Your software license will determine which features of Arena Visual Designer
will be available to enhance your model’s visualization. New project options
are outlined in the table below.
Dashboard
visualization
Creates a Visual Designer project that contains an initial Dashboard
window.
3D visualization Creates a Visual Designer project that contains a 3D Scene.
Dashboard windows may be added, if desired.
OptQuest
optimization
Creates a Visual Designer project that contains an OptQuest
optimization. Dashboard and 3D Scene windows may be added, if
desired. See the separate OptQuest for Arena user’s guide for details
on OptQuest in Visual Designer.
119