Scenarios in Fenix+

Overview

This tutorial contains an explanation for what we’re calling a scenario in simulation modeling context, answer what components it consists of, and what are your capabilities in working with them. At the end — this tutorial will guide you through two step-by-step exercises, showcasing two different methods of creating a scenario, and two different scopes the scenario components can occupy in Fenix+.

What is a Fenix+ scenario?

In science literature, a simulation scenario is an artificial representation of a real-world event. In fire safety, it usually refers to a period of time spanning from the moment the fire starts to the end of people’s evacuation process. Work in the field of risk management usually involves a specialist to consider and try out different but similar fire scenarios set in the same building. Most commonly, changes are applied to parameters and placement of elements related to a fire event or people, and not global changes to a building layout. To control these aspects separately, in Fenix+ elements are grouped together into different components.

To avoid rebuilding a model for each scenario or losing created setups, Fenix+ allows keeping multiple simulation scenarios within a single project. Most of your changes during work in Fenix+ would apply to a single scenario or a separate component group, and not to a whole project. This includes changes in the topology editor, object parameters, or modeling settings.

You will find your created scenarios in a list in the top left corner:

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Components of a scenario

All scenario elements in Fenix+ are appointed one of the following component groups:

1. Topology component, which consists of all “material” objects of a building or its interiors: walls, doors, a window, a roof, ventilation.
2. Evacuation component, consisting of an Exit element, Occupants and the Waypoint.
3. Fire component, which consists of a Fire Source and Calculation Area.

And Metadata, an additional grouping in Fenix+, carrying most of the non-geometric object qualities or scenario profiles. For example - qualities that determine if the door is blocked or not, if the object is visible in the topology editor, or modeling settings such as fire modeling time.

Pictured below, different components together make one scenario:

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For a complete list of elements linked to component groups, please refer to our userguide.

Forming a new scenario with exiting components

A new scenario can be created using components from different scenarios. And the same logic applies in the opposite — each component can be used in multiple scenarios.

There are two options of creating a new scenario in Fenix+:

1. Through the New scenario {width=05%} button and the detailed constructor window. This will let you choose which set of components will make a new, resulting scenario. Choosing an option for a component will add its contents to a preview on the right side of the screen. These actions will be non-destructive to your existing scenarios: changes in the preview will not be applied to the existing topology even when you hit Create, and the program will not let you accidentally delete components that are already in use by another scenario.

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   When creating a new scenario, some elements may be incompatible with each other. For example, if the topology of the new scenario does not include an object on which the fire source can be located. Or if the floor or a landing platform is different, then people will not be copied to it.

2. Duplicate a scenario thtough the {width=05%} button. This action will create a new scenario, and all the components will be selected from the one you’re copying. Once duplicated, creating a new scenario or forming new components will only consists of editing the newly created scenario, and will shortcut the need to go through a new scenario window.

Using one component for multiple scenarios (changing multiple scenarios at once).

A unique characteristic of working with multiple scenarios in Fenix+ is the ability to edit a component for multiple scenarios at once. This is how the newly created scenarios function by default and is controlled by a pop-up window when starting an edit, in which you would need to specify if you’re creating a new component example or changing it for multiple scenarios.

The pop-up window controlling this logic starts with the words “You are trying to change…[a component]…” and leaves you with three options:

• Yes — continue changing the component (topology, evacuation or fire) for all the scenarios that are using this component.
• No — make this component unique to the current scenario, this way creating a new unit in a component list.
• Cancel — the program won’t do anything and will come back to your previous, current step.

You won’t get this notification if you change the scenario’s metadata — all the changes to object or modeling properties will always stay unique to the current scenario.

Editing scenarios could result in one more alert — which would ask of you that your modeling results will reset.

Exercise #1. Duplicate a scenario and edit a component for multiple scenarios.

1. Create a new project.

2. Create a simple scenario. For detailed reference, you can use our first tutorial in Fenix+ Fundamentals series. To represent elements of each component, add the following

   1. Walls.
   2. A door in the wall.
   3. The first solid object.
   4. The second solid object.
   5. Fire source, located on top of the Solid object 1.
   6. Calculation area, covering every object in the editor.
   7. Two occupants inside the building walls.
   8. An exit, outside of the door.

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3. Duplicate a scenario by clicking the dedicated button on the control panel. The newly created Scenario 1 - copy will automatically be selected as active.

   

4. Start editing a fire component of the scenario — choose a Floor, then the Selector instrument, with it - choose a Fire Source located on Solid object 1 and delete it, either by a dedicated control panel button or the Delete button on your keyboard.

   

5. In the appearing pop-up window, click No (“edit current file component”) to start editing the component that is related to both Scenario 1 and Scenario 1 - copy.

   

6. Put a new Fire Source on top of Object 2.

   

7. Now, check back on Scenario 1 by clicking on its name in the scenario list to see that, as expected, a Fire source is moved for both scenarios, as you edited one component that is common for them.

   

Exercise #2. Construct a new scenario out of different components and edit a component separately.

For this exercise, we will create a first scenario. Then, create a new topology component in the otherwise empty second new scenario. After — create a third scenario to merge a fire component from the first and topological component from the second scenario. And finally, make the topological component of the third scenario unique and separate from the second scenario. For this:

1. Create a simple scenario with box-like conteur walls (you can use the one from exercise 1 if you’re following along). It should include elements assigned to each of the topology types: Walls, a Door, two solid objects, a Fire source (located on top of the solid object) a Calculation area, two occupants and an exit.

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2. Go to the New Scenario creation window via the dedicated button on the control panel.

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3. Leave all 3 components and the metadata selected as Empty (selected by default) and click Create. This will create a second, empty scenario. {width=80%}

4. Create a new topological element for a scenario by making a new wall — choose the Wall instrument, select a circle type, and place it in the topology editor. One click in the middle will start drawing a wall of this type, and the second will finalize its creation. To help our case, you can place it loosely circling the middle of the screen where the objects from the Scenario 1 should be.

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5. Create a third scenario, constructed out of elements from two different scenarios. Choose topology component from Scenario 2, an evacuation component from Scenario 1, leave fire component and metadata empty. Then click Create.

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As a result, both on the preview and in the newly created scenario, you will see that object from Scenario 1 are now combined with the wall from Scenario 2.

Now, to make a topology component for a Scenario 3 unique, take the following steps:

1. Place a new Solid object on the scene. A pop-up window will show up.

2. In the pop-up notification window, this time, choose Yes, “Create new topology for this scenario”.

   

3. Now, check back on Scenario 2 by clicking on its name in the scenario list to see that, as expected, a Solid object is not present and is only contained in the newly created topological component for Scenario 3.

   

To summarize, your Scenario 1 and 3 are using the same evacuation component, and all Scenario 1, 2 and 3 now have a separate topology component. This way, all the changes to a topology will apply only to the selected scenario.

Other actions applied to a scenario

There are multiple other actions that apply directly to a scenario but not to a whole project. You can see our documentation on these topics here: Working with a scenario. Some of these actions are:

• Choosing different scenarios
• Editing scenario properties
• Moving scenarios in a list
• Exporting a Scenario To FDS Source File
• Undoing And Redoing Actions
• Hiding And Displaying Scenario Objects
• Deleting a Scenario

When you delete a scenario, its components are still saved in the project file and will be available in the New Scenario window.