VMODEL
STEPS
IN MAKING A MODEL
Target
Plan
DESCRIBE
Build
Check
Describe
your basic objects and processes (View
description screen.)
Once you have an idea of what the basic objects in your model will be, the next step is to describe the basic objects.
When you describe them, you attach the basic objects with measurables and other describers. For example, the water in your bathtub model might have a measurable called "amount" and another measurable called "temperature" and another called "level." These are all measurables because they are describers of the water that can be measured with numbers.
Water with three describers.
Why does it look like that? Any kind of basic entity will be square in shape, and any kind of describer will always appear rounded. Measurables are blue, other describers are black. When you describe any basic object, it will look three-dimensional, and it and its describers will always be surrounded by a colored shell. That lets you tell different described objects in a big model apart at a glance.
The measurables are important because the change in the target has to be something that can be measured. In addition to measurables, the water might have a regular describer like "blue" or "is wet." These are not things that are measured with numbers, but are there in case you want to add extra information. When you describe basic objects, you can also say if they do any processes.
Sometimes, there are relationships between the different measurables. In the bathtub example, the amount of water influences the level of the water (the more water there is the higher the water is in the bathtub.) When you are describing your water, then you can put those relationships into your description of the water.
If you forget to add a describer, want to rename something about the model, or if you forget to connect two describers, you can always go back to it later.
You can also describe processes. Processes always come described with a rate. But you can also give it other describers or say when the process happens and when it doesn't.
When you describe a basic object or a process, it is saved in your library for use in models.
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