OpenSim vs SimEvents

OpenSim models and simulates how humans, animals, robots, and their environment move and interact. Its graphical interface displays models and supports creating and analyzing simulations. Models can contain rigid bodies, joints, constraints, contact, muscles, and other actuators. Movement analysis tools include inverse kinematics, inverse dynamics, static optimization, and forward dynamics; Computed Muscle Control can generate muscle-driven forward simulations. The API is usable through Matlab, Python, Java, and C++, and GUI scripting uses an embedded Jython shell. Plugins can add analyses and model components, but must be built for the same OpenSim version and platform. The graphical interface is distributed for 64-bit Windows and Mac, while there is no public Linux GUI distribution; the API source can be built for Linux. OpenSim is free and open source under Apache 2.0, though models, examples, and plugins may have separate licenses. It is intended for research and teaching and welcomes academic and commercial applications. Documentation, tutorials, and a discussion forum are available. Downloading requires a SimTK account.

SimEvents is desktop software for modeling message-based communication and other event-driven processes. It uses a discrete-event simulation engine and component library, and can combine event-based models with Simulink time-based models for large hybrid systems. Blocks represent entity creation and destruction, queues, service times, routing, attributes, and event responses. Resource Pool, Resource Acquirer, and Resource Releaser blocks model resource allocation, while repeated simulations can support optimization. Analysis includes latency, throughput, packet loss, queue lengths, delays, and average service times. Users can simulate and debug models, inspect queue contents, visualize entity activity, and build custom visualization tools. Output statistics aggregate measures, and Sequence Viewer displays messages, events, and entities. MATLAB Discrete Event System and Discrete Event Chart blocks allow custom behavior. Listed applications include communication networks, software and hardware architectures, forecasting, capacity planning, and supply chain management. SimEvents requires MATLAB and Simulink, runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and has a 30-day trial with paid licensing.