Plug-In Toolkit

The Plug-In Toolkit provides several ways to customize the functionality of ModelCenter. Plug-ins provide a robust way to tie into the underlying services provided by ModelCenter using programming languages such as C++, C#, or Java.

CAUTION: C++ is being removed as an available programming language for plug-ins and may not be compatible with future releases of ModelCenter. Users should be cautious when using it.

ModelCenter may be extended using 3 types of plug-ins:

Plug-In Type Description
Trade Study Trade Study Plug-Ins allow custom optimization, robust design, and other algorithms to be tightly integrated with ModelCenter. Example tools include DAKOTA, NPSOL, and SNOPT.
Component Component Plug-Ins allows ModelCenter to tightly wrap other applications as Components. This direct interface between ModelCenter and the external application permits advanced features such as:
  • Graphical Variable Specification - Component Plug-Ins build their wrappers at run-time. Thus the user can be presented with graphical dialogs for selecting variables to be used as inputs and outputs. The variables can also be reconfigured at run-time to add or remove variables.
  • Graphical Interaction with the Wrapped Tool - The direct connection between the plug-in and the wrapped application allows the plug-in to take advantage of specific functionality in the wrapped tool. This includes displaying the wrapped application's interface as needed so that the user to interact with it directly.
Example Component Plug-Ins include Excel, Matlab, and MathCAD.
Data Collector Data Collector Plug-Ins permit post processing to data stored in the Data Collector. The RSM Toolkit is implemented as a Java Plug-In for creating Response Surface Models from ModelCenter data.
CAUTION: Data Collector Plug-Ins are being removed and may not be compatible with future releases of ModelCenter. Be cautious when using them in models.