Simulation Studio Try Protos
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Simulation Studio is where you build calculations, connect models to your data, and run simulations. You work on a visual canvas — a graph of connected blocks where data flows from inputs through to outputs.
The Co-Engineer can build canvases for you. Describe what you want to calculate and it will create the blocks, write the code, and wire everything together. You then review the code and approve it before it runs.
On This Page
What It Is
Simulation Studio shows a list of your canvases. Each canvas is a graph of connected blocks:
| Block | What it does |
|---|---|
| Data input | Pulls in data documents from the Data Studio |
| Parameter | A value you can dial up or down (e.g. temperature, concentration) |
| Calculation | Python code that transforms upstream data |
| Model | Calls an external model registered in Models |
| Visualization | Plots the output as a chart |
You connect them left to right. Data flows through the chain automatically — when an input changes, everything downstream recalculates.
Model blocks work differently. You can't add a Model block by hand — it's set up by the Co-Engineer, and using models currently requires a paid plan.
Navigating the Editor
Build and Results tabs
Open a canvas first by clicking on any simulation in the list — the Build and Results tabs appear once a canvas is open.
The editor has two top-level tabs:
- Build — where you add and connect blocks, write and approve calculations, and configure your canvas. This is where you set up how data flows.
- Results — where visualizations and outputs appear after a run. Before a run, Results shows a prompt to run the sequence; after a run it shows expandable charts and calculation outputs.
Workspace tabs bar
You can have multiple canvases open at the same time. The tabs bar at the top of the editor lets you:
- Switch between open canvases
- Pin tabs you want to keep open
- Close tabs you're done with
- Create a new canvas from the tab bar
Graph and List views
Next to the Build/Results switch is a small toggle between Graph view and List view. Graph view is the node-and-arrow canvas described above; List view replaces it with the same blocks laid out as sections grouped by type (Parameters, Data Input, Model, Calculation, Visualization, Action) — useful when you want to scan everything at once instead of following the wiring.
Exporting and sharing
The ⋯ (more actions) button in the Build toolbar opens a menu with Share…, plus export options for the canvas graph and any visualization as a PNG, and a PDF export of the canvas.
Version History
Every meaningful change to a canvas's components or metadata creates a new version. Open the version button in the header to browse past versions, compare any two, label one for later, or restore it — restoring creates a new version rather than erasing anything. If a schema, model, or data document this canvas depends on gets a newer version, an "Update available" banner appears; click Update to re-pin all outdated dependencies at once. Ask the Co-Engineer to check for you too — see Versioning for the full picture.
Components rail
Along the left side of the Build view is the Components rail — a palette of block types you can add to the canvas. Click or drag a block type onto the canvas to add it. Each type has a distinct icon so you can tell them apart at a glance.
Node-details panel
Click any block on the canvas to open its detail panel on the right. The panel has two to three sections:
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Details | Content varies by type: calculation/model → approval status; parameter → type and value; data-input → linked schema and documents |
| Result | Output values from the last run — only appears for calculation and model blocks after the sequence has run |
| Connections | Upstream and downstream blocks this node is wired to |
Visualization blocks: instead of a Details section, visualization block panels show a Preview section with an inline chart of the block's output.
Building a Canvas
- Open Simulation Studio from the sidebar — you land on the canvas list.
- Click an existing canvas to open it, or click New (a dropdown with New Canvas and Import Canvas options) to create one.
- The canvas opens in the Build tab. Add blocks from the Components rail on the left and connect them — the Co-Engineer can build the canvas for you if you describe what you are modelling.
- For any Calculation block, click Approve before it will execute (this is a trust gate — you confirm the code is safe to run).
Running It
Click Start sequence to run the canvas. Protos finds all calculation and model blocks that have no upstream calculation or model dependencies, runs those first, then cascades through downstream executables.
If any calculation or model blocks are unapproved, clicking Start sequence opens a confirmation dialog — you can approve all of them at once and continue, or cancel.
Switch to the Results tab to see visualizations and outputs after the run completes.
Run progress indicators
While a run is in flight the toolbar shows Running · X of Y done with a spinner so you can see how far along it is. When all components settle it updates to Completed X of Y. If you're in the Build tab when results land, a dot appears on the Results tab — click it to see what's new.
Design Space Exploration (Sweep)
A sweep means running your canvas across a range of values for a parameter instead of a single value — so instead of one result, you get a full curve.
You do this with an array parameter. Instead of setting temperature = 25, you set it as an array from 10 to 60 across 20 points. Protos generates the list automatically (linear or logarithmic spacing). When the canvas runs, the downstream calculation executes once for each value and returns all results together.
Example: you want to see how dissolution rate changes with temperature. Set temperature as an array from 10°C to 60°C, run the canvas, and you get a chart of dissolution rate across the full range — one run instead of dozens.
To set up a sweep: 1. Add an array parameter block instead of a regular parameter. 2. Set min, max, number of points, and spacing (linear or log). 3. Start sequence — results come back as a full output surface you can plot.
Tips
- Connect inputs from the Data Studio rather than typing values manually — this links your results back to the exact document that produced them.
- Name your canvases clearly — you can have multiple canvases open as tabs for different calculations.
- Use the Co-Engineer to build calculations — describe what you want to compute and it will write the Python code and wire it up.
See Also
- Data Studio — manage which data documents feed into the canvas
- Models — register models you want to call from a canvas
- Versioning — canvas version history, update-available banners, and restoring
- Glossary → Sweep, Glossary → Canvas