Question
Flownex supports exporting models as Functional Mock-up Units (FMUs). When running a Flownex-exported FMU, is a Flownex license required? Are there any limitations regarding where the FMU can be executed, such as requiring Flownex to be installed on the target machine? Additionally, do the requirements differ depending on the FMU export method used?
Answer
The licensing and installation requirements depend on how the FMU was created.
If the FMU is generated using the Flownex ROM Builder, the FMU can be executed independently without requiring Flownex to be installed on the target machine and without requiring a Flownex license. The ROM Builder creates an FMU that contains a neural network trained on sensitivity analysis results. Creating these FMUs requires the Machine Learning module, but once generated, they can be distributed and executed without a Flownex installation.
However, if the FMU is created using FMU Export (Co-Simulation), such as the process demonstrated in Tutorial 44, the FMU requires Flownex to be installed on the machine where it is executed, and a valid Flownex license is also required. In this case, the FMU relies on the Flownex simulation engine during execution and therefore cannot operate as a completely standalone model.