[jojox]

[QUOTE=rwilcox;70]How does one choose (particularly for non-manufacturing simulation) a simulation software package? There are so many, and much of the advertising I've seen for these packages seems addressed primarily or almost entirely to the potential client with manufacturing use(s) in mind.[/QUOTE]

Choosing a simulation software package is not as easy as it sounds. There are many criteria's to think of and the link below gives you a good introduction to how to proceed.

[url]http://w3.ppd.chalmers.se/~job/CIRP2002_DRCA.pdf[/url]

In general these software's can be divided into simulation languages and simulators, and the further you come to simulators the more prebuilt objects (such as machines and buffers) you can find. But when it all comes to the core of the software it's based on pure program language such as C++ or Java. I have seen users that quit using the simulation software and started directly with the "language"