Installation manuals

The following items differ between the two versions:
- English or Dutch installation program texts
- English or Dutch shortcut texts
- English or Dutch initial SimQuest startup language*
SimQuest 6.4 comes with the example simulations Motion (English, Dutch and Italian) and Condensator (Dutch and Italian) as well as with the Dutch simulation Beweging.
* SimQuest itself is multilingual (English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Danish, Swedish, Vietnamese and Italian)

IMPORTANT:
Please update your simulation models to 'syntax 5' (SimQuest 5 or older) before installing SimQuest 6.4. If you are not sure how to do that please contact us at: info@simquest.nl

Additional downloads
SimQuest manuals
SimQuest simulations

New features in SimQuest 6.4:
- New AgentFeedback element. SimQuest now supports the 3D Agent Elckerlyc* that can be used for learner feedback, including speech and animation
- Graphs can contain vectors (they can now for instance function as an oscilloscope)
- GDI+ is now automatically used for all drawings and animations when applicable
- Transparency can now be used in the coloring of objects
- Anti-aliased drawing is added to graphs and animations
- Animations now run smoothly
- Images now remain perfectly visible when they are scaled or rotated
- Equation text has nice color syntax highlighting
- Images can now be rotated based on the value of model variables
- Graphs can be filled below the curve (semi-transparent)
- Graphs can have different line styles (solid, area, dotted, dashed, dash-dot, etc)
- Logging of the monitoring tool now in XML
- Variables can now have descriptions
- Web simulation (SimQuestViewer) now supports string variables as well
- Errors in the equation text are now emphasized in red within this text (instead of a large dialog)
- Assignments can be used as feedback for multiple choice
- New model functions that return the number of assignments and their success
- Windows 7 look and feel
- The window look automatically adjusts to the operating system (2000, XP, Vista, 7)

* More information on Elckerlyc can be found here

Improvements in SimQuest 6.4:
- Speed of reading in images
- Speed of displaying images
- Responsiveness during simulation
- Performance of Vector and matrix computations
- Nice drawing of domain maps using colors and gradients
- Graphs display faster
- Ellipses are drawn like they should be
- Polylines and polygons are drawn much faster
- Removed the previous & next buttons in the learner view to prevent too early switching
- Tab buttons now in the toolbar of the author environment

Bug fixes in SimQuest 6.4:
- Panning and zooming of a graph works better
- Correct variable names when saving for the web (SimQuestViewer)
- Memory management problems with large models that contain many images
- Fonts that are used in an application but not present on the computer are mapped to similar ones that are available
- Initial position of animation figures
- Lock-ups with large equation text models
- Choosing large windows fonts now work fine with SimQuest
- Traces of objects in animations no longer slow down the animation
- OperationAssignments now load their session information correctly
- Displaying of rectangle animation figures with thick lines
- Logging of the monitoring tool
- Font of the help button
- Wait cursor now behaves correclty (locks no longer occur
- Saving of matrices and vectors for web simulation (SimQuestViewer)

Known issues:
German, Danish, and Swedish are not implemented fully yet. If you can help us translating SimQuest in these language, please send an email to: info@simquest.nl
Translation of Vietnamese is almost complete.
Not all simulations in the simulation section are tested with SimQuest 6.4 yet. We will update the simulations in the near future.

SimQuest was successfully tested on:
- Microsoft® Windows® NT4/2000/XP/Vista
- Microsoft® Windows® NT networks
- Novell® networks

RELEASE HISTORY New features in SimQuest 6.3 (2009-11-05):
- analysis of collaboration chats in SimQuest Meeting (datamining)
- new interface elements: MenuButton and TabSheet
- new logging in XML format
- better vector and matrix support (multiplication etc)
- new library element: Domain Map
- domain map in LE background as alternative for starting assignments
- domain map gives visual feedback for status of assignments
- visual feedback for status of assignments (specify in application properties)
- new model element: switch - case
- discrete state variables now also work with differential equations (finite state machine, digital control, etc)

Improvements:
- improved sqzx format (SimQuest java viewer output)
- improved status of assignments
- improved layout consistency of assignments
- improved display of fonts not available on computer
- improved interpolation function out of range
- improved saving and loading of assignment status in learner session
- improved behavior of save progress bar
- problem with replay sound button solved
- problem with button opening an addition interface solved
- improved screen update when switching between LE elements
- improved control flow for switching between assignments and interfaces

Features and improvements in SimQuest 6.2 (2009-01-23):
- sqzx (XML) export for models, interfaces and all external resources
- SimQuestViewer

Save your simulation as sqzx file and also a SimQuestViewer file and html file are created
Simply doubleclick the html file to run the SimQuest simulation in your webbrowser without the need of an installed version of SimQuest

The user only needs the following three files:
- SimQuestViewer.jar
- 'simulation'.sqzx
- 'simulation'.html

Other new features:
- Italian help system
- Italian advice system*
- save size of learning environment - replace the learning environment background with your own gif or png file
- equation editor: div operator added (integer division: "div" or "//") -- example: 16 div 5 = 3
- equation editor: mod operator added (modelo: "%" or "\\") remainder after div -- example: 16 % 5 = 1

Improvements:
- faster saving of simulations
- improved accuracy of save progress bar
- bugfixes in animation editor
- bugfix in slider elements
- multiple selecting problem interface elements solved
- bug with open answer field explicitation assignments solved
- problem with saving big models solved

* not fully implemented yet

Improvements in SimQuest 6.1 build 3 (2008-09-25):
- assignments: overall wrong answer now one feedback window

Fixed issues in SimQuest 6.1 build 2 (2008-09-22):
- several fixes in 'control mechanism'
- several small improvements

New features and improvements in SimQuest 6.1:
- new tool: domain map
- new tool: chat analysis (used by SimQuest meeting)
- XML output (currently implemented for models and interfaces)
- new (default) calculation method: Runge Kutta Fehlberg (variable stepsize)
- new multiple language implementation (no catalogs needed anymore)
- author can set all languages a simulation supports
- learner can choose one of the available languages
- new and updated example simulations (multilingual)
- new simulations directory (Documents/SimQuest)
- new log directory (Documents/SimQuest/log)
- Windows Vista compatible
- improved SimQuest meeting (for collaboration)
- improved updated French language catalog
- improved language input in editors
- fixed visibility of explanations in webview learning environment
- fixed 'control on' mechanism
- fixed drag and drop image from file
- fixed editing animation elements
- fixed monitoring tool issue
- fixed many small issues

Fixed issues in SimQuest 6 build 4 (21-01-2008):
- problem with save as...
- Italian keys update

Fixed issues in SimQuest 6 build 3 (10-01-2008):
- error when connecting variables to objects in animation editor
- implementation of new languages in 'application properties'

Fixed issues in SimQuest 6 build 2 (26-11-2007):
- fixed strange background and selection colors for Vista in Hypothesis Editor
- fixed menu's so that they now show on top of other windows
- font fix (German, Italian)

New features and improvements SimQuest 6 (26-11-2007):
- fast startup
- new Learner Environment (you can switch to the old view in the Author Environment preferences)
- preview of interface elements while dragging
- improved interface/animation editors (a.o.t. browse list showing all interface and animation elements)
- better looking interface elements
- support for several image formats, like jpg, bmp, gif, png
- learner sessions can be saved
- improved drag & drop
- improved language support (you can now easily modify the language keys)*

SimQuest 5.3.2
SimQuest 5.3.2 is still available for download for those how have purchased SimQuest 5 simulations.
SimQuest 5.3.2 EN - English install
SimQuest 5.3.2 NL - Dutch install

New features and improvements SimQuest 5.3.2 were:
- Beta version of new SimQuest helpsystem (SimQuest Authoring Environment)

Bugfixes
- English language fix hypothesis scratchpad

New features and improvements SimQuest 5.3.1 were:
- New tool: Math editor (whiteboard on which students can make notes in mathematical form)
- Open answer assignments can be used without question to function as textual whiteboard
- The Help button is expanded with possibility to open an element based on a variable
- Updated demo simulation "Motion stripped 05-04-2006"

Bugfixes
- Language problem hypothesis scratchpad
- Animation Composite
- SimQuest meeting now works with Windows XP

New features of SimQuest 5.3 were:
- New installer
- Open answer field option for all assignments
- Tests log in general logfile
- Updated demo simulation Motion (Beweging)
Bugfixes
- Log error when no write rights fixed
- Several small fixes

New features of SimQuest 5.2 build 2 were:
Network installation (see also logging)
- Registry settings are no longer needed on learner computers when SimQuest is installed on a network.
- SimQuest can simply be installed on the network and shortcuts can be made to access a particular SimQuest simulation

Example shortcut command line:
"C:\Program Files\SimQuest\simquest learner.exe" "C:\Program Files\SimQuest\apps\Motion.sqz"

Logging
- For logging, use the following command line options:

command	argument	meaning
-l	c:\log	set/overrule leaner log path with c:\log
-f	logfile.txt	overrule standard learner log filename (learnlog.txt) with logfile.txt

Example shortcut command line setting logging and logfile:
"C:\Program Files\SimQuest\simquest learner.exe" "C:\Program Files\SimQuest\apps\Motion.sqz" -l c:\log -f logfile.txt

* command line log commands overrule the learner logging settings made in the Authoring Environment
- All answers on open answers are now stored in the SimQuest logfile (when logging is on)
- Additional variable information added to logfile
- Application name added
- Date added

Authoring Environment
- Drag and drop simulations (sqz or sq1) from Windows Explorer to Authoring Environment

Temp sqz files
- The sqz files are now unzipped to the %appdata%\SimQuest directory
- When this fails the %WinDir%\Temp\SimQuest directory is taken

Bugfixes
- Close Internet browswer automatically when changing simulation context
- 'in assignment' explanations did not close properly when the assignment was closed
- Stopcondition did not stop simulation properly
- Fix y variables menu in graph
- Fixed bug in equation parser that made explicit reference to time variable dependent of equation order

New features of SimQuest 5.2 were:
Improved model syntax and model editor
- 8 new functions
* faculty (a = fac 5, meaning a = 5*4*3*2*1)
* 'try-catch'
angle = try ( arcTan(dy/dx), 90 ) can now be used,
where the try function will catch an exception with dx == 0 and return 90 instead
* toString ( aValue, [digitsToRound] )
* toValue ( aString )
these functions can be used to do computations in combination with strings.
it is now possible to write the result of (1/a) in string format to an output
field as the value or as a string 'really infinite' in case a becomes 0
* stepVector(start, stop, [step])
it returns an array with values from start to stop with the given step size
if step is ommited, stepsize is assumed to be 1.
* posibility to model using discrete states: new(x) = x + 1.
* new array functions that can be used to exploit this activity:
vector = vector1 add elementOrVector - append the element(s) to the end of the vector.
substitute(vector, index, value) - replace the element of the vector at index with the
value addToHistogram(vector, index) - increment the element at index with 1.
* vectorSize function that returns the amount of elements in a vector
it now also allows a range of indices and values to be used, in order to set more
than one vector element at once.

- Syntax coloring of equation text
- Equations may be distributed over more than one line
- Removed screen updates during compilation
- Removed SimQuest 3 compatibility
- Auto adding of variables in compound models
- Giving variables a student/user friendly name
- Error message when author uses dt/dt = ...

New (extra) file format (sqz)

New tool: concept map

Annotation tool (for authoring)

Graphs:
- Learner can chose variables shown in graphs
- Logarithmic scale implemented
- Possibility to draw asymptote when auto scale is off

Language:
- Automatic language recognition when default simulation language is set
- Two new languages implemented in learner environment, Danish and Swedish

Authoring environment tools menu:
- Editor for setting simulation name and default simulation language

Animations:
- Dragging of objects
- Added formatting options for animation labels.
- Added possibility for custom fonts.
- Added fast drawing of images. Considerably increases performance.
- Axes on top

Assignments:
- Assignments: Added option to continue optimization assignment when a constraint is broken.
- Order of feedback appearance optimalisation assignments can be set
- With specified initial states SimQuest always calculates the outputs when starting up the assignment
- Bug fix: assignment image position keeping after editing the assignment
- Green colour of 'correct answer' text
- Optional open answer fields in all assignment (for asking student to e.g. declare their answer)

Interfaces:
- Arrows input fields at one side
- New interface object: Image from math
- 'Help' button for opening explanations, interfaces, assignments, etc.
- Min / max value can be set for output fields

Hypothesis scratchpad:
- Added collaborative interface [needs more testing]

Monitoring tool:
- Student actions are logged when logging is on

Modeling tool:
- Flicker removed and relations are nicely drawn as curves instead of straight lines

Learner Environment:
- Internet Explorer browser closes when Learning Environment closes

Misc:
- Fonts problem solved
- Registry settings updated
- Applicationname added to learner log

New features of SimQuest 5.1 were:
- improved installation procedure
- long directory name problem solved
- auto store option for graphs
- new library icons
- updated demo simulation
- improved SimQuest meeting
- improved hypothesis scratchpad
- improved hypothesis list

New features of SimQuest 5.0 were:
- new software used for building SimQuest 5.0
- runs on networks
- easy (network) installation
- new model editor
- new syntax (SimQuest 3 compatible)
- several computation methods like: euler and rungh kutta 4
- improved editor (one editor for simulation context and model)
- SimQuest Meeting (for collaborative learning)
- modeling tool for students
- hypothesis scratchpad
- hypothesis list
- process support tool
- two new assignment types (open answer and static specification)
- use of Microsoft Internet Explorer to display html files
- improved graph functions
- several default learner user-interface window settings
- improved author user-interface
- improved learner user-interface
- direct access to several languages in authoring and learner environment
- buttons with bubble help
- shortcuts in authoring environment