Create an evaluator

The Algorithm Developer Tools includes a suite of test problems to test the performance of algorithms. Some of these test problems are academic in nature and others are more real world (some require ModelCenter and other tools such as ABACUS, LS-DYNA, etc.). Additional test problems can be added by implementing the interface and placing the resulting DLL in the correct location.

Add new evaluator functions

Evaluator functions are run using the Algorithm Problem Test Suite which is included with the Algorithm Developer Tools.

1. Select New > Project from the File menu in Visual Studio, or select New Project from the File menu in Visual Studio or Visual Studio Express.

2. Select PHXEvaluator template from the Visual C#, Visual Basic or Visual C++ Section, depending on which language you wish to work in, and enter a project name (something like [evaluator function name]), select Add to Solution then click the OK button.

3. The IEvaluator interface requires 14 properties and three methods to be implemented.

   • Properties

     • Name - The name of the evaluator.
     • GlobalBestDesigns - A multi-dimensional array of the global optima of the evaluator.
     • DesignVariableCount - The number of design variables defined by the evaluator.
     • Objectives - The list of objectives used by the evaluator.
     • Constraints - The list of constraints used by the evaluator.
     • DesignVariables - The list of design variables used by the evaluator.
     • UsesMultipleObjectives - True if the evaluator uses multiple objectives; false otherwise.
     • NumberOfObjectives - The number of objectives defined by the evaluator.
     • UsesDiscreteVariables - True if the evaluator uses discrete variables; false otherwise.
     • UsesConstraints - True if the evaluator has constraints; false otherwise.
     • HasNonSmoothResponses - True if the evaluator has non-smooth responses; false otherwise.
     • UsesMinMax - True if the evaluator uses the minimize/maximize objective; false otherwise.
     • UsesSolveFor - True if the evaluator uses the solve for objective; false otherwise.
     • HasFailedRuns - True if the evaluator can have failed runs; false otherwise.

   • Methods

     • EvaluateModel - Used to evaluate evaluator function.
     • IsDesignAcceptable - Used to determine whether or not a design is one of the local optima.
     • SetStartPoint - Used to set the starting values for the evaluator.

4. Each Evaluator project can include multiple evaluators, and once the DLL has been built, it should be copied to one of three locations:

   • In a subdirectory of the user's evaluators directory. Typically:

     • "C:\Documents and Settings*[username]*\My Documents\Optimization Tool\evaluators" under Windows XP or
     • "C:\Users*[username]*\Documents\Optimization Tool\evaluators" under Windows Vista and Windows 7

   • In a subdirectory of the local machine's algorithms directory. Typically:

     • "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Optimization Tool\evaluators" under Windows XP or
     • "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Optimization Tool\evaluators" under Windows Vista and Windows 7

   • In a subdirectory of Optimization Tool's algorithms directory. Typically, "C:\Program Files\Phoenix Integration\Optimization Tool\evaluators". NOTE: This is the location for algorithms that are installed with the Optimization Tool, but users may not have write access to this location because of user security privileges.

   Copy the evaluator DLL (and any files it requires) to the new directory.