Monday Knowledge Snippet (MKS) – 39 TM 9.1 Load Planning: 3-D visualization using SAP Visual Business
As follow up to the last MKS http://scn.sap.com/community/scm/transportation-management/blog/2013/11/25/monday-knowledge-snippet-mks–37-tm-91-load-planning and http://scn.sap.com/community/scm/transportation-management/blog/2013/12/09/monday-knowledge-snippet-mks–38-tm-91-load-planning-prepare-your-resources, today I would like to explain the capabilities of the TM 9.1 3-D load plan visualization using SAP Visual Business. Of course SAP VB is included in the SAP TM license. Oh boy, this is going to be a colorful blog today.
Within the SAP TM 9.1 user interfaces supporting the load planning (Freight Order and Transportation Cockpit), it is possible to configure the load plan specific section in a way that it either displays the relevant information in a purely table based fashion, or combined together with a 3-D model to support the understanding of the load planning result. This 3-D model allows the planner to browse through the data, get the required information attached to the objects, highlight or hide objects and trigger custom actions.
Disclaimer: Some of the example screenshots might not fit to a real load plan regarding loading security. I did not switch on the required rule for height difference between stacks. Loading security is fore sure a good topic for an additional MKS. Don’t worry, we keep that in mind.
In the basic view, the load plan including the items and resource is displayed in a perspective view. The cargo body of the resource displays grid lines for measure info. Axles are colored depending on the load distribution. Unloaded items are displayed in front of the vehicle. For each object a tooltip is available when hovering over it.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – perspective view with item tooltip
When left-clicking an object, a detailed information window is displayed.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – item details
A right-click on the scene opens up a menu. Here multiple functions are available. For example you can hide the resource or grid. Let’s focus first on the view. It is possible to switch to different standard camera positions (of course you can also freely navigate through the scene by zooming and rotating it, if you like to see the truck from below, feel free to do so 🙂 ). For example we pick ‘Top’.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – scene menu, switch to top view
Load Plan 3-D visualization – top view
Load Plan 3-D visualization – right side view
Did you notice the 3-D cube in the upper left corner? It shows the current rotation of the scene. By double clicking it you can always return to the standard perspective.
Next feature is the function to display unloaded items. To not mess up the 3-D scene with too many unloaded items when first displaying the load plan, only a single unloaded item is shown. Within the context menu, you can select ‘Show all’ and see all of them.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – show all unloaded items
Load Plan 3-D visualization – all unloaded items displayed
As promised, it is possible to browse the load plan. For example, the planner can color items by selected attributes like destination, product, or stackability.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – color items by…
Load Plan 3-D visualization – items colored by destination
Last feature for today is hiding specific items. From the item menu, you can select multiple functions to manipulate the scene the way you like. For example you can hide the complete level.
Load Plan 3-D visualization – Hide certain items
Load Plan 3-D visualization – Hidden level
Extension capabilities
What I have shown above is a set of standard functions within the 3-D model. In case this is not sufficient, it can be enhanced easily by using the provided enhancement spot. Here it is basically possible to manipulate anything starting from colors, information available in the tooltip or details window, up to attached functions in the menu. If the project requirements for example demand a different item coloring (by customer, dangerous goods relevance, …), this can be done here. Also I can think of some project specific manual load plan adjustments….
We will come up with an enhancement guide similar to the TM&EM Geo-Map guide http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-50073.
Limitations
Can I move items around within the 3-D model? No, but… The TM 9.1 load plan is a result of the automatic load planning including load distribution information. A manual change is not (yet) supported in standard. In general SAP Visual Business supports drag and drop, but we do not use it here (yet). For a customer project? I can imagine this very well… Maybe not completely freely in space, but having fixed rows. Or dropping an item onto another.
Merry Christmas!
Hello Marcus,
First of all, thanks for this MKS.
Could you please help me with the scenario below?
In my business we deal with heavy and light products (example: wire rods and welded mesh). During the load planning we need to avoid that welded mesh (light) stay down wire rods (heavy). Is there a standard rule to do this?
Best regards,
Luciano Fialho.
.
Hello,
sure. The stacking of items can be manipulated with different rules. This includes of course the option to not stack heavy stuff on light stuff.
In addition to the standard rules the enhancement spot gives the option to define a stacking matrix on item level.
Marcus
Marcus,
Any news about the enhancement guide for Load Planning?
Best Regards, Marcelo Lauria
No, unfortunately not. Busy with development. 😉
In case you have a specific question just shot it at me.
Thanks, I dont have yet once here it is TM 8.0... 🙁
Hey Marcelo are you planning to upgrade soon?
Thank you Marcus,
Hello ,
Is this function available for SAP TM 9.0
No, it's brandnew with TM 9.1 and for sure a reason to upgrade.
I saw a presentation from Cam Patter during the SAP Forum 2014 in Brazil! I got impressed with the capabilities on Load Planning! Really amazing!
Hi,
is there any integration with EWM in terms of the exact instruction what to place where in the truck? Thanks, Thomas
The load information is attached to the item of the freight order. They can be added to the order outbound message (within CD project).
Hi Marcus,
as usual very specific question from my side. I have read als MKK about load planning and also consumed the Load Optimization podcast. In general it seems to me, that there exists only one business scenario with automatic loading optimization.
Is there also a possibility to perform a manual Load Plan (not in VB, I understand that this does not work yet). On screenshots I do not see any functions in the load plan list.
What I could imagine that a planner enters the row/stack information manually and uses VB for vizualizing.
I would test it in the customer system, however it is not yet fully set up. For customer it would be very interessting, if such manual load planning (in the list at least) would be possible.
We are talking about a 9.1 system (and chance to upgrade to 9.2). Thanks a lot. I will give my best to convince the customer about the Load Plan und maybe one day about the Load Optimization. 🙂
Best regards,
Rajiv
Hi Marcus,
Thanks for sharing this useful information.
Some queries:
1. Do TM9.1 consider if Business is mixing different package size in a truck. There may be chances in some cases t due to package dimension variation truck is not able to fill completely? It will be great if you can provide some input on this.
2. In ERP Material master if Alternative UOM is maintained length, Width, height. Do still it is needed to maintain package dimension in Freight order.
3. Do maintaining axle and axle weight is mandatory? In many case business do not have limitation of axle weight. In such case only effective arrangement of different package size to completely fill the truck space is important.
Regards
1.) The TM 9.1 Load Planning is capable of mixing different package sizes.
2.) The relevant handling unit (pallet/package) must have those dimension attributes on Freight Order item level. Using the TM 9.3 poackage builder, those fields will be filled automatically.
3.) No, the TM load planning work then just like filling up a container.
Hi Marcus,
Is the handling unit mandatory? In our case, in a scenario we are just stacking the products directly into the truck but the 3D load plan doesn’t show duplicate products from each FU (even though the FU has multiple products). So for example there is a FO with 5 FUs and each FU has 2 products with 100 quantity each, on the truck only 5*2 = 10 products are shown whereas in the truck it should show 5*2*100 = 1000 boxes.
Edit: Found that the SAP designed it in this way. I wonder why!
Hello,
It may not be directly related to this but i wanted to check why my load planning screen is seen in black.
Regards
Anand
Yes, this is related to an outdated graphical driver. After updating this it should look better.
Hi Marcus,
We are facing some problems with 3D visualization on PRD environment here. The Load Plan process itself is doing a great job.
The 3D visualization on our DEV and QAS environment is working without problems. But on PRD environment we got a blank screen.
I think it is a basis (component, or visual business) problem.
If you have any hint, I would appreciate.
My best,
Michel Matoso.
Hello,
would not expect it to be an VB problem, but rather the UI layers below (WD, FPM and so on). With blank screen you mean a white screen area where the 3-D model should be displayed?
You should check notes 2228080 and 2228101. Hope this helps.
Marcus
Hi Marcus,
We have checked these notes, and our Basis team is working on it.
The notes referred on note 2154957 were not applied on PRD, only on DEV and QAS. This explains the different behaviors among the environments.
Appreciate your help and attention.
My best,
Michel Matoso.
Can you please attach screenshot if possible? Sometimes it is due to security also. Add the prod NWBC link to trustled site.
Regards,
AShish