Fire
The most complex use of the SimTable is fire ecology. The table is capable of mapping out fire spread, density, and distribution in correlation with wind, fuel, and other factors. Simultaneously, the table is also capable of simulating firefighting strategies and their effectiveness. To begin a fire simulation, select the Fire tool from the menu. By default, the Place Fire tool will be selected. Selecting anywhere on the map will start a fire in that area and begin the simulation. The fire will spread based on the conditions established by the map, the wind speed tool, and fuel type. To learn more about what each tool does, refer to the Tools and Menu Index.

Fuel
This menu contains tools to remap the fuel type and density present at the mapped location. The main purpose of these tools is to modify fuel types and amounts to change the way a fire behaves in the mapped area. For more information about the function of these tools, refer to the Tools and Menu Index.

Water
The water menu houses the tools used to run simulations on watershed and flooding. These tools allow for detailed observation of how water moves through the mapped landscape. To begin a simulation, select any of the rain types from the menu and brush them over the landscape. These tools are most impacted by the topography and other physical features of the mapped area. For the best viewing experience of these tools, run all water simulations at 1024x speed. Each tool is explained in detail in the Tools and Menu Index.

Plume
The plume menu is used to view how different hazards may move across a landscape–things like smoke, methane gas, and ethylene. This menu is split into emitters and sensors. To start a simulation, place an emitter of any type on the map. The most powerful factors in these simulations are the emission type, wind speed, and wind direction. Similar to the water simulations, for the best viewing experience, run all plume models at 1024x speed. The Tools and Menu Index has more information about each tool’s functionality.

Cars
This menu serves as a hub for the tools that represent the human element of these simulations. By default, the paint cars tool will be selected. For any of the other tools housed here to function, you must paint a few cars on the map. To do this, simply brush along the road system on your map to add cars to it. Note that this tool will not work on a map that lacks a road system. The other tools described here are focused on evacuation and the movement of people. The tools are described in more detail in the Tools and Menu Index.