OptWorks

OptWorks is a great software that comes with a suite of eight optimizers for use in Microsoft Excel. Each driver component has a particular benefit or utility to different classes of problems. The individual drivers in the current release are:

Genetic Algorithm (GA) AutoGA - a simplified GA for non-experienced users Simulated Annealing (SA) AutoSA - a simplified SA for non-experienced users Coordinate Pattern Search (with or without a Compass Search option) Grid Search Random Walk Random Search

The optimization algorithms in the OptWorks suite complement the built-in gradient-based optimizer in Excel (Solver), and are useful for a wide variety of complex optimization problems in which the design space may be non-smooth or discontinuous or in which some or all of the independent variables may be integers instead of continuous variables.