Index

Vortex® Studio Editor provides support for the SpaceNavigator mouse by 3Dconnexion. Support in the Editor is built-in as long as the application configuration contains the SpaceNavigator module. See also USB Devices User Guide The following is the mapping

Cables in Vortex® are represented as a sequence of parts and constraints (or joints). The joints are configured such that, in sequence, they behave like a compliant cable with certain user-provided material properties. For more information on how to choos

The Adaptive Feature Controller allows you to precisely adjust the shadow production, as well as the quality of mirrors, monitors and ocean reflections in a simulation. This lets you balance performance and realism in the scene. In the Properties panel, c

image2020-10-13_10-27-32.pngIn marine scenarios, you might want to add invisible buoy markers used to retrieve water height displacement. For example, this information can be useful when simulating features like bow waves or other similar effects. The oce

image2020-10-13_10-29-8.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add a texture that is rendered on top of the ocean mesh. This texture, called a decal, follows the ocean waves. To add a decal: Select Marine in the Toolbox. Double-click Decal to add it, or drag it

image2020-10-13_10-25-34.pngThe Wake Effect extension is used to create a hull wake wave on the ocean. The hull wake effect is simulated by moving the extension and generating particles. To render a proper hull wake, its parameters require some adjustment

image2020-10-13_10-32-36.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add a propeller backwash effect. To add a propeller effect: Select Marine in the Toolbox. Click Propeller Effect and drag it into the 3D View. In the Properties panel, configure the following fields

image2020-10-13_10-34-5.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add a controller that drives multiple decals to simulate a splash effect. Through a connection, you can associate the splash controller's outputs to the decals' inputs. Thus, every time a splash is t

image2020-10-13_10-34-54.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add a thruster to drive marine vehicles, converting propeller rotation motion into thrust force in newtons (N). The Thruster extension provides the ability to use an RPM-to-force table that defines

image2020-10-13_10-40-44.pngLearn how to clip the water plane, to prevent it from filling the inside of a ship with water. The Ocean feature in Vortex® generates an infinite plane. This plane is usually at zero meters of altitude and cuts through any geom

image2020-10-13_10-23-44.pngIn Vortex® Studio Editor, you can add an ocean to your scene which contains the dynamics and graphical extensions. To add an ocean: If you are not already in the Scene editor, either open an existing scene or create a new one.

image2020-10-13_10-27-8.pngLearn how to add a disturbed water pattern behind ships. (Mechanism only) Follow these steps to add an ocean wake extension to your mechanism: If you are not already in the Mechanism editor, either open an existing mechanism or

572_extensions.pngThis section describes how to extend and add additional functionality by using the built in extensions. There are a number of extensions that are available by default in Vortex® , such as the default joystick extension, a custom shader,

image2020-10-13_10-29-43.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add an ocean disruption as caused by the craft's ocean propeller. To add ocean propeller wash: Select Marine in the Toolbox. Double-click Ocean Propeller to add it, or drag it into the desired locat

image2020-10-13_10-33-2.pngIn marine scenarios, you can add a rotor wash effect, e.g., to simulate the effect a helicopter propeller would have on the surface of the ocean. To add rotor wash: Select Marine in the Toolbox. Double-click Rotor Wash to add it

To support UI pages with graphical controls, displays, and dialogs, Vortex Studio relies on Qt Designer https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtdesigner-manual.html. To show these pages in the console, the system relies on the Qt module. When you set up the Console exte

148_animating_custom.pngAnimating an object along a pre-defined path is a common task in many simulation scenarios. To help level designers with this task, Vortex® Studio offers a waypoint-based animation extension that outputs a smooth path along those w

124_art_best.pngThe following guidelines are meant to help you conform your models to work within the limits of Vortex® Studio. A simulated scene is composed of many elements: the main vehicle or mechanism being simulated, the environment around it, and a

658_palette.pngGraphical artists can create complex graphical assets that help in the simulation of real world object. The Artist Guide provides a comprehensive resource for artists to design exceptional assets that can be exported into Vortex® Studio. Gr

105_getting_started.pngThis topic provides an overview of the graphics pipeline and creation guidelines, as well as the preparation and optimization of graphic assets. Graphics are an important part of the simulation. However, care must be taken to optimi

The following list shows the typical workflow for a 3D artist working with Vortex® Studio to create, import, and work with graphical assets. A step-by-step, hands-on tutorial is available for the Graphics Gallery. You can also dive straight into the gener

AssemblyIconBigInverted.pngAn assembly contains the basic objects for dynamic simulation: parts, constraints and graphics. Assemblies can also contain nested assemblies, which are then referred to as sub-assemblies for clarity. Assemblies simplify the cre

The Asset Browser is a file navigation feature that makes it easier to find existing assets and insert them in your simulation. The Asset Browser is shown in Vortex Editor Home page where it is used to open any Vortex document for edition. It can also be

900_attachments.pngYou can attach assemblies in mechanisms or mechanisms together in the scene by using attachments. Attachment points define the location on the part where it will be joined to another body. You can define multiple attachment points in a

Name Location ExBackwardCompatibility <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExBackwardCompatibility This project is a plugin. It shows how to use the VxSim::IExtension callbacks related to serialization and backward compatibility Serialization is

This module explains how users can write their own plugins for Vortex Studio to add custom objects that can be used to build mechanisms or scenes. Requirements Participants must have some basic C/C++ training before taking this training module. To be able

Vortex Studio applications can be integrated with third-party applications using various methods. This module covers how the entire Vortex Studio Dynamics engine can be integrated into a C++ application. Requirements Participants must have some basic C/C+

Tutorials Backward Compatibility Tutorial Collision Detector Tutorial Constraint Tutorials Content Creation Tutorial Content Parsing Tutorial Content Update Tutorial Devices Tutorial Dynamics Extension Tutorial Graphics Model Connections Tutorial Integrat

560202087.gif This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum shows how Vortex Studio applications can be integrated with third-party applications using two methods: by adding plugins or by integrating within a third-party application.

732_cable.pngThe Cable Systems extensions allow you to use the Vortex Studio Editor to create a cable system definition in which a series of point definitions you specify and attach to existing parts make up its segment definitions. Cable systems hoist, l

This tutorial includes video content: In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Cable Systems add-on by adding a cable to an existing mechanism and altering the physical parameters of the cable system. Cable systems can be part of mechanisms and sc

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use hook and loop groups to attach and detach objects during runtime. We will define attachment points, create hook and loop groups, and define the logic required to connect and disconnect them following user input.

In this training module, you will learn how to add a spline to a Flexible Generic Cable. The cable we will use is the tether of the ROV system of the Offshore Demo Scene. You'll notice that the cable dynamics and graphics have already been defined. To lea

image2020-10-6_11-53-15.png This section of the Vortex® Studio training curriculum is about Cable Systems.

Cameras are the devices that renders the scene to the display. There are the following types of cameras in Vortex® Studio: To attach a camera in a mechanism Using the Connection Container feature, connect the parent transform of the camera (as an input) a

146-CANbus_63x63.pngThis section offers information about deploying and validating an application that uses the 3rd party library ESACANopenPRO.dll. System Setup Vortex® Studio relies on the PCAN-USB hardware dongle, manufactured by PEAK-System, to interf

The system supports the following CANopen devices: HCMS8 Specification This plug-in is developed for a joystick based on the HCMS8 controller. Specification Name HCMS8 Default Node ID 0x49 Communication Baudrate 250 kbps Data Byte Ordering Little Endian P

A catenary cable are cable where segments of the cable shape follow a curve, or catenary shape, because of a force field such as gravity, buoyancy field, or current flow. The shape and number of segment of the catenary cables can be defined in the editor

To add or remove a new wheel definition to the wheel list of a flexible track, follow these instructions: From the Explorer panel, click on the vehicle Flexible track extension. In the Properties panel, under the Parameters header, expand Left Track. Expa

In Vortex®, objects themselves do not actually collide, but rather a collision is detected when their associated collision geometries overlap. For performance, smoothness and stability, these geometries are typically simpler in shape and complexity than a

Name Location ExCollisionDetector <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExCollisionDetector This tutorial shows how to create extensions that can be used later in a scene or a mechanism to monitor contacts between an intersection sensor (the objec

A part on its own does not have volume. Therefore, it cannot collide with other elements in a scene. For this reason, collision geometries must be added to allow rigid body interactions. When creating parts, you can add primitive geometric shapes, such as

Basic Concepts Holes are special collision geometries that can be combined with regular collision geometries in order to create a hole inside the latter. Three shapes of holes are available: Spherical, Cylindrical and Box holes. Here is an example of a b

930_collision.pngBy default, everything with collision geometry collides, but you can specify which pairs should not collide with each other by setting collision detection rules. These rules can be established for mechanisms, assemblies, parts or collisio

337_installation.pngThis section describes how to configure objects that stores a set of desired, non-default values for other objects in a mechanism or scene. A configuration is an object that stores a set of desired, non-default values for other objects

Configuring a Simple Image Generator The following steps describe how to set up a simple desktop simulator with a single physical monitor. Creating a Setup File Create a new Setup file. Select Modules from the Toolbox. Add a Graphics Module OSG module by

Prerequisites: Before you can set up Console pages, you must know the .vxscene files you want users to be able to run. Console pages are designed to let you launch scenes for multiple types of equipment. To organize content so that users can select the sc

000_vehicle_dynamics.pngThis procedure describes how to connect the power-train to the chassis, which is a crucial step in setting up your vehicle properly. Open the mechanism where you have defined the vehicle and added a vehicle preset for it if it is n

In the 3D View, you can configure viewports to modify an object in perspective or orthographic views. You can view objects through one, two, three, or four viewports. For example, this is one viewport configuration that displays four views in equal propor

These steps describe how to associate the graphics representation of a track idler and sprocket to the Vehicle Systems power-train. In the Explorer panel, under the Vehicle preset container, click Dynamic Component. In the Properties panel, under the Left

These steps describe how to associate the graphics representation of an individual wheel in a flexible track to the Vehicle Systems powertrain. In the Explorer panel, click the Connection Editor folder to open the Connection Editor. If there is no Connect

96_connections.pngConnections are mappings between parameters that are internal to Vortex® and parameters that are piped into Vortex through an extension. Only inputs can be connected as Inputs and only outputs an be connected as Outputs in the Connection

Depending on the pages and features you want to include in the user interface, you must and add different modules, extensions, and pages to your setup file. Some modules and extensions are required for the interface to function properly. You can add the f

Name Location Constraint <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExConstraint Generic Constraint <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExGenericConstraint The main focus of the ExConstraint tutorial is to demonstrate how to use some constrai

This section lists the types of constraints that are available in Vortex®. Angular 1 Position 3 The "Angular 1 Position 3" is a general purpose two-part constraint, which is similar in nature to a Hinge or a Cylindrical but with additional positional cont

Constraints operate on one or more parts to restrict their relative range of motion. Depending on the type of constraint, there may only be one coordinate that can be controlled (for example, the Hinge joint); or there are multiple controllable coordinate

159_materials.pngIn Vortex®, the contact material defines the behavior when two materials collide. A mechanism has various materials; for example, in a vehicle mechanism, the wheels are made of rubber, the chassis of steel, and the bumpers of plastic. ima

Name Location Content Creation <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExContentCreation This tutorial provide an example to create content with code. Is this tutorial, a rover is built, is connected to a joystick and rolls on a plane. It showcases

Name Location Content Creation <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\VortexPython2\PyContentCreation\PyContentCreation.py This tutorial provide an example to create content with code. It is the python 2 equivalent of the C++ Content Creatio

Name Location Content Creation <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\Vortex\PycontentCreation\ContentCreation.py This tutorial provide an example to create content with code. It is the python 3 equivalent of the C++ Content Creation Tutoria

Name Location ExContentParsing <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExContentParsing This tutorial provide an example to read and parse content with code. Is will open a Vortex Content file such as a Scene, a Mechanism or an Assembly and will rec

Name Location PyContentParsing <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\VortexPython2\PyContentParsing\PyContentParsing.py This tutorial provide an example to read and parse content with code. Is will open a Vortex Content file such as a Scene

Name Location PyContentParsing <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\Vortex\PyContentParsing\ContentParsing.py This tutorial provide an example to read and parse content with code. Is will open a Vortex Content file such as a Scene, a Mecha

Name Location ExContentUpdate <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExContentUpdate This tutorial demonstrates how to read, update and copy content from code. It is meant to update and modify the Rover created during Tutorials ExContentCreation. S

308-steering-wheel.pngThis section describes how to enhance your simulation with predefined device systems. At the Mechanism or Scene level, Control Interfaces facilitate communication between content in the Editor and hardware inputs. The Control Interfa

In this tutorial, you will learn how to add a mirror to a mechanism in Vortex® Studio Editor. This tutorial is based on a 3ds Max model seen in the first step, below. Task Action References Detach mirror In 3ds Max, detach the mirror surface from the rest

Application setup files (.vxc extension) let you define your simulator application in the Vortex Studio interface. An external application for running the simulator (such as SimApp) parses the file and automatically uses it to configure the application. T

622_vehicle_preset.pngVortex® Studio provides a library of Vehicle Preset that are representative of different class of vehicles such as wheeled vehicle, rigid or flexible tracked vehicle along with a set of combination of different drivetrains Note Befor

849_definingsim.pngThis section shows the typical workflow for a mechanical engineer working with Vortex® Studio to import 3D models, create parts and constraints, and work with simulated mechanisms and scenes. Vortex Studio Dynamics Capabilities Vortex S

sim_icon_console.pngThis topic describes how to create custom user interfaces (UI). Vortex Studio is installed with several pre-configured pages that you can add to the existing UI of Vortex Editor, Vortex Player or Vortex Console. You can also add pages

93_advanced_64x63.pngThis topic covers some licensing situations that apply to custom use cases. Setting a Custom License Path During a typical installation, the license file is stored at the default path of C:/CM Labs/Licenses (for Windows) or /opt/cmlab

This procedure explains how to customize the appearance of a cable system. From the Explorer, click the Graphics property icon under Cable Systems folder. The properties now appear in the Properties Panel. image2020-10-9_16-12-7.png Configure the followin

You can customize the layout of your workspace by changing the viewport configuration, closing panels you do not need or displaying additional panels. You can also pin and unpin panels. The following shows the icons used for performing these actions. Refe

In some situations, it might be necessary to have cables sever when they make contact with another object. You can achieve this result by using the Dynamics Cutting Tool extension. Note Only flexible segments can be cut. A grabbed cable will be released i

Unlike rigid tracks which use a graphic asset to represent the track itself, flexible tracks need to move and bend like a flat cable running over a variable number of road wheels. For this reason, flexible tracks have a special set of Graphics parameters

image2020-10-9_16-42-42.png Learn about a terrain similar to the Earthwork Zone, but that is built to achieve better performance on large deformable areas. Deformable Terrains are used to define a terrain that can be deformed or piled with soil. They are

883_installing.pngUnderstand how to install Vortex Studio and its addons. Vortex Studio Deployment Vortex® Studio and its add-ons must be installed on all machines. The binaries can be installed under the same path on all machines but this is not a requir

Name Location Devices <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\MyDevicePlugin Sample module and extension that can be used as a base for an extension implementing an IDevice It shows the basic of having a module creating it own devices and adding the

Introduction The users can either launch the director in a full user interface mode or execute the director with command line arguments depending on the needs. Running in a full user interface mode allows to create, configure, launch and monitor simulator

569_director.pngThe Director enables the integrator to create, configure, launch and monitor simulators. A simulator file contains the description of simulation applications distributed over a network of computers. image2020-10-13_11-23-57.png Director Us

dx12_help.png For users with non NVIDIA graphics hardware, DirectX technology has been introduced into Vortex Studio. Mechanical design workflows are the only supported use cases at this time. Please note that Direct X12 support is in development and has

The Display category of extensions allows you to describe the placement and configuration of the physical monitors. Note This category of extensions is not available in all editing modes. To add an extension from the Display category Select Display in the

000_displays.pngThis section provides use case examples of displays and viewpoints in order to familiarize the user with how to set up these elements in their own configurations. Displays: 3D Display extensions represent the physical layout of the monitor

Name Location ExDynamicsExtension <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExDynamicsExtensionPlugin This tutorial showcases the following: Implementation of an VxSim::IExtension implementing the following interfaces VxDynamics::ICollidable VxSim::ID

This document contains information regarding the tools provided by Vortex® Studio to help find dynamics performance issues. Please refer to the Performance Analysis guide for an overview. Finding Bottlenecks in the Physics Engine If The Profiler tab in th

These extensions provide various utilities related to dynamics simulation and can be found under the Dynamics category. The available extensions are:

image2020-10-9_16-37-0.png Learn about the Earthworks Systems' sub-components and their uses. The Earthworks Systems' sub-components can be broken down into three general categories of use: Earthwork Systems provides objects that can receive and contain s

761_ews.pngEarthwork Systems is a Vortex developer module that is used to simulate earthmoving operations such as digging, trenching, filling, etc. Terrain is usually a static, non-deformable object in Vortex. The Earthwork Systems allows you to make othe

Earthworks Module 1: Bucket & Blade Extensions In this tutorial, users will learn the various characteristics of soil that can be simulated with Vortex® Studio's earthworks physics. Prerequisites You must have Vortex Studio and the Vortex Studio Samples a

In this tutorial, users will learn how to use the earthworks tools in Vortex® Studio to create a zone with interactable earthwork physics. Prerequisites You must have Vortex Studio and the Vortex Studio Samples installed to be able to complete this tutori

In this tutorial, users will learn the various characteristics of soil that can be simulated with Vortex® Studio's earthworks physics. Prerequisites You must have Vortex Studio and the Vortex Studio Samples installed to be able to complete this tutorial.

worddav4451dcef3165334c0da87f80dce12228.png This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum will walk you though the steps in creating a deformable terrain that can be interacted with the bucket and blade of an excavator.

image2020-10-9_16-38-17.png Learn about specialized tools to help simulate most types of earthmoving equipment and operations. A number of specialized tools are available to help simulate most types of earthmoving equipment and operations. The Earthwork T

image2020-10-9_16-42-4.png Learn about specialized soil utilities to help manipulate and monitor soil. A number of specialized soil utilities are available to help manipulate and monitor soil. The Earthwork Utilities defines a container (truck bed, ship h

image2020-10-9_16-37-37.png Learn how to define where the terrain can be deformed or piled with soil. Earthwork Zones are used to define where the terrain can be deformed or piled with soil. They are defined using a bounding box that intersects with the s

282_editor.pngLearn how to configure modules to fit with the system hardware and the overall application. A Simulation Application runs on various modules, such as Graphics, Dynamics, SlaveDynamics, Joystick, etc. These modules need to be configured to fi

802_environment.pngIn order to immerse the user in a scene, a number of environmental embellishments are available in Vortex® Studio Editor. This section presents some of the ways you can improve your scenes and mechanisms by adding audio and real-world e

Vortex Studio is a complete simulation platform. The features are delivered as a stack of independent modules and applications useful for building a complete simulator. Availability of individual applications and their functionalities will depend on the l

Vortex® supports the real-time simulation of dynamic rigid bodies immersed in fluid, and simulates different effects due to fluid interaction, such as buoyancy, drag, lift, and added mass. The fluid simulation capabilities offered by Vortex do not provide

You can use the Fluid Surface extension to simulate objects in a fluid, be it water or even wind. To create a Fluid Surface: Select Dynamics in the Toolbox. Double-click Fluid Surface to add it to the scene or mechanism. Configure the following fields in

The Fog extension allows you to add realistic fog effects to your scene or mechanism. To add a Fog extension: Select Environment in the Toolbox. Double-click Fog. In its Properties panell, edit the name of the fog. Specify the following inputs: Visible: S

Embed_64x64.pngWhen you purchase a Vortex Studio product with a Vortex Studio Embed Add-on, CM Labs sends you activation keys that you can use to generate the application license files. The Application is called a Custom Vortex Application. Generating a L

image2021-3-24_11-19-23.pngWhen you purchase a Vortex Studio product with a floating license, CM Labs sends you activation keys that you can use to generate the floating license files on the license server. A license server must first be installed on your

image2021-3-24_11-0-47.pngWhen you purchase a Vortex Studio product with a node-locked license, CM Labs sends you activation keys that you can use to generate the node-locked license files on your computer. Generating a node-locked license file involves l

A cable definition is a container for a number of parameter, point, and segment definitions used to construct a cable system. The Generic Cable properties, in conjunction with the Dynamics Properties, can be customized to adjust for thickness and density

Stable simulation of cables is a challenge since they often involve very small compliances and large mass ratios. Instability manifests as vibrations in the cable with motion perpendicular to the stiff axes of the cable constraints. For example, this typi

It is possible to use Python scripting in order to retrieve the position and orientation of generic cables in your simulation. To add a script to fetch cable position: In the Toolbox, select Simulation, then double-click Script. This adds a script extensi

228_what.png 833_features.png 450_licensing.png What is Vortex Studio? Features and Capabilities Overview Licensing 316_sysreq.png 337_installation.png System Requirements Installation 658_palette.png 108_eng.png Artist Quick Start Provides artists with a

In this tutorial, new users will learn the basics of interacting with Vortex® Studio Editor. You will start from an existing Vortex Studio scene found in the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes installation directory. The default location is C:\CM Labs\Vortex Studi

This module focuses on the basics of using Vortex Studio to create a scene and launch a first simulation, as well as inserting mechanisms and interacting with them. Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio and the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes installed

In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of Vortex® Studio Editor by importing graphical assets that are created by 3D artists and turning them into a simulated vehicle. These graphical assets must be created using the Vortex 3D modeling guidelines to

In this tutorial, you will take the mechanism created in Getting Started Tutorial 3 : Creating a Mechanism and give it life by motorizing parts, giving the mechanism interactive controls, and more. You will further enhance the simulation by connecting an

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Configuration feature in Vortex® Studio Editor. Configurations allow you to create multiple variations of a mechanism or scene within a single file. They provide a convenient way to develop and manage varian

In this video series tutorial, users will learn the basics of interacting with Vortex® Studio Player. Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio and the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes installed to be able to follow all steps in this tutorial. Distributing a

image2020-11-12_15-58-19.png This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum is the first introduction to the software. Familiarize yourself with the interface, build your first scene and explore the building blocks of a Vortex simulation.

797_assets.pngThis section provides guidelines for artists to create these resources in a way that will make them easy to use in Vortex® Studio. Though Vortex® Studio doesn't necessarily need graphics when used for engineering testing and development purp

When creating a model for a mechanism, such as a vehicle or a prop, it's important to have complete and accurate data to start with. While the mechanical engineer has complete controls over the physical dimensions of their dynamic parts, if the 3D model i

The Plotter is a graphical interface that can display the data from the simulation to be used for debugging purposes. The Plotter can be used to look for behaviors that cannot be detected by the visual simulation. The data can be exported to fine-tune the

Terrain objects are used to create the environment in which the simulated objects (vehicles, props, etc.) will interact. The following describes some techniques and best practices to create terrain files that function with optimal performance. It is impor

572_extensions.pngThese are the following categories of effects that you can apply in Vortex®: Particle effects: Used to simulate a large number of very small objects, such as a cloud of dust. Image effects: Used to affect the look of the simulation, not

GraphicsIconBigInverted.pngA Graphics Gallery document saves imported 3D models from a variety of software and file formats and converts those models to a file that is independent from the source software, using a .vxgraphicgallery file extension The Grap

In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of the Graphics Gallery file by importing graphical assets that were created by 3D artists. These graphical assets must be created in an external 3D modeling software using the Vortex® 3D modeling guidelines to

Selecting a graphics geometry from the Explorer opens a Properties panel for that geometry. In this window, the following information appears: Interactive 3D preview of the geometry, with the plane's origin as reference Name of the geometry Vertex count T

A graphics material is an advanced type of texture mapping that allows visualizing objects as close to real life as possible. Materials can be used for rendering (textures and parameters used on each layer, such as normal, specular, etc.) and special effe

Name Location Graphics Model Connections <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExGraphicModelConnections This tutorial shows how to parse the content to get the information on the part-model association with c++ code This association, named skin i

After importing a 3D CAD model to the Graphics Gallery, a graphics node appears in the Explorer, representing the graphic. When you select a node, its properties are shown in the Properties panel. A node may have a reference to a graphics geometry and a g

This page contains information regarding the tools provided by Vortex® to help find graphics performance issues. Vortex Performance Tools Different tools are provided in order to keep an eye out for graphics performance issues. More often than not though,

The GSPID Controller extension is a standard PID (proportional, integral, derivative) controller with gain scheduling. It can be connected to fields in your simulation using a connection container. The effective proportional, integral, and differential ga

image2020-10-9_16-43-16.png Simulate machine control systems and GPS displays for earthmoving equipment, such as excavators, wheel loaders, and dozers. Many heavy equipment manufacturers offer Global Positioning (GPS) and Guided Machine Control (GMC) syst

138_hmd.pngVortex® Studio supports head-mounted display (HMD) devices in order to run simulations with virtual reality (VR) headsets. The following procedures can quickly turn any Vortex Studio-based simulation into a VR experience. HMD Installation Vorte

The Hook Group and Loop Group extensions allow two attachment points (designated as the hook and the loop) to be attracted to each other and then bound when they are within a specified distance from each other. Before creating a Hook group or a Loop group

Introduction Vortex Studio uses Qt's technologies for creating its multiple user interfaces. Several Qt pages show how to build Qt 5.9 with third parties (https://doc.qt.io/qt-5.9/build-sources.html https://doc.qt.io/qt-5.9/build-sources.html) In Vortex S

This document explains the various steps necessary to use the Vortex Console in tandem with a Unity application integrating Vortex. Required Installations First of all, the correct version of Vortex needs to be installed in order to use those features. Vo

A heads up display (HUD) allows you to superimpose additional information into a viewport. To add an overlay: Click HUD in the Toolbox. Select Image, Line, Text, or Textfile. Drag it into the 3D View, or into the desired location of the Explorer panel. Ed

000_hydraulics.pngIn Vortex® Studio Editor, you can now simulate various hydraulics components, such as an actuator, a pump, a divider, a combiner and a transmission using the Hydraulics Systems extensions. By linking these components together, you can si

967_importing.pngVortex® Studio imports and stores the 3D model and all its components (materials, textures, etc.) into a single native file: the Graphics Gallery. This file is then sent to the mechanical engineers to build the simulation. Importing the 3

967_importing.pngThis section explains how to prepare your models for export in 3ds Max specifically, as it is the recommended DCC software for use with Vortex Studio. Importing models from digital content creation (DCC) software is the first step in usin

This section lists inertia tensor types as well as advanced topics on inertia tensors in the Vortex® world. Spherical Inertia Tensor An inertia tensor with three equal moments of inertia on the diagonal and zero off-diagonal values is known as spherical,

Installation files for the Vortex® Studio family of products are available from the CM Labs Account Page (https://www.cm-labs.com/account/ https://www.cm-labs.com/account/). Vortex Studio can be installed either on Windows or Linux. On Windows the user on

Name Location Integration <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExVHLIntegration This tutorial provide an example of embedding Vortex in a custom application. This case uses the simple API VortexIntegration to achieve the integration. The applicat

Name Location Keyboard Extension <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExKeyboardExtension This tutorial shows how to make an extension that implements the VxSim::IKeyboard interface. This extension is meant to capture specific keys in a specific

573_notes.png The Level Designer Guide provides level designers the information they need to set up scenes and environmental effects, as well as add-ons such as oceans and human characters.

558_license_server.pngThis information explains how to set up a license server, allowing any computer on your network to run Vortex Studio with floating licenses. Setting Up a License Server The process for setting up a license server is different for Win

Licensing Getting Started According to the terms of your CM Labs contract, you are entitled to one or more products. CM Labs will create one or more activation keys corresponding to the purchased products. An activation key is a 16-digit code used to gene

Lighting effects are intended for you to add realism to scenes and models to more closely resemble their real world counterparts. There are multiple types of lighting available in Vortex®, described below: Note Vortex supports up to 63 lights that cast sh

There are several kinds of information logs available from the Editor. Scene and Shader Dumps If you are experiencing problems with your scene data or shaders, you can save everything to a special dump file and send it to CM Labs support (support@cm-labs.

With the MongoDB module, the system supports several features for managing accounts and users. The following extensions let you set up the system to manage different types of users: Supported User Roles The first time you connect the simulator to the data

You can manipulate different shapes and elements, such as parts and mechanisms, in the 3D View. You must first select the object before you can use the buttons in the Transform toolbar as shown below. Depending on context, buttons to manipulate the mass p

In the 3D View, all orthogonal viewports support zooming and panning the camera. In addition, you can also rotate and fly in perspective viewports. Zooming Scroll with the mouse wheel to zoom in (up) or out (down) from the center of the object in the 3D V

In this training pack, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with nautical simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on the basics of using Vortex Studio to create an offshore simulation application. This module covers ho

In this training pack, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with nautical simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on using Vortex Studio to create a working vessel mechanism to be used in the offshore scene created in

In this training pack, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with nautical simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on using Vortex Studio to create a working offshore crane, that can be attached to the vessel created in

In this training pack, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with nautical simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on using Vortex Studio to create an ocean floor environment, as well as adding tooling to an ROV. Prereq

In this training pack, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with nautical simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on using Vortex Studio a Python script coupled with the GSPID Controller object to implement a heave com

In marine scenarios, you might want to add navigation buoys that follow the movements of the water's surface without using dynamics computations, in order to maintain an acceptable level of performance. To avoid these extra computations, make sure you do

image2020-10-6_14-35-49.png This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum is about Vortex Marine extensions.

Before reading this page, you should familiarize yourself with the use of the Vortex® Profiler and the Content Debugger. Using the Content Debugger along with the Profiler is a powerful combination allowing you to easily find what is slowing down your sim

590_opt.pngThis section offers some common techniques to increase the performance of your simulations. Using script, collision rules, and optimized variable settings, you can improve the stability and produce expected simulation outcomes. Optimization str

108_eng.pngThe Mechanical Engineer Guide provides mechanical engineers with advanced technical information, as well as methods to improve performance and tuning.

The following shows the typical workflow for a mechanical engineer working with Vortex® Studio to import 3D models, create parts and constraints, and work with simulated mechanisms and objects. A good way to start is to try out Creating a Mechanism tutori

Name Location Mechanism Viewer <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\MechanismViewer This tutorial provide an example of creating a custom Vortex, akin to simapp.exe. This application is meant to run as a standalone Vortex application. To use it a

Name Location Mechanism Viewer <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\VortexPython2\PyMechanismViewer\PyMechanismViewer.py This tutorial provide an example of creating a custom Vortex, akin to simapp.exe in python 2. This application is mean

Name Location Mechanism Viewer <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\Vortex\PyMechanismViewer\MechanismViewer.py This tutorial provide an example of creating a custom Vortex, akin to simapp.exe in python. This application is meant to run as

MechanismIconBigInverted.pngMechanisms play a very important role in Vortex® content, as they contain the link between the dynamics objects and the rest of the simulation. A mechanism contains assemblies, parts, constraints, and extensions for simulation.

The mesh technique for Cable Systems is ideal when you require the appearance of a 3D chain or tank treads for your mechanism, for example. image2020-10-8_16-46-23.png A mesh chain made of links When creating a mesh's graphics geometry for procedural cabl

566_toolbar.pngThere are a number of tools in the Graphics Gallery to manipulate imported models. These tools are found in the right-click contextual menu of a Graphics Gallery or graphics node in the Explorer panel. The following model simplification act

Note: This is an advanced topic. This page is only applicable if you want to switch between reeving using mechanism configurations at the beginning of a simulation, not during runtime. It is possible to model a crane with a complex reeving system in Vort

Each segment definition allows you to customize how that segment will behave in the simulation. image2020-10-9_16-9-27.png A segment is automatically created as soon as you define at least two points (winch, pulley, etc.) and appears in the Dynamics prope

622_vehicle_modular.pngModular Vehicle Systems allows to create vehicles in Vortex® Studio in a modular way. It provides a library of components that are common to most of the vehicles such as wheel, motor, transmission, torque converter and others. All c

Vehicles are defined by Modular Vehicle Systems using Topology files. These topology files are simply assembly that contain several Components, which model the behaviour of the vehicle subsystems, such as engine, wheels, transmission, etc. Each component

Vehicles are defined by Modular Vehicle Systems using Topology files. Each topology file is a standard Vortex® Studio Assembly file, and can be added, created, and edited using the Vortex® Studio Editor. So, working with topologies is identical to working

https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocumentation/Vortex_User_Documentation/Content/Editor/FWD.png Create a Vehicle Template from scratch using the Modular Vehicles approach, then use this template to create a fully drivable Light Armored Vehicle from gra

In this first module, we will setup the file structure as well as the topology of the drivetrain of an 8x8 land vehicle. The goal is to fully create a modular vehicle without using templates. This will give you a better understanding of the structure of m

Now that our Vehicle Template is fully configured, we can use it to create a Vehicle Mechanism. In this section, we'll create a Chassis Assembly and add Graphics, as well as tuning the powertrain of the AWD8x8. Prerequisites Modular Vehicles Tutorial 1: C

In Vortex Studio, Tire Models are critical to the physical accuracy and drivability of vehicles. Without this extension, the material table is used to evaluate the friction between the tire and ground, which does not account for the complexities of the ti

In this tutorial, we're going through the final steps needed so that our vehicle can be driven by a controller with a camera attached to the driver's point of view. Prerequisites Modular Vehicles Tutorial 3: Adding Tire Models Setting up the Vehicle Contr

In this tutorial, we're going to learn how to simulate tire ruts with our tire models. Prerequisites Modular Vehicles Tutorial 4: Adding Driving Logic Enabling the Soil Hardening Feature Open the LAV mechanism you worked on in the previous modules. Click

Name Location Multi processing <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\Vortex\PyMultiprocessing\GenerateMechanismWithPy3Multiprocessing.py This example shows some basic usage of the Python 3 "multiprocessing" module in a Vortex Dynamics scrip

Name Location Multi processing <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\VortexPython2\PyMultiprocessing\GenerateMultiprocessingMechanism.py This example shows some basic usage of the Python 2 "multiprocessing" module in a Vortex Simulation scr

Sometimes, it is necessary to interface with external applications or devices for information or extra computational purposes. In order to allow communication with external applications or devices, you must add User Datagram Protocol (UDP) extensions to y

worddav1448349966a3debdaf16dfa61379ac00.png In this section of the Vortex® Studio Training, you will learn how to exchange data with a third party software using the UDP network protocol extensions.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to exchange information with an external Python program using the Vortex UDP extensions. Communication between multiple simulation software can be very useful in order to integrate models coming from different platform

In this tutorial, you will learn how to exchange information with a Simulink model program using the Vortex UDP extensions. Communication between multiple simulation software can be very useful in order to integrate models coming from different platforms.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to exchange information with an Altair Activate® model using the Vortex UDP extensions. Communication between multiple simulation software can be very useful in order to integrate models coming from different platforms

In some subsea situations, you may want to have neutrally buoyant cables. A neutrally buoyant cable is one whose density is equal to the fluid around it (e.g., water) so that it remains in a specific position. This procedure assumes that fluid exists in t

Objects can be selected and transformed in the Explorer panel or the 3D View. Both approaches allow multi-select.

236_optimizing.png The Optimization Guide provides information for how users can identify and optimize performance in their simulations.

The Options dialog boxes provide access to user preferences for troubleshooting the simulation. Import and Export Options Import Previous Settings: If you have a previous version of Vortex Studio Editor installed on your computer, click this button to qui

Name Location Paged Terrain <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExPagedTerrain This tutorial how to create a paged terrain extension. A paged terrain extension allows a user to feed the simulation with terrain information. A classic example woul

The Part Animator extension allows you to select a part in your scene or mechanism, and move it to a new position. The velocity of the part will be calculated by the displacement from the current position to the new position given by the part animator in

PartIconBigInverted.pngParts represent rigid bodies in a simulation and can be added to an Assembly. Parts represent rigid bodies that can be connected together with joints and can collide with each other and the environment. For information on modeling

The Performance Analysis guide provides step-by-step procedures for finding and resolving performance bottlenecks. Evaluating Performance in Simulation In the best case scenario, a virtual training simulator should produce a high level of psychological fi

Pipelines are used to direct the flow of material to and from different components. The pipelines are static which can be collided with but are themselves not affected by the collision. The radius and spline control points can be configured in the simulat

841_scripting.pngThis section describes how to extend and add additional functionality by using the deprecated built in scripting tool. How Script Extensions Work Script extensions in the Vortex® Studio Editor are associated with either a mechanism or a s

841_scripting.pngThis section describes how to extend and add additional functionality by using the built in scripting tool. Supported Use Case The Dynamics Script Extension (Python 3) allows you to use the Python 3 programming language to modify the beha

Vortex Studio comes with some python tutorials that shows several using case of using Vortex with python. Vortex support Python 3 on Windows and support it's Python 2 on both Windows and Linux. The Vortex package (Vortex.py) is made with python 3.8 while

Name Location Ray cast sensor Extension <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\ExRayCastSensorExtension Sample extension using a VxRayCastSensor to model a ray cast sensor that can be added to your content (Mechanisms or Scenes). Raycasting results

This guide shows how to read the texture generated by a monitor from Python using Pillow. Monitor Setup Create a Camera (e.g. Perspective Camera). Change its name. The default name "Perspective" is also used by the Editor camera. Make sure that something

In this tutorial, we will create a Reinforcement Learning environment similar to OpenAI Gym Pendulum-v0 https://gym.openai.com/envs/Pendulum-v0/. We will use a Vortex Studio model of the inverted pendulum, which is a part connected to a reference frame (s

The Remote Debugger application lets you monitor and visualize a simulation from outside of the simulator's systems so that you can troubleshoot and diagnose problems in your content remotely. image2020-10-8_20-47-31.png This is especially useful if: You

Name Script location PyRemoteDebugging <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\PyRemoteDebugging\PyRemoteDebugging.py This tutorial demonstrates how to remotely connect to Vortex instance using python. It creates a small graphical remote debu

For many problems due to missing files or badly configured data, the Vortex® Studio Editor displays a warning and gives you the opportunity to fix the issue. For example, if you are setting up a constraint on an assembly and you make an error, such as try

981_player.pngYou can use the test simulator in the Scene, Mechanism, or Assembly editor to play your scene, mechanism or assembly right inside the Editor. Warning Running a simulation in an external application is not supported for assemblies. https://ww

image2020-10-6_21-10-44.png This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum is about Scene development.

In this tutorial, we will go over key concepts and guidelines to get you started with simulations in Vortex® Studio. This module focuses on using Vortex Studio to add controllable and animated human characters to existing scenes. Vortex Studio has built-i

This module focuses on using Vortex® Studio to add plants and vegetation to existing scenes. Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio, the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes and the Vortex Studio Vegetation Library installed to be able to follow all steps in

This module focuses on using Vortex® Studio to add a Heads-Up Display (HUD) to an existing scene, to keep track of given metrics in the viewport. Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio and the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes installed to be able to follo

This module focuses on adding and modifying lighting in a scene to improve visibility and overall scene aesthetics. Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio and the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes installed to be able to follow all steps in this tutorial.

157_scene_custom.pngA Scene is the highest-level element in the Vortex® hierarchy and allows you to position and connect the elements of the scene (mechanisms, terrain, etc.) together. In addition, you can add extensions in the scene (for example, custom

To Select a Single Component Do one of the following: From the Explorer panel, click the name of the component you want to select. In the 3D View, click the component you want to select. A bounding box indicates that the object is selected. image2020-10-7

Vortex provides several sensors for measuring distances between geometries, detecting overlaps and more. In order to add a sensor to your content in the editor: Select Sensors in the Toolbox. Double-click the desired sensor to add it to the 3D View. Edit

If you need to control access to your simulator or store measurements for metrics during sessions, you must set up a database to house session and user data. Vortex Studio only supports the MongoDB database. Mongo DB is not part of Vortex Studio. You mus

image2020-10-13_11-11-45.pngAdd shadows to your simulation for a more graphically immersive world. Shadows are an important part of being graphically immersed into the training world. They often provide important training value, such as judging the height

Name Location Simulation Application <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\tutorials\Python\Vortex\PySimApp\SimApp.py This tutorial provide an example of creating a custom Vortex, very similiar to simapp.exe in python. This application is meant to be run ei

The Setup File contains configuration information for the Vortex® Studio Editor and for the Player to determine which modules should be loaded and how graphics should be displayed. This first module doesn't contain step-by-step instructions. Instead, it c

While the Player application only contains a single display, many simulators use multiple displays to create more immersive environments. This type of setup can be created using multiple nodes that each have displays configured based on their physical siz

Vortex® Studio allows the deployment of a simulation on multiple computers. This is useful when deploying a simulation on more than two screens, to spread the computing over multiple machines. image2020-10-7_9-19-32.png Prerequisites The simulation we wil

This step-by-step tutorial explains how to deploy a simulation with multiple cameras displayed on a single screen, as depicted in the image below: image2020-10-22_12-5-1.png Prerequisites You need to have Vortex® Studio and the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes i

This module introduces the steps involved in creating a custom vehicle HMI in Vortex® Studio, by using QtDesigner. This HMI can be used within the Editor, or be deployed to a simulator and used on a touchscreen for human-in-the-loop testing. Prerequisites

image2020-10-7_9-19-32.png This section of the Vortex® Studio Training, you will learn how to deploy a simulation on multiple screens and computers connected in a network.

Setup document 337_installation.pngA setup document (VXC extension) allows you to set up or configure a Vortex application without doing it all manually in code. It can be passed to an application which will parse it (like the SimApp) and automatically c

image2020-10-13_11-7-2.pngCustomize the look of the sky in your simulation. Vortex® Studio Editor allows you to customize the look of the sky and distant environmental backgrounds in the following ways: SkyBox The SkyBox plug-in creates a box around the s

This extension defines how dust generated by the earthmoving operations behave, and is used to configure dust emission and appearance. The Earthwork Systems module models the generation of dust when tools dig through or drop soil. The events which lead to

The Soil Materials Extension lets you define which soil presets the simulation uses as the soil material in the scene. It also has settings to limit the number of soil particles during a simulation, or remove particles if they stop moving for a specified

This extension's purpose is to visualize simulated soil particles. To add a Soil Particles extension: In your scene or mechanism, select Earthwork Systems in the Toolbox. Double-click Soil Particles to add one, or drag it into the 3D View. Dynamics Proper

The Solver Group and Automatic Solver Groups extensions are inextricably linked to the concept of multicore processing and are thus leveraged by the Vortex® Parallel Solver. These concepts and their relationship to each other are explained in this topic.

image2020-10-12_20-24-30.pngYou can add sounds to a scene or mechanism to provide audio realism to the simulation. For example, you could add the sound of a motor being accelerated to a vehicle mechanism. Sound in Vortex® uses the following components: Yo

You can use graphical controls on a UI page to change objects in a scene or control mechanism functions. For example, you can use a bullet slider on a UI page to change sea state, or add a button that turns on equipment lights. You can also add widgets to

During simulation, it is important that dynamic rigid bodies accurately behave and interact with the environment as they would in the real-world. For interactions that are not completely rigid, Vortex® allows modeling soft interactions as spring-damper sy

000_sim_icon.png Vortex Studio provides tools to set up and configure simulators on a local machine or on a distributed system. A Vortex simulator is composed of applications (SimApp) running on different computers and communicating together through a com

000_tandem.pngA tandem is a simulator set up to support multiple trainees in the same exercise. Each trainee can operate equipment using similar hardware, such as CANopen devices. In these cases, the devices could have the same DeviceID since each is on t

315_tech_notes_63x63.pngThis section collects more in-depth information about a variety of topics for the advanced user. The following topics have advanced information:

image2020-10-13_11-7-38.pngA terrain is available only at the scene level and represents the land relief (physical geography) on which rigid bodies can interact. A terrain consists of a set of tiles generated from a Graphics Gallery https://www.cm-labs.co

Textures are usually created in Adobe Photoshop or GIMP, though it's possible to use many other image DCCs. Textures need to be square and at a resolution set to a power of 2 (2x2 all the way to 4096x4096 pixels). Similar to the polygonal budget, a textur

When you select a texture, a 2D preview of the texture and its properties are shown in the Properties panel. To add a texture to a Graphics Gallery Double-click Graphics > Texture in the Toolbox. In the resulting window, browse to the image you want to us

The Browser tab is where you can add and load assets to the Player and play them. image2020-10-8_10-23-35.png The buttons on the screen perform the following actions: Add Assets...: Adds assets one at a time. In the resulting dialog box, navigate to the d

The Configurations tab allows you activate and deactivate configurations that you may have set up for a scene or mechanism loaded in the Player. See the Configuration section for more information about configurations. If an asset you loaded in the browser

The Content Debugger is a graphical representation of runtime objects available in the Vortex® Studio Player application. image2020-10-8_10-27-14.png Hierarchical view of objects in the application. On the Master, the universe(s) are also displayed. Edita

The Control Presets tab allows you to create and edit device mapping presets. A preset contains a reference to a control interface and a list of device mappings. A device mapping contains a list of field mappings between control interface fields and devic

The Dynamics Visualizer tab on the Player interface shows options for that you can use to show information about dynamics entities in your simulation, such as CGs, constraints, and more. image2020-10-8_10-36-6.png (1) For convenience, some of the visualiz

The Explorer panel contains tree structures corresponding to the component currently loaded in the Vortex® Studio Editor. image2020-10-8_9-0-55.png The Explorer panel displays the elements of the scene, mechanism, assembly, part, or graphics material, and

Inspector Overview The Inspector panel included in the Vortex® Studio Editor provides information about the complexity of a selected Vortex object. Using the information in the Inspector, you can rapidly identify possible issues in models and evaluate the

The Key Frames tab allows you to capture all application content data that is needed to allow the application to resume the simulation from that point. To save a key frame, press the Save Key Frame button while the simulation is running. Key Frames and th

The Network Data tab in Vortex® Studio Player monitors the data and the events sent or received from a given node in the simulation. Used in conjunction with the Profiler timings, this page helps troubleshooting performance issues in a distributed simulat

The Network Processes tab in Vortex® Studio Player displays information about the processes running inside the simulation locally or on remote computers. Overview image2020-10-8_10-49-15.png The Master node represents the node where the dynamics engine is

The Profiler tab allows you to view information about the resources that the simulation is using in real-time. A simulation should be monitored regularly when adding or integrating new content, and changing values, in order to minimize regression testing

You can record and play back any Vortex®-based simulation by using the controls available on the Record and Playback tab. Record and Playback is useful both to the instructor and to the student. The instructor can play back a student session, thereby prov

The Roles and Seats tab of the Vortex® Studio Player allows you to assign available seats and roles to the simulation. image2020-10-8_10-52-45.png Click the role column next to the seat to assign a role to the seat. The change will be distributed across t

821_UI.pngThis section describes how you interact with Vortex Studio Editor. If you are new to Vortex® Studio Editor, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the user interface. For a guided example of how to use the interface, see Getting Star

The Warning and Errors tab displays any error or warnings that have occurred in the Player simulation. image2020-10-8_10-53-20.png In a distributed simulator, there is an error tab for every node. Each node is represented by its host name and process ID.

731_tire_models.pngVortex® Studio includes the Tire Model feature in Vehicle Systems to accurately capture the interaction between the wheels of a vehicle and the ground surface material. Different Types of Tire Models Tire models can be divided in two ma

Tire Models Technical Notes The tire models provided in the Vortex® toolkit are based on real scientific research. This page is meant to provide more technical background information than is found in the Adding Tire Models section. Tire Normal Force When

The Toolbox is a panel that contains all the extension you can add in order to construct your simulation. What appears in the Toolbox is contextual depending on what kind of component you are editing. image2020-10-8_9-3-30.png image2020-10-8_9-3-38.png In

There are two ways to modify the position, orientation, and size of any object, via the 3D View and the Properties panel. There are three types of transforms that describe an object's location in space, described below: World transform: The world transfor

According to Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics, and Control, Second Edition by John J Craig, orientation can be described by a set of three angles with a total of 24 different angle set conventions. Vortex® uses a static angle set and a rotating angle s

Localization.pngYou can translate your simulator into a new language by adding a language for the multi-language Vortex Console application. Adding a new Language for a Simulator http://confluence:8090/display/VPD/Translating+a+Simulator+into+a+New+Langua

Creating translation of content http://confluence:8090/display/VPD/Translating+Content+with+VortexEditor+-+workflow#TranslatingContentwithVortexEditor-workflow-Creatingtranslationofcontent Why is translation required? http://confluence:8090/display/VPD/Tr

Logs When an issue is encountered using Vortex Studio, the first place to look at is in the log files. All Vortex Applications produce log files. Recovering Log files The log files can be retrieved from the standard temporary file folder of the OS. Go to

590_opt.pngThis section describes how to troubleshoot issues with licensing. You can find any license files that the Vortex License Manager generates in the C:/CM Labs/Licenses folder on Windows or /opt/cmlabs/licenses/ on Linux. You may need special user

In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of the Modular Vehicle Systems by modelling a simple front wheel drive (FWD) vehicle. Before looking at this tutorial, you should be familiar with Modular Vehicle Systems. This tutorial will guide you through th

This page contains step-by-step learning guides for basic Vortex® Studio features, as well as documentation for the samples provided with the software. These tutorials are intended to help you start the Vortex Studio Editor and quickly make something usef

This information is intended for users of Vortex Studio and Unity who want to add Vortex Studio mechanisms to existing simulation content in Unity. Pre-Requisites You must be familiar with Vortex Mechanisms, Vortex Graphics Galleries, and the Unity Editor

unreal-engine-icon-6_64x59.pngThis information is intended for users of Vortex Studio and Unreal Engine who want to add Vortex Studio mechanisms to existing simulation content in Unreal. You must be familiar with Vortex mechanisms, Vortex Graphics Galleri

000_Joystick_Icon.pngVortex® Studio supports multiples types of devices, as long as the proper modules are in the application setup. Note Plugging in a USB device (such as a mouse or gamepad) to the computer does not require you to restart the Editor or P

What is the Camera Page? The Camera Page extension makes it possible to display a number of 3D views inside a Vortex user interface page. This extension has many similarities with the standard QtDesigner Page. How to set it up Open a scene or mechanism do

The Metrics feature allows you to create a way to collect data that can be monitored in the scene while the simulation runs. The metrics can be created at the Mechanism https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocumentation/Vortex_User_Documentation/Content/Ed

What is the QtDesigner Page? QtDesigner Page provides the base for creating a user interface page that connects to the simulation. Such user interfaces are necessary to allow user interaction with the simulation; for a particular device or machine, like c

The 3D View shows the dynamic and graphical representation of any Vortex Studio objects you create. From the 3D view, you can manipulate and inspect objects and camera views, and position objects in the viewport. https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocume

The Instructor page lists the sessions in which the logged-in user participated as the instructor. The page is only visible if the logged-in user is an Administrator or an Instructor. Each row of the table displays information for one session. The infor

The Vortex® Studio Editor provides some visual guides which allow you to see certain important details about the simulated objects. There are two levels of control provided over the visual controls: On an object per object basis Across a scene, mechanism,

The Grabbing Tool extension allows you to grab a collidable, flexible segment of a cable system. To have a collidable flexible segment, the Collision Geometry Type of the segment or the Param Definition must be set to something other than None. Note Only

keyboard_icon.pngThe Keyboard extension can be used when a more typical control device, such as a game pad, is unavailable. Introduction The Keyboard extension can be used when a more typical control device, such as a game pad, is unavailable. The Keyboar

276_generating.pngTo generate each license file, you must use the Vortex License Manager application, installed by default with Vortex Studio. The Vortex Studio License Manager application can generate different licenses to meet your needs : Each license

The Properties panel contains the properties of the object that you have selected in the Explorer or the 3D View. It is in this panel where you can modify properties. Properties are collections of related parameters that control or define the behavior of

image2020-10-13_11-8-38.pngA vegetation field allows you to add elements like rocks, foliage, trees and grass to your scene. Instead of placing these objects one by one, the vegetation field can randomize and distribute a customizable density of vegetatio

image2020-10-13_11-8-52.pngThe Vegetation Library feature allows you to add realistic trees, plants and wind to your scene or mechanism. The Vegetation Library feature is based on licensed SpeedTree technology. Vortex® Studio supports the following SpeedT

image2021-1-4_13-58-59.png Using Preset Vehicle Topologies from the Toolbox, create a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) from graphic assets. This is the easiest approach to creating a fully drivable vehicle, but the designs of the powertrain and suspension are

In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of the Vehicle Systems by modeling a simple eight-wheeled light armored vehicle (LAV). The Vehicle Systems simplify creating a vehicle by automatically adding constraints and internal logic. Let's look at the ba

In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of tuning the vehicle system of a light armored vehicle (LAV). We will go through all of the powertrain components to get to a fully functional automatic vehicle. Read the Vehicle Tuning Guide for more in-depth

In Vortex Studio, Tire Models are critical to the physical accuracy and drivability of vehicles. Without this extension, the material table is used to evaluate the friction between the tire and ground, which does not account for the complexities of the ti

In this tutorial, we're going through the final steps needed so that our vehicle can be driven by a controller with a camera attached to the driver's point of view. Prerequisites Vehicle Presets Tutorial 3 : Adding Tire Models to a Wheeled Vehicle Setting

In this tutorial, we're going to learn how to simulate tire ruts with our tire models. Prerequisites This module assumes that Vehicle Presets Tutorial 3 : Adding Tire Models to a Wheeled Vehicle is completed. Enabling the Soil Hardening Feature Open the L

759_vehicle_systems.pngVehicle Systems provides an easy way to define a complete and functional vehicle by using the Vortex Studio Editor. There are two ways to create vehicles in Vortex Studio. The first approach, referred to as Modular Vehicle Systems,

The information presented here is a high level discussion meant only as a possible example of vehicle tuning. It does not necessarily represent the best way to tune a vehicle in every situation. 000_tuning.pngThis guide aims to help you with the technique

Verification tests can easily be automated with Vortex® Automated Tests Platform (VxATP). Developing a mechanism such as a wheeled vehicle requires constant modification of numerous components. Be it the engine, transmission, suspension, or tires, the par

This section of the Vortex® Studio Training Curriculum covers the steps needed to create wheeled vehicles. This can be achieved either by using Vehicle Presets or the Modular Vehicles approach. image2021-1-4_13-19-39.png Vehicle Presets Using Preset Vehi

837_performance_analysis.pngThe performance and accuracy of Vortex Studio have been carefully tested by carrying out analyses of problems with known analytical solutions. To provide confidence in the accuracy of simulations using Vortex Studio, this docum

image2020-10-13_10-41-36.pngIf you need to simulate vessels and offshore conditions in a valid and verifiable way, you can use ship files created with MARIN© XMF Runtime Interface (XRI). MARIN XRI is a specialized software for realistically simulating nat

Centering an Object in the Viewport(s) You can center an object in all viewports at once or just the active viewport in the 3D View. For example, here the Active View is the Top viewport (bottom right): image2020-10-8_9-10-1.png Center In Active View Here

sim_icon_console.pngThis topic describes the Vortex Console user interface that lets your users run simulation content and visualize metrics. Organizations develop simulation content and build simulators for different reasons: A training simulator can hel

467_human.pngVortex Human allows you to add human characters in Vortex Studio scenes. The human character can be controlled through a control extension or through a custom extension or script. Vortex Human is based on a subset of the DI-Guy SDK, which pro

762_marine.pngThe Vortex Marine extension provides a hydrodynamic solution for surface ocean simulation that integrates both dynamics and visual (graphics). You can use this extension to simulate many marine scenarios, such as: An ROV connected to a TMS (

Introduction image2020-11-4_16-22-37.pngThe Vortex Student Database is a Mongo database that is used to store student information and their training sessions. The database contains all users, students and instructors, and their organization in classes. Ea

Overview This version of CM Labs' powerful simulation creation and deployment suite is packed with innovative features that greatly expand the functionality of Vortex Studio: The Vortex Console, a brand new collection of tools, can be used to build your o

worddav8676f70af6f12670752e22ea87a7b97d.png Overview This version of Vortex Studio, CM Labs' powerful simulation creation and deployment suite is packed with innovative features that greatly expand its functionality. Several optimizations and tools allow

Search this documentation What's new in 2020b Browse by Topic 105_getting_started.png 262_user_guides.png troubleshoot_64x64.png Getting Started What you need to get started with Vortex® Studio, including requirements, installation, licensing, and quick s

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These are the release notes for the 2020b release of Vortex Studio. This document walks you through the novelties and changes in this release and provides a detailed description of system requirements, compatible hardware and more. worddav8676f70af6f12670

How to Install and Use Vortex Studio Content The Demo Scenes and Samples are part of the Vortex Studio package, available from the Downloads page of your CM Labs account. To install Vortex Studio: Go to your account on the CM Labs website On the login pag

The Director is a desktop-based application that provides system integrators with an interface for creating, configuring, launching and monitoring a simulator. It is only available under certain license types. Check with your Vortex Studio account manage

The Multi Body Dynamics module includes the following physics, collision detection, and solver features. For more information regarding the theory that underlies the Vortex Studio MBD module, please refer to the Vortex Theory Guide Document. Core Dynamic

282_editor.png Vortex® Studio Editor is a desktop-based editing tool built around Vortex, and provides a means for the rapid creation and modification of mechanisms and scenes. Vortex Studio Editor provides access to major Vortex Dynamics API through a po

The Vortex Editor is a desktop-based editing tool built around Vortex Studio, and provides a means for the rapid creation, modification and testing of simulated mechanisms and scenes. The Vortex Editor provides access to all major Vortex dynamics capabil

741_buildingblocks_63x64.pngThis section describes basic elements of Vortex Studio Editor, allowing you to define the basis for your simulation. Scenes Scenes Mechanisms Mechanisms Assemblies Assemblies Control Interface Control Interface Simulator Setup

The image generator module lets you visualize your simulation environment with realistic scenes for man-in-the-loop engineering and training. Hierarchical scene graph allowing nodes to be attached to each other and follow each other’s movements for kinem

981_player.png Vortex® Studio Player is a simulator application that allows you to load assets (either the Vortex Studio Demo Scenes that you installed or another Vortex Studio scene created with Vortex Studio Editor) and simulate them. The simulation app

The Player is a desktop-based application that allows you to distribute and simulate (play) Vortex Studio content. It can be launched as a standalone application but is much more powerful in a distributed network configuration (functionality only availabl

829_sdk.pngVortex Studio SDK provides information for C++ and python developers on how to extend and integrate Vortex® Studio applications and content. The audience for the information presented here is anyone who needs to use Vortex SDK to fit a particul

Introduction A common task among developers that use the Vortex Studio SDK is the development of a user interface to control their application and thus the simulation. An example of such an interface can be seen in the Vortex Studio Player application. So

Content Creation The main tool for content creation is of course the Vortex Studio Editor. The Editor manages for you all the dependencies between the documents, for example, it ensures that a change in a mechanism document is reflected in the scene where

This chapter aims at developers who want to extend Vortex with more functionality or communicate from Vortex to and from an external system. About Plugins Vortex plugins allow developers to add more functionality to Vortex. Plugins are actually dynamics l

Introduction Devices A device is usually a piece of hardware that is typically used to control an equipment. It can be a gamepad, a flightstick, a wheel, pedals or another custom hardware. Like everything in Vortex, such hardware communicates with the sof

A paged terrain producer incrementally creates a terrain https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocumentation/Vortex_User_Documentation/Content/Editor/editor_terrain.html from smaller elements. The elements are created on an as-needed basis to form a paged t

Vortex Studio SDK in python Vortex Studio SDK is partially available in python scripting. Python scripting can be used As a dedicated python application that loads, renders or interacts with Vortex assets during a simulation Within Vortex, as a dynamics p

Vortex Studio SDK in Python Vortex Studio SDK is partially available in Python scripting. Python scripting can be used As a dedicated Python application that loads, renders or interacts with Vortex assets during a simulation Within Vortex, as a dynamics s

This section targets developers who wants to use the Vortex Application as a part of a bigger application. This section describes how to configure Vortex, load content into it and get it running from an external application using VortexIntegration C API.

When Should I Change the Content of a Simulation As described in this page http://confluence:8090/display/VSD20B/Vortex+Studio+SDK+Advanced+-+Integrating+the+Application#VortexStudioSDKAdvancedIntegratingtheApplication-ApplicationModes, the Vortex applica

The ApplicationConfig An ApplicationConfig is a document (.vxc) which allows you to setup or configure a Vortex application without doing it all manually in code. It can be passed to an application which will parse it (like the SimApp) and automatically c

Introduction Events Usage In Vortex, data is passed via connections from one content extension to the other. Communication between modules across a distributed simulation cannot be accomplished with connections, but by using events. Events are packets of

Vortex® objects (e.g., parts, assemblies, constraints, collision geometries) are represented as dynamics extensions (VxSim::IDynamics https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocumentation/Vortex_Technical_Documentation/class_vx_sim_1_1_i_dynamics.html#ac84328

Advance Field Types Listed below are a list of special fields. The all derived from VxData::FieldBase. Container - VxData::Container Grouping together several data to make a data structure can be done easily with a VxData::Container http://dionysos/Vortex

This section targets developers who wants to use the Vortex Application as a part of a bigger application. This sections explains what is the VxApplication, how to configure it, load content into it and get it running from an external application. Then ho

Basic Concepts What Is a Key Frame? A key frame is a capture of all application content data at a certain point in time that allows the application to resume the simulation from that point. It contains all content extensions' input, output, parameter valu

Introduction This document will give practical guidelines for thread safety when using Vortex SDK. Care must be taken when developing plugin extensions, objects and modules. This document is targeted to developers who make their own extensions and modules

Vortex® Studio SDK is designed to simulate content created inside the Vortex Studio Editor. It can either run stand-alone or integrate within your existing framework. Topics Vortex Architecture https://www.cm-labs.com/vortexstudiodocumentation/Vortex_User

101_theory_guide.pngThis document introduces the theory underlying Vortex Software’s multibody dynamics engine.

Vortex® supports the SI system (International System of Units) also known as the MKS (metre, kilogram, second) system. Some physical quantities typically used for rigid-body dynamics are shown in the table below: Physical Quantity Unit Symbol Length Meter

These tutorials use the Python 3 package of Vortex. They are only available on Windows. Vortex provides a python 3.8 distribution in <Vortex Studio Installation Folder>\resources\Python3DefaultInterpreter

icon_vr_63x63.pngThe VR System extension in Vortex Studio lets mechanical engineers and level designers create interactive VR experiences in Vortex Studio that run on HTC Vive components. From the Vortex Studio Editor, you can connect HTC Vive https://www

These tutorials use the Python 2 package of Vortex. They are available on Windows and Linux.

Vortex® Studio is a real-time simulation software platform that allows you to create realistic scenes of land and sea equipment, and environments, with minimal or no coding. image2020-10-5_17-0-35.png Vortex Studio can help you meet challenges such as the

This section covers various file operations, most of which follow standard conventions (creating and saving files, opening existing files, etc.). Apart from these standard file operations, you can insert documents into a document parent. These documents m

Although there is no difference in the behavior of the Tire Models being used in a vehicle that has been created from Modular Vehicles Systems or from a Vehicle from Preset, there is slight differences in the way to work with it. Using the Tire Models Fro

Having at end a vehicle that has been created from a Vehicle Preset or from a Modular Vehicle Systems, there are few differences in working with it. Using the Tire Models When creating a new vehicle system, the Tire Model component is also created. The se