Demo Model
First experiences with realvirtual.io based on the demo model
Last updated
First experiences with realvirtual.io based on the demo model
Last updated
The demo model showcases most of the realvirtual.io features in a single Unity scene. This allows you to quickly explore and test realvirtual.io’s functionality without having to set up your own scene from scratch.
In the Unity Editor, navigate to the top menu.
Select realvirtual > Open demo scene.
The demo model will open in the Unity Scene view.
Press Unity’s Play button to start the demo model.
Upon entering play mode, you will see two views:
Scene View: The standard Unity editor view for scene editing.
Game View: A preview of the final compiled version of your Unity project.
If the Game View window is not open, it will open automatically when you press Play.
You can move around and explore the scene in both views.
Keyboard + Mouse (Default Unity Controls):
W, A, S, D + Right Mouse Button drag to move around in 3D space.
Right-click + Drag rotates the camera view.
Mouse Scroll Wheel zooms in and out.
If you are on a mobile device or a Windows computer with a touchscreen, you can navigate using touch gestures:
One-Finger Drag to pan the view.
Two-Finger Gestures to rotate, pan, and zoom.
Three-Finger Drag to tilt the scene.
Navigation in Scene View with the mouse is largely the same as navigating in Game View. Unity provides a standard set of mouse and keyboard shortcuts for moving around your scene
Note: For a more comprehensive overview of Scene View navigation and customization, please refer to the official Unity Documentation.
Right Mouse Button
Rotate scene
Middle Mouse Button Wheel
Zoom in and out
Middle Mouse Button
Pan in a direction
Right Arrow Key
Move the scene to the right
Left Arrow Key
Move the scene to the left
Up Arrow Key
Move the scene up
Down Arrow Key
Move the scene down
Shift + Up Arrow Key
Zoom into the scene
Shift + Down Arrow Key
Zoom out of the scene
T
Top view
F
Front view
B
Back view
L
Left view
R
Right view
F1,F2,F3
Saved views which can be extended
On the right side of the Scene, you will notice a set of overlay buttons.
These buttons are fully configurable to allow for custom end-user interactions. In the demo model, they serve the following functions:
Hide/Show Groups
The first two buttons toggle the visibility of certain groups (e.g., specific machine parts or UI elements).
Camera Positions
The next four buttons switch between pre-defined camera views, allowing you to quickly navigate to important areas in the scene.
In addition to the overlay buttons (used primarily for scene navigation), the demo model also includes 3D Buttons positioned within the scene. These buttons serve as virtual stand-ins for real machine buttons:
Direct PLC Connection: Each 3D Button is linked to the PLC signals (inputs/outputs), enabling interaction with the machine’s drives and automation logic.
Realistic Simulation: Pressing these buttons in the virtual environment replicates the actions of physical buttons on the actual machine.
In this section, you will find additional details about the realvirtual.io demo model. You can use this information as a reference when creating or customizing your own models.
The realvirtual object is the foundation of every realvirtual.io model. It handles overall settings, provides a base plate, sets up basic lighting, and manages scene navigation in Play mode.
Important: You must include this prefab in every model you build to ensure correct functionality and navigation.
The demo model includes pre-prepared 3D components—such as conveyors, a robot, a machine, and 3D buttons that interact with the PLC. These elements were created specifically to showcase various realvirtual.io features and provide an interactive environment for testing.
The Drives in the kinematic hierarchy are linked to Signals (specifically, PLCInputs and PLCOutputs) that are controlled by a PLC. In the demo model, the PLC is represented by a Unity script within the scene. However, you can also connect an external PLC via various Interfaces that realvirtual.io provides.
Connecting to a real PLC is particularly useful for:
Virtual Commissioning: Testing and validating PLC code against a virtual model before deploying to a physical system.
3D HMI: Using the 3D model as an interactive, real-time human-machine interface.
In the demo model, there is a demonstration interface set up to work with TwinCAT. However, since TwinCAT integration is only available in realvirtual.io Professional, the actual interface script for TwinCAT is not included in the standard version.
The TwinCAT interface in the demo model is configured with multiple signals that could be exchanged between the virtual machine and a real Beckhoff PLC. Typically, signals are imported directly from the PLC program via the interface communication (e.g. for Beckhoff) or via a signal table (for other interfaces such as Siemens S7).
Defining PLC logic within the model itself is primarily used for pure simulation and demonstration purposes. It can also be useful for preparing virtual commissioning models, where a simple logic helps test the kinematics and functionality of the model before connecting to a real PLC.
More information about the overlay buttons can be found in section . Feel free to adapt or extend these buttons for your own project requirements, such as adding more camera angles, toggling additional objects, or triggering other custom actions.
For more information on setting up and customizing these 3D Buttons, see the section.
For more information please check the section .
Note: With realvirtual.io Professional, you can import your own CAD data in STEP format. For more information, see the section, which explains how to bring custom 3D models into your Unity scene.
Within the Demo Cell, you will find a CNC component that has been placed into the scene as a Prefab. If you want to learn more about how Prefabs work or how to create your own reusable components, see the section.
The CNC machine consists of multiple Drives, organized into a Kinematic Hierarchy that controls machine axes movement. For more details on configuring drives, defining movement, and working with kinematics, refer to the section.
If you are using realvirtual.io Professional, you can fully leverage the TwinCAT interface to establish a live connection to a Beckhoff PLC for virtual commissioning or real-time simulation. For more details on setting up and configuring interfaces for different type of PLCs or robots, refer to the section.
In realvirtual.io, objects that move based on physics are called (movable units). In the demo model, there is one source for the Turbine, which automatically creates a copy of itself (a process called spawning in Unity). It is considered good practice to place newly created MUs as sub-objects of a dedicated object in the Hierarchy. In the demo model, this dedicated object is named MUs. During simulation, you can see all dynamically generated MUs under MUs.
Because we do not have real PLCs connected to the demo model, we programmed simple control logic to operate the model. This control logic communicates with the behavior models of drives and sensors, as well as with lights and buttons, by using the Signals defined in the interface section.
There are several ways for defining custom logics. Please check the section
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