PLCSIM Advanced (Pro)

Connecting virtual Siemens PLCs with realvirtual.io

This Interface is only available in realvirtual.io Professional

Introduction

PLCCSIM-Advanced is a virtual PLC from Siemens. PLCCSIM-Advanced can be used to simulate S7-1500 PLCs. If you use PLCSim-Advanced no real PLC is needed.

PLCCSIM-Advanced will work in a multi-threaded mode by starting a parallel .exe command line programm. The PLCCSIM-Advanced interface will only work in Windows environments.

Please check the Siemens Website for more information about PLCCSIM-Advanced: https://w3.siemens.com/mcms/automation-software/de/tia-portal-software/step7-tia-portal/simatic-step7-options/s7-plcsim-advanced/seiten/default.aspx

Here is a short Youtube Tutorial showing you the interface in action:

Interface configuration

For using the PLCSim-Advanced Interface, you need to add an interface to your scene by selecting Tools > realvirtual> Add Component > Interface > PLCSIMAdvanced or you add the Script SharedMemoryInterface to an empty Gameobject.

For working in a Unity Build, this interface requires Allow unsafe Code to be turned on in Player Settings.

New in Version 6.0.7: The PLCSim Advanced Interface now features an automated setup system that streamlines the configuration process. The entire setup now takes 40-70 seconds with real-time progress indicators and automatic detection of Siemens DLLs.

Automated Setup Process

As a prerequisite, you need to have PLCSIM-Advanced installed on your computer. Starting with version 6.0.7, the setup process has been greatly simplified with a single-click automated setup system.

PLCSim Advanced automated setup interface with real-time progress indicators

The automated setup performs three steps automatically:

1. Auto-detect Siemens DLL: The system automatically searches for the Siemens.Simatic.Simulation.Runtime.Api.x86.dll in four common installation paths. API 3.0 is checked first and preferred over API 2.0:

   • C:/Program Files (x86)/Common Files/Siemens/PLCSIMADV/API/3.0/ (checked first)

   • C:/Program Files (x86)/Common Files/Siemens/PLCSIMADV/API/2.0/

   • C:/Program Files/Common Files/Siemens/PLCSIMADV/API/3.0/

   • C:/Program Files/Common Files/Siemens/PLCSIMADV/API/2.0/

2. Download PLCSimAdvancedCoupler.exe: If not already present, the system automatically downloads the required coupler executable from the realvirtual repository.

3. Copy DLL to StreamingAssets: The Siemens DLL is automatically copied to the Unity StreamingAssets folder for runtime access.

The InfoBox at the top of the inspector provides real-time feedback during setup:

• ⚠ Warning: Indicates setup is required or incomplete

• ℹ Progress: Shows current operation in progress with detailed status

• ✓ Complete: Confirms setup is finished and ready to use

Simply click the "Setup PLCSim Advanced Interface" button to start the automated setup process. The system will display progress for each step, and the entire process typically completes in 40-70 seconds.

Connection Configuration

After setup is complete, configure the connection parameters:

PLCSIM Advanced Interface connection settings

For connecting you need to define the PLCCSIM-Advanced Instance Name as well as the synchronization cycle in Ms under Sync Cycle Ms:

If you select Pause With Unity, PLCCSIM-Advanced will pause as long as Unity is paused.

DebugMode turns on a special debug mode, where all signals are also displayed in the command line prompt. This might take quite a time during the simulation start. Please turn this off for productive use.

If HMIOnly is turned on, only variables which are marked as HMI variables in the PLC project itself are imported.

You are now able to import the Signals of PLCSim-Advanced by selecting Import Signals. All PLCSignals will be created automatically as sub-objects under the interface.

After importing the Signals you can start the simulation. The signals will be exchanged between Unity and PLCCSIM-Advanced automatically.

A separate .EXE file PLCSimAdvancedCoupler.EXE needs to be started for the PLCCSIM-Advanced Interface. This is due to the fact, that the Siemens DLLs can’t compile under Unity. For this the separate PLCSimAdvancedCoupler.EXE is creating a Shared Memory Interface to exchange the Signals between Unity and PLCSimAdvancedCoupler.EXE. The EXE itself is exchanging the values with PLCSim-Advanced. This is just for your information, as PLCSimAdvancedCoupler.EXE is part of the asset delivery and is copied automatically to the StreamingAssets folder and will be started automatically during Simulation startup or for the import of signals.

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