Running Simulations

Once you've built a scene and written a PLC program, it's time to run your simulation and see everything in action.

Starting and Stopping

Open a scene and use the controls in the toolbar:

[IMAGE: Scene editor toolbar showing the play/stop controls highlighted]

When you press Play:

1. Your PLC program starts executing
2. Physics activates — objects start falling and interacting
3. Conveyors begin moving at the speeds your program sets
4. Sensors start detecting objects

When you press Stop:

1. Everything pauses
2. Objects return to their starting positions
3. All PLC variables reset to initial values

What Happens During Simulation

The simulation runs at 60 frames per second. Each frame follows this cycle:

1. Read sensors — Input nodes capture what's happening in the scene (e.g., "Is a box on the sensor?")
2. Run your program — Your PLC logic executes one scan
3. Drive outputs — Output nodes apply your program's commands (e.g., set conveyor to 500 mm/s)
4. Update physics — Objects move, collide, slide on conveyors
5. Render — The 3D view updates

[IMAGE: Running simulation with status bar showing "Running" and cycle time]

Monitoring Variables

While the simulation runs, you can watch your PLC variables in real-time:

• Parameter Editor — See current values of all inputs and outputs on a selected model
• Trace / Oscilloscope — Record and graph variable changes over time (Trace Guide)
• FBD Editor — See live values on block connections in the visual editor

[IMAGE: Split view showing running simulation on left and FBD editor with live values on right]

Connecting to Real PLCs

For testing with real hardware, connect your simulation to a physical PLC via OPC UA:

1. Start the OPC UA Bridge on your PC
2. Connect the bridge to your PLC's OPC UA server
3. Map OPC UA tags to your simulation's input/output nodes
4. Run the simulation — sensor data flows from the sim to your PLC, and PLC outputs drive the sim

This lets you test your real PLC program against a virtual machine before deploying to the factory floor.

[IMAGE: Diagram showing browser simulation connected to physical PLC via OPC UA bridge]

Tips

• Start simple — Get one conveyor working before building a full line
• Use the Trace — If something isn't working, record the variables to see what's happening over time
• Check your mappings — Make sure input/output nodes are connected to the right PLC variables
• Watch the status bar — It shows cycle time and any errors during simulation