Tutorial How to write a Game Plugin for SimTools 2.0 - API documentation

Hello

I am a UE4 developer that is new to motion sims and the SimTools software. I am in the process of making a vr game that will make use a motion platform and am trying to understand what data needs to be output and in what format.

I have been looking over the Dirt 2 sample plugin and see the "Process_PacketRecieved(Text As String)" function as well as the "Outsim" structure that gets populated from the UDP string, but I have a few questions...

1. What would be the IP and Port I would send to to get the packet to SimTools? Would IP just be localhost?

2. I am a bit confused also on how the UDP string out of UE4 should be structured...
- Should the time in milliseconds be how long the game has been running? Would that part of the string be something like "000000000255" = 255 milliseconds over four bytes?
- I am guessing that the rest is just x,y,z info for the object being simulated...is that correct?
- Any chance you could provide a sample string showing how the data should be formatted?

Thanks so much for any help you can send my way! Sorry if these are noob questions...just trying to wrap my head around the data format

Sorry, I do see now in the game settings where you put the port number so please disregard that part.

But still wondering about the IP....

There you go, the C# template for plugin development.
Follow the exact same instructions as posted by @yobuddy in the first post.

@Tim Armstrong, you have to write both ends of the communication: your UE game and the Simtools plugin for it.
So, you decide what the format, port, etc will be.

Define an UDP structure in your game and send the data. Use the same structure in the plugin, get the info and send to Simtools.
IP is provided by the Simtools interface and is the IP where the software is running. Usually localhost / 127.0.0.1.

You have 9 options to provide motion data to simtools: pitch, roll, yaw, sway, surge, heave and 3 extra (user defined).

Hi there ! I loaded the rollercoaster plugin example. I see in the debug options that there might be a Game_PlugIn_Tester.
Is it the same thing as the PluginValidator, or is it something else ?

As I am trying a lot of things at the same time, I would like to know if there was a tool to simulate a game start / stop and the game manager presence ?

Hi, I'm trying to use the plugin example that you provided. I want to send the data from Matlab to SimTool. Specifically, my idea is to send JSON string from Matlab and define the plugin so that it can extract values of both pitch and roll angles. I followed the procedure you posted and everything seemed to work fine, I was able to build and select the defined game from the SimTool GUI. The problem is that I've tried to send values of roll and pitch angles from Matlab and visualize them through the virtual axis in SimTool, and I was not able to see any of the values sent. Here is a picture of the modified code. Thank you for your help!

Hey! I've tried to develop a vb.net app. Everything seems to work correctly! I have been able to see the data sent through the console. However when I copy and paste the code nothing shows up. I am wondering if the plugin has been correctly uploaded into SimTool, and also if using output testing>>virtual axis is the correct way to test if my plugin is working correctly.
Here is what I've tried lastly: I've just sent the two variables Pitch and Roll equal to a value 45 degree. I was expecting to have the value displayed here. However, nothing shows up again.
Also, I've realized that after selecting the game from the engine game, this pops up:
Shouldn't be showing my name instead of yobuddy?

Thank you in advance again for your help.

Guys, how do you debug your plugins ? Is there a way todo that and to see (in debugger) if the values (e.g. for roll, pitch, ...) are correctly calculated ?

Same here. A simple stand-alone app that also allows to generate CSV files and validate the calculation/process. Then as yobuddy mentions, a simple copy/paste and here you go !