Simulator Tutorial

Provided to you by BXD

The Synthesis FRC Robot Simulator allows you to test your robot designs, practice

driving, and test code in a simulation environment. This tutorial will teach you

how to:

- Navigate the user interface.

- Load your fields and robots.

- Configure inputs and graphics settings.

- Use the main simulator.

- Configure your robot for Driver Practice Mode.

- Use Driver Practice Mode.

Navigating the User Interface

Click on Synthesis from the launcher. The window above should be the first thing

that you see. To begin, click on the START button.

This is where you select your simulation mode. For the sake of this tutorial, we

will start with the main simulator. Click on the SELECT button on the main

simulator panel.

To start the simulator, we need to load in a field and robot first. Let’s start by

selecting a field. Click on the CHANGE button on the field panel.

Loading Your Fields and Robots

This is where you select your field from a set directory that should contain all your

fields. If there is no field found in the default directory, you need to change the

directory. Click on the CHANGE FIELD DIRECTORY button.

This is the directory browser. To select a directory, just click on it. Navigate

through your folders until you find your field folder. Click on it.

Once you’ve selected your field directory, you should see all your fields. Click on

the SELECT button on the bottom right to change the default directory to this one.

Note: Do not select an individual field folder, the file browser is looking for the

folder CONTAINING all your fields, not a specific field folder.

Once you’re done, the fields should show up in the selection list. Click on any field

to select it and click the SELECT FIELD button to confirm your selection.

Repeat the same process to select your robot.

Once you have the field and robot selected, you are ready to start the simulation.

However, let’s make sure that the input and graphics settings are configured to

your preferences. Click on the OPTIONS button on the top navigation bar.

Configuring Inputs and Graphics Settings

In the options menu, you can change your input and graphics settings. If you are

not using the code runner, you’ll be using the inputs here to drive your robot.

Click on any input to change it. While it is highlighted, you can press any key to

rebind that input. You can scroll down to see and change more inputs.

NOTE: The PWM inputs only sends a PWM signal value of 1 or -1 to the joint

motor.

Click on the GRAPHICS button once you are done with configuring inputs.

In the graphics menu, you can change the resolution and screen mode to be

tailored to your preferences. If you are running a low-end machine and/or are

concerned with performance, we recommend running on full screen and a lower

resolution.

Once you are done configuring your settings, click on the SELECT button on the

top navigation bar to return to the simulation start screen.

Click on the START button to begin the simulation. It might take a while to load

based on the complexity of the field.

Using the Simulator

You should now be in the simulator. Let’s go over the different things you can do

in it.

- You can control the robot with either the inputs you defined earlier or with

your robot code if you are using the code runner (default inputs are arrow

keys to move and 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 to control various PWM signals)

- You can change cameras by pressing the input key for camera toggle

(default: “C”)

- You can reset your robot’s position by pressing the input key for robot reset

(default: “R”)

- You can re-orient your robot by pressing the input key for robot orient

(default: “O”)

The stats window in the top right gives you data about various statistics of your

robot. You can hide and show it by pressing the input key for showing stats

window. (default: “S”)

You can move around the orbiting robot camera view with the following controls:

- Hold the left mouse button and move your mouse back and forth to zoom

in and out respectively.

- Hold the right mouse button and move your mouse around to rotate the

camera view.

You can move around the Freeroam camera view with the following controls:

- Hold the left mouse button and move your mouse around to both zoom in

and out and rotate the camera view left and right.

- Hold the right mouse button and move your mouse around to rotate the

camera view.

Press the ESC key or click on the MENU button to bring up the menu.

In here, you can also switch camera views, reset robot, and orient robot. You can

also switch to a different robot if you want.

This time, however, you can double click on a robot folder to select it and switch

robots.

That’s all you need to know to run the basic simulator!

NOTE: In this mode, you cannot actually pick-up/release game pieces due to the

limitations of our current physics engine. While we are working on implementing

a new physics engine that does allow for a much more realistic simulation (Bullet

Physics), you can still practice interaction with game pieces in an idealistic

environment in our Driver Practice Mode. The tutorial for setting that up is below.

Configuring Robots for Driver Practice Mode

Driver Practice Mode uses preconfigured fields and requires a robot to be

configured beforehand. In order to configure your robot for this mode, you will

need to select Driver Practice Mode from the Main Menu.

If you are still in the normal simulation, you can exit out by pressing ESC and the

QUIT TO MAIN MENU button.

Click the BACK button to go back to the mode selection menu.

Select Driver Practice Mode.

Select a field following the same steps showed before.

However, because Driver Practice Mode uses preconfigured fields, the field

selection list will only list fields that have been preconfigured. The Synthesis

installation comes with preconfigured fields, so just navigate the directory

browser to the Fields folder in the installation. Once you have done that, you

should see something like the above.

Once you’re done with that, load in any robot the same way you would in the

normal simulation mode.

Once you have selected a field and robot, click the “Next” button.

Click on the “Start Robot Configuration Environment” button.

This is the robot configuration environment. The same controls in the simulation

apply in here, including robot reset and camera toggle.

To configure your robot, you will need to:

- Specify two nodes, or joints as game piece interactors.

o The first is the mechanism that intakes a game piece (i.e. picking up a

ball or sucking in a tote)

o The second is the mechanism that releases a game piece (i.e.

shooting a ball or releasing a tote)

- Define two vectors

o The first is the velocity vector of the game piece as it is released. You

will have to fine tune this so that both the trajectory of the ball

matches what it would be in reality.

o The second is the offset of the game piece as your robot carries it.

The game piece is automatically clipped to the mechanism that you

specified earlier, but its position may be off. You will need to fine

tune this so that the game piece is clipped to the position that it

would be in reality.

To specify a node as a mechanism, click on a mechanism in the “Specify Nodes”

list. It should pop up a “Specifying Node” window in the bottom right. This

window will highlight the node selected so you know which one you are selecting.

Once you have the desired node selected, click the “Save” button. Do this for all

mechanisms.

NOTE: If you do not have a shooter/pickup configured as a joint, you can just

select node_0.bxda to have the main frame of the robot act as a game piece

interactor.

Let’s test if the right nodes have been specified. Click on the “Spawn Game Piece”

button in the top right menu bar. This will spawn a game piece of the field that

was selected earlier.

Hold the input key for intake (default: “Space”) and drive to the game piece to

pick it up. If you have specified the nodes properly, it should clip on to desired

node.

Notice how the ball is offset to the corner of the frame. This robot should be

holding the ball in the center of its frame (It has a catapult shooter). In order to fix

this, we have to define the ball offset vector.

Click on the offset vector item in the “Define Vectors” list to change it. A window

will pop up in the bottom right where you can change a position vector to have

the ball be clipped to the right spot on your robot. Clicking save will automatically

update the game piece’s position according to the values that you typed in the

input boxes. This will require a bit of trial and error, but just tweak it until you get

it to your desired position.

After that, we need to define the release vector. This is a velocity vector that will

determine the trajectory of the game piece as you release it, so you might want it

to mimic how the robot shoots in reality. Press the input key for releasing

(default: “Right Shift”) to release the game piece and test if this vector is accurate.

Once you have tweaked this value, you should be good to go! Hit save and test it

out.

Continue to tweak the vectors until you are content with the robot’s

configuration. Then, click the “Save and Exit” button on the top right menu bar to

go back to the main menu.

You should now be returned to this screen and the Robot Status text should say

that your robot has been configured. To finally start Driver Practice Mode, press

the “Start” button.

You are now in Driver Practice Mode! This mode has all the same features of the

normal mode, except you can now:

- Spawn game pieces. (default: “Q”)

- Intake game pieces. (default: “Space”)

- Release game pieces. (default: “Right Shift”)

Enjoy practicing with your robot!