Tutorials

The tutorials below are intended to help you get started with using FhSim and to demonstrate key concepts. Some solutions and patterns are simplified for learning purposes and are not necessarily recommended as production designs.

Prerequisites

The tutorials do not all ask the same of you. Check the row for the tutorial you want before you start.

Tutorial	Needs a build toolchain?	Also needs
Compiling the tutorial project	Yes — the whole point is building.	Setup developer environment, a licence, and access to the fhsim_tutorial repository.
SimObjects in fhsim_tutorial	No, to read it. Yes, to run the code it walks through.	Familiarity with SimObject modeling concept.
Exercise: Creating simple SimObjects	Yes — you write and compile new SimObjects.	Compiling the tutorial project completed first.
Kalman filtering in FhSim	Yes — the KalmanObject interface is implemented in C++.	Setup developer environment. The XML and run sections at the end need only an installed FhSim.
Live plotting using Python and matplotlib	Yes — it links a plotting library into a SimObject library.	Python 3.8+, numpy and matplotlib.
Screenshots, videos and camera control	No.	An installed FhVis and an XML scenario. ffmpeg, for video encoding.

If you installed FhSim from the installer package and have no compiler, Conan or CMake set up, Screenshots, videos and camera control is the tutorial you can follow as it stands. For the others, start with Setup developer environment; everything else on this page assumes a working developer environment and familiarity with basic modeling concepts.

Recommended order for new users

1. Compile the tutorial project.
2. Study the SimObject walkthrough.
3. Do the SimObject exercise.
4. Continue with Kalman filtering / live plotting / visualization output as needed.

Note

If a tutorial conflicts with newer XML/input conventions, follow The FhSim input file and SIMULATION section.

The tutorials

• Compiling the tutorial project — Clone, configure, build, and run the fhsim_tutorial project for the first time.
• SimObjects in fhsim_tutorial — Walk through the SimObjects in fhsim_tutorial, from discretization to implementation.
• Exercise: Creating simple SimObjects — Hands-on exercise: build a damped 3D spring and a multi-input mass SimObject.
• Kalman filtering in FhSim — State and parameter estimation with FhSim's built-in Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF).
• Live plotting using Python and matplotlib — Stream SimObject data to live plots using Python and matplotlib.
• Screenshots, videos and camera control — Capture screenshots, videos, and control the camera when running FhVis.