realvirtual.FestoInterface Class Reference

Interface for Festo PLCnext controllers using the RSC (Remote Service Call) data access API. More...

Inheritance diagram for realvirtual.FestoInterface:

Public Member Functions
override void	OpenInterface ()
	Opens the interface: refreshes the signal manager, builds caches, then starts communication.
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
override void	CloseInterface ()
	Closes the interface and stops communication thread.
virtual void	PreFixedUpdate ()
	Processes PLC outputs before FixedUpdate - applies data FROM PLC TO Unity objects IMPLEMENTS IPreFixedUpdate::PreFixedUpdate.
virtual void	PostFixedUpdate ()
	Processes PLC inputs after FixedUpdate - reads data FROM Unity objects TO send to PLC IMPLEMENTS IPostFixedUpdate::PostFixedUpdate.
void	SetManualPhysicsMode (bool enabled)
	Enables or disables manual physics control mode.
void	StepPhysics (float timestep=0f)
	Steps physics simulation forward by a specified time duration.
override void	PostAllScenesLoaded ()
	Override PostAllScenesLoaded to prevent base class from opening interface too early.
void	OnInterfaceEnable ()
	Called by realvirtualController after all scenes are loaded to enable the interface.
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
void	UpdateInterfaceSignals (ref int inputs, ref int outputs)
	Creates a new List of InterfaceSignals based on the Components under this Interface GameObject.
Signal	CreateSignalObject (string name, SIGNALTYPE type, SIGNALDIRECTION direction)
	Create a signal object as sub gameobject.
Signal	AddSignal (InterfaceSignal interfacesignal)
void	RemoveSignal (InterfaceSignal interfacesignal)
virtual GameObject	GetSignal (string name)
	Gets a signal with a name.
void	SetAllSignalStatus (bool connected)
void	DestroyAllSignals ()
void	DeleteSignals ()
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
virtual void	OnOwnershipChanged (bool isOwner)
	Called when network ownership changes.
void	SetNetworkOwner (bool isOwner)
	Sets IsNetworkOwner and triggers OnOwnershipChanged callback.
void	PreStartSim ()
	Is called by the realvirtualController before the component is started.
void	StartSim ()
	Is called by the realvirtualController to start or stop the component.
void	StopSim ()
Vector3	DirectionToVector (DIRECTION direction)
	Transfers the direction enumeration to a vector.
DIRECTION	VectorToDirection (bool torotatoin, Vector3 vector)
	Transfers a vector to the direction enumeration.
float	GetLocalScale (Transform thetransform, DIRECTION direction)
List< BehaviorInterfaceConnection >	UpdateConnectionInfo ()
List< Signal >	GetConnectedSignals ()
void	SetVisibility (bool visibility)
	Sets the visibility of this object including all subobjects.
List< BehaviorInterfaceConnection >	GetConnections ()
List< Signal >	GetSignals ()
GameObject	GetChildByName (string name)
	Gets a child by name.
List< GameObject >	GetChildsByName (string name)
	Gets all child by name.
GameObject	GetChildByNameAlsoHidden (string name)
List< GameObject >	GetAllMeshesWithGroup (string group)
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithGroup (string group)
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithGroups (List< string > groups)
List< GameObject >	GetAllMeshesWithGroups (List< string > groups)
List< string >	GetMyGroups ()
List< GameObject >	GetMeshesWithSameGroups ()
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithSameGroups ()
MeshRenderer	GetMeshRenderer ()
	Gets the mesh renderers in the childrens.
void	SetCollider (bool enabled, bool includeTriggers=true)
	sets the collider in all child objects
void	ErrorMessage (string message)
	Displays an error message.
void	ChangeConnectionMode (bool isconnected)
void	Log (string message)
	Logs a message.
void	Log (string message, object obj)
	Logs a message with a relation to an object.
void	Warning (string message, object obj)
	Logs a warning with a relation to an object.
void	Error (string message, object obj)
	Logs an error with a relation to an object.
void	Error (string message)
	Logs an error.
GameObject	DebugPosition (string debugname, Vector3 position, Quaternion quaternation, float scale)
	Displays a gizmo for debugging positions.
void	SetFreezePosition (bool enabled)
	Freezes all child components to the current poosition.
void	SetRbConstraints (RigidbodyConstraints constraints)
virtual void	AwakeAlsoDeactivated ()

Public Attributes
string	Host
	IP address or hostname of the PLCnext controller.
int	Port
	RSC service port (default 41100)
bool	UseTLS
	Enable TLS encryption for the RSC connection.
bool	ValidateCertificate
	Validate TLS certificate (disable for self-signed certs)
string	Username
	RSC authentication username.
string	Password
	RSC authentication password.
float	ConnectionTimeoutSeconds
	Connection and read/write timeout in seconds.
bool	UseSubscription
	Use real-time subscription instead of polling for output signals.
int	SubscriptionCycleMs
	Subscription sample rate in milliseconds (default 100 ms)
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
string	State
	Current connection status with visual indicator.
InterfaceState	state
	Internal connection state enum.
new string	ErrorMessage
	Last error message if connection failed.
int	ReconnectAttemptCount
	Number of reconnection attempts made.
bool	IsReconnecting
	Whether interface is currently attempting to reconnect.
int	InputSignals
	Total number of input signals found.
int	OutputSignals
	Total number of output signals found.
int	CommCycleMs
	Actual communication cycle time in milliseconds.
int	CycleCount
	Total number of communication cycles completed.
int	UpdateCycleMs
	Communication thread update interval in milliseconds.
bool	OnlyTransmitChangedInputs
	Only send input signals that have changed since last transmission (performance optimization)
bool	AutoReconnect
	Automatically attempt to reconnect on connection loss.
float	ReconnectIntervalSeconds
	Time to wait between reconnection attempts.
int	MaxReconnectAttempts
	Maximum reconnection attempts (-1 = unlimited)
bool	DebugMode
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
bool	IsConnected
List< InterfaceSignal >	InterfaceSignals
Hashtable	SignalNamesOutputs
Hashtable	SignalNamesInputs
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
string	Name
	The name of the component if it should be different from the GameObject name.
ActiveOnly	Active
GameObject	FromTemplate
realvirtualController	realvirtualController
bool	HideNonG44Components
bool	SceneIsAdditive
bool	ForceStop
bool	IsNetworkOwner
	True when this component owns its simulation (local authority). Set to false by MultiplayerWEB on remote clients.

Protected Member Functions
override void	CopyPropertiesToThreadSafe ()
	Copies Unity-thread Inspector properties to thread-safe fields before communication starts.
override void	PrepareForBackgroundThread ()
	Builds address caches on the main thread so the background communication thread can read them without touching Unity GameObjects.
override void	CleanupAfterBackgroundThread ()
	Cleans up address caches when the background thread stops.
override async Task	EstablishConnection (CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Establishes the RSC connection to the PLCnext controller on the background thread.
override void	CloseConnection ()
	Closes the RSC connection and releases all protocol resources.
override void	OnCommunicationStarted ()
	Called when background communication starts successfully.
override async Task	CommunicationLoop (CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Cyclic communication: reads outputs from PLCnext, writes inputs to PLCnext.
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
virtual void	OnCommunicationError (Exception exception)
	Handles communication errors and manages reconnection logic.
virtual void	OnCommunicationStopped ()
	Called when communication thread stops.
void	Start ()
	Unity Start - block base class behavior.
new void	OnEnable ()
	Unity OnEnable - opens interface when component is enabled.
new void	OnDisable ()
virtual void	OnApplicationPause (bool pauseStatus)
	Handles application pause events.
void	FixedUpdate ()
	Unity FixedUpdate for main thread operations (signal sync moved to PrePost FixedUpdate)
Dictionary< string, object >	GetInputsForPLC ()
	Gets all input signal values to send to PLC from background threads.
Dictionary< string, object >	GetChangedInputsForPLC ()
	Gets only changed input signal values to send to PLC from background threads.
void	ResetInputChangeDetection ()
	Resets change detection forcing all inputs to be considered changed on next call.
void	SetOutputsFromPLC (Dictionary< string, object > outputs)
	Sets output signal values from PLC data in background threads.
void	SetOutputFromPLC (string signalName, object value)
	Sets single output signal value from PLC data in background threads.
void	RebuildCachedSignalArrays ()
	Rebuilds the cached signal arrays used by SyncOutputsToUnity/SyncInputsFromUnity.
Dictionary< string, object >	ReadInputsThreadSafe ()
	[DEPRECATED] Use GetInputsForPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
Dictionary< string, object >	ReadChangedInputsThreadSafe ()
	[DEPRECATED] Use GetChangedInputsForPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
void	WriteOutputsThreadSafe (Dictionary< string, object > outputs)
	[DEPRECATED] Use SetOutputsFromPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
void	WriteOutputThreadSafe (string signalName, object value)
	[DEPRECATED] Use SetOutputFromPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
virtual void	UpdateSignalCounts ()
	Updates input and output signal counts.
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
void	OnConnected ()
void	OnDisconnected ()
void	OnEnable ()
void	OnDisable ()
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
bool	hidename ()
bool	hideactiveonly ()
virtual void	OnStopSim ()
virtual void	OnPreStartSim ()
virtual void	OnStartSim ()
MU	GetTopOfMu (GameObject obj)
	Gets the top of an MU component (the first MU script going up in the hierarchy)
void	InitGame4Automation ()
	Initialiates the components and gets the reference to the realvirtualController in the scene.
virtual void	AfterAwake ()
void	Awake ()

Additional Inherited Members
Public Types inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
enum	ActiveOnly {   Always , Connected , Disconnected , Never ,   DontChange }
Static Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
static bool	IsManualPhysicsMode ()
	Gets whether manual physics mode is currently enabled globally.
Static Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
static bool	DirectionIsLinear (DIRECTION direction)
	Gets back if the direction is linear or a rotation.
Protected Attributes inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
string	threadSafeErrorMessage
int	privateCycleCount
int	privateCommCycleMs
bool	threadSafeDebugMode
int	threadSafeUpdateCycleMs
Properties inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
new bool	IsConnected [get]
override bool	ShowIsConnectedField [get]
	Used by [ShowIf] to hide IsConnected field for FastInterface classes - always returns false.
bool	IsInterfaceReady [get]
	Returns true if the interface has been initialized via OnInterfaceEnable.
Properties inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
virtual string	InterfaceDisplayName [get]
	Display name for interface in UI lists (removes "Interface" suffix by default, can be overridden for custom names)
virtual bool	ShowIsConnectedField [get]
Properties inherited from realvirtual.IOnInterfaceEnable

Detailed Description

Interface for Festo PLCnext controllers using the RSC (Remote Service Call) data access API.

Connects realvirtual signals to Festo PLCnext variables via the RSC library (TCP port 41100). Both polling and subscription modes are supported. In subscription mode the PLCnext controller pushes real-time values at a configurable sample rate; in polling mode every communication cycle performs a batched read of all output-signal variables.

Signal direction convention follows the standard realvirtual PLC convention:

• PLC Output signals (PLCnext→Unity) map to PLCnext variables that the PLC writes.
• PLC Input signals (Unity→PLC) map to PLCnext variables that Unity writes to the PLC.

Key Features:

• Subscription mode for low-latency, push-based data exchange
• Polling mode as fallback or for PLCnext firmware that does not support subscriptions
• Batched write for all changed input signals each cycle
• Signal metadata key "Address" stores the full PLCnext variable path, e.g. "Arp.Plc.Eclr/MainInstance.Motor1_Running"
• Editor button to import variables from the PLC and create signals automatically
• Automatic reconnection via the FastInterfaceBase reconnect cycle

Variable path format: "ComponentName/ProgramName.VariableName" Arrays: "Component/Program.Array[0]" or "Component/Program.Array[0:9]" Structs: "Component/Program.Struct.Element.Leaf"

For detailed documentation see: https://doc.realvirtual.io/components-and-scripts/interfaces/festo-plcnext

Member Function Documentation

CleanupAfterBackgroundThread()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.CleanupAfterBackgroundThread ( )

protectedvirtual

Cleans up address caches when the background thread stops.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::CleanupAfterBackgroundThread

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

CloseConnection()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.CloseConnection ( )

protectedvirtual

Closes the RSC connection and releases all protocol resources.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::CloseConnection

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

CommunicationLoop()

override async Task realvirtual.FestoInterface.CommunicationLoop ( CancellationToken  cancellationToken )

protectedvirtual

Cyclic communication: reads outputs from PLCnext, writes inputs to PLCnext.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::CommunicationLoop

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

CopyPropertiesToThreadSafe()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.CopyPropertiesToThreadSafe ( )

protectedvirtual

Copies Unity-thread Inspector properties to thread-safe fields before communication starts.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::CopyPropertiesToThreadSafe

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

EstablishConnection()

override async Task realvirtual.FestoInterface.EstablishConnection ( CancellationToken  cancellationToken )

protectedvirtual

Establishes the RSC connection to the PLCnext controller on the background thread.

Throws on failure so FastInterfaceBase can trigger the auto-reconnect cycle. IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::EstablishConnection

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

OnCommunicationStarted()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.OnCommunicationStarted ( )

protectedvirtual

Called when background communication starts successfully.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::OnCommunicationStarted

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

OpenInterface()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.OpenInterface ( )

virtual

Opens the interface: refreshes the signal manager, builds caches, then starts communication.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::OpenInterface

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

PrepareForBackgroundThread()

override void realvirtual.FestoInterface.PrepareForBackgroundThread ( )

protectedvirtual

Builds address caches on the main thread so the background communication thread can read them without touching Unity GameObjects.

IMPLEMENTS FastInterfaceBase::PrepareForBackgroundThread

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

Member Data Documentation

ConnectionTimeoutSeconds

float realvirtual.FestoInterface.ConnectionTimeoutSeconds

Connection and read/write timeout in seconds.

Host

string realvirtual.FestoInterface.Host

IP address or hostname of the PLCnext controller.

Password

string realvirtual.FestoInterface.Password

RSC authentication password.

Port

int realvirtual.FestoInterface.Port

RSC service port (default 41100)

SubscriptionCycleMs

int realvirtual.FestoInterface.SubscriptionCycleMs

Subscription sample rate in milliseconds (default 100 ms)

Username

string realvirtual.FestoInterface.Username

RSC authentication username.

UseSubscription

bool realvirtual.FestoInterface.UseSubscription

Use real-time subscription instead of polling for output signals.

UseTLS

bool realvirtual.FestoInterface.UseTLS

Enable TLS encryption for the RSC connection.

ValidateCertificate

bool realvirtual.FestoInterface.ValidateCertificate

Validate TLS certificate (disable for self-signed certs)