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realvirtual.io realvirtual v6.5.4

CONNECT Overview

realvirtual CONNECT is the local gateway between controllers and realvirtual. It runs near the machine on a Windows IPC or edge PC and streams live signals to browsers. It uses the industrial protocol with controllers and the realvirtual WebSocket protocol with browsers. Unity is not required in this path.

Because the gateway runs at your site, machine and process data stay on the local network unless you enable AI diagnosis, which sends text to the configured embedding and language model services. The public download (realvirtual-Connect.exe) is a gateway only: REST, WebSocket and MCP on port 5100, with no viewer. CONNECT builds delivered with an embedded project/viewer also serve the viewer, model and signals locally on port 5100; the public download supplies signals to a hosted realvirtual deployment.

Where CONNECT sits Controllers speak their industrial protocol to CONNECT on a PC at your site. CONNECT keeps the signals and serves REST, WebSocket and MCP on port 5100. Only builds with an embedded viewer also serve the HMI. History, CAD conversion, AI diagnosis and AI assistants attach to the same gateway. AI diagnosis sends text to configurable cloud embedding and language-model services by default; these services can be local. your site network Controllers PLC, robot controller or PLC simulation S7 · OPC UA · ADS MQTT · Modbus … realvirtual CONNECT on a Windows IPC or edge PC protocol bridges signal store port 5100 · REST · WS · MCP + HMI in embedded viewer builds Browser realvirtual viewer, live 3D HMI on any device in the network signals signals HistoryInfluxDB CAD conversionSTEP, JT → GLB AI diagnosisfrom your PDFs AI assistantover MCP cloud embedding / LLM (configurable, can be local)
Unity is not in this path: the controller talks to CONNECT, CONNECT talks to the browser.

realvirtual served by CONNECT: the machine, its KPIs and live alarms in one browser tab

CONNECT works with named signals: Boolean, integer or floating point. Drives, sensors, kinematics and HMI logic run in realvirtual. This limits the gateway’s responsibilities and keeps every protocol bridge interchangeable.

What CONNECT does

Section titled “What CONNECT does”
CapabilityDescription
Virtual commissioningCloses the loop between the digital twin and a real or simulated PLC: PLC outputs move the twin, the twin’s sensors and buttons are written back to the PLC inputs — see connecting a PLC
Protocol gatewayOPC UA, Siemens S7, MQTT, TwinCAT ADS, Modbus client and server, EtherNet/IP, Bosch Rexroth ctrlX, Keba, Festo AX / PLCnext, FANUC, Denso, ABB RobotStudio and SIMIT shared memory — see supported protocols
Bundled 3D HMIBuilds delivered with an embedded project/viewer serve the realvirtual viewer, model and signals on port 5100. With the public download, you point a hosted viewer at the gateway; see where the viewer comes from
CAD conversionLarge STEP and JT assemblies are tessellated locally and returned as GLB — see CAD conversion
Data recordingSelected signals are written to InfluxDB and shown as history charts — see data recording
AI error diagnosisAnswers “what does this alarm mean?” from your own machine PDFs — see AI diagnosis
MCP serverOne endpoint through which an AI assistant reads signals and operates the running HMI — see AI clients
Self-updateThe gateway replaces its own program file with a newer signed build after you confirm it — see updates

Quick Start

Section titled “Quick Start”
  1. Download and start the gateway on a PC in the controller network.
  2. Open a hosted viewer at web.realvirtual.io or on your own web server and connect it to the gateway. For a build with an embedded viewer, open http://localhost:5100.
  3. Register once to activate the free tier.
  4. Add an interface and add its signals by browsing, importing or entering them.
  5. Load your model and confirm that live values arrive.

See also

Section titled “See also”