The Workflow

realvirtual follows one workflow: you build the twin once, then use it for the use case you need. Everything else in this documentation supports one of these steps.

1. Build the twin

The Editor turns CAD data into a digital twin that moves.

Step	What happens	Details
Import CAD	STEP or JT assemblies are imported in the browser; large files are converted by realvirtual CONNECT	Importing CAD
Structure and materials	Clean up the CAD tree, merge parts, assign industrial materials	Mesh and Structure, Materials
Kinematics and drives	Axes, drives, sensors, transport surfaces, grippers — the parts that move and react	Quick Edit Reference, Components
Signals and logic	PLC signals, and logic steps or a Structured Text program that run the twin on its own	Signals and Logic
Prepare for layout planning	Floor, pivot and snap points, so the asset can be placed and connected in a layout	Preparing for Layout Planning

Your First Twin from CAD walks through a first asset step by step. Twins built with realvirtual for Unity arrive as a finished GLB and skip this step.

2. Choose the use case

The same twin serves different use cases. Each adds its own functions:

Use case	What it adds
Layout Planning	Arrange assets from libraries into lines and cells, connected by snap points
Virtual Commissioning	Connect the twin to a real or simulated PLC through realvirtual CONNECT and test the PLC program against it
Discrete Event Simulation	Analyse throughput and utilisation of the material flow, faster than real time
Machine Information System (3D HMI)	Operate and monitor the machine with live signals, alarms, documents and AI diagnosis

Which of the remaining topics you need depends on the use case: the Viewer for documents and sharing, realvirtual CONNECT for live controller data, and Hosting & Operations for delivering the twin.

See also

• What You Get — which parts are open source and which are commercial
• Demo Models — finished twins to try each use case