Test your PLC code against the simulated machine before the hardware exists – with a tool whose source code you can read.
In virtual commissioning, the real controller – PLC or robot controller – is commissioned against a simulated machine model. Drives, sensors and material flow behave like the real plant; the automation code runs unchanged. Errors in sequence logic, interlocks and signals surface while they can still be fixed at the desk – not on site.
In the digital twin lifecycle this is the second of four stages: the sales and concept simulation becomes the virtual commissioning model, later the integration test with MES, and finally the 3D HMI on the running machine. One model, built once, reused across all stages.
realvirtual is developed in Germany, with more than 18 years of automation experience. But an origin label is not an argument – verifiability is: realvirtual Professional ships with full C# source code, the handover format is open GLB, and the delivery viewer is AGPL-licensed on GitHub. Don’t trust the label. Read the code.
For the EU Machinery Regulation 2027 this means: we answer the obligation to keep digital documentation available over the machine’s lifetime with architecture instead of a contract – open formats and an open-source viewer cannot be taken away from you.
The free, open-source MCP server integrates AI agents like Claude or Cursor directly into the engineering workflow: 150+ tools that let the AI create components, wire signals and move drives. The twin’s knowledge is passed to the LLM in structured form – and because the source code is open, the AI understands the framework from the very code you read.
The AI backend is yours to choose: EU-hosted or fully local. The result: a fully wired virtual commissioning model in record time instead of days, straight from the CAD model.
The simulation runs locally on the engineering PC. There is no GPU farm, no data center, no streaming infrastructure and no forced cloud – your machine data and CAD models never leave your company.
Deployment is royalty-free as standalone applications for Windows, Linux, macOS and more. In addition, documentation and machine models reach your customers as GLB in the browser – free, no installation, no account.
Virtual commissioning runs in different configurations – the difference is where the control code executes.
The controller runs as a software simulation – such as Siemens PLCSim Advanced or TwinCAT on the same PC. No hardware needed, scales freely, ideal for early testing. realvirtual connects directly to PLCSim Advanced, SIMIT and TwinCAT.
The real PLC hardware is connected to the simulated machine model over the network – e.g. an S7-1500 via S7-TCP or a Beckhoff IPC via ADS. The controller’s real timing is part of the test; typical cycle times of 10–50 ms are sufficient for smooth motion.
Control and behavior models from MATLAB/Simulink couple directly to the twin via FMI – for drive and process models before the first line of PLC code exists.
25+ industrial interfaces share one signal architecture: wired once, freely interchangeable – from Siemens S7 and PLCSim Advanced through Beckhoff TwinCAT, OPC UA, MQTT and EtherNet/IP to robot controllers and FMI/Simulink.
realvirtual Professional, per concurrent developer – no runtime fees for delivered applications. Getting started is free: realvirtual Starter with the Siemens S7 interface on the Unity Asset Store.
Requires a valid Unity license (not included).
realvirtual Starter is free (including the Siemens S7 interface). realvirtual Professional costs €1,250 net, one-time per developer – with no runtime fees for delivered applications. All prices are published on the website.
25+ interfaces: Siemens S7 and PLCSim Advanced, Beckhoff TwinCAT, OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, Bosch ctrlX, Keba, plus robot controllers from KUKA, Fanuc, ABB, Universal Robots and more – and FMI/Simulink for external behavior models.
With Software-in-the-Loop (SiL) the controller runs as a simulation (e.g. PLCSim Advanced) on the PC; with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) the real PLC is connected over the network. realvirtual supports both with the same signals – from early SiL testing to the HiL acceptance test.
Yes. realvirtual Professional ships with full C# source code; the realvirtual WEB browser viewer is open source (AGPL) on GitHub. The GLB handover format is openly documented.
No. The simulation runs locally on a standard engineering PC. No GPU farm, no data center and no cloud connection is required; your data stays in-house.
Virtual commissioning is the second of four digital twin stages: concept simulation, virtual commissioning with the real controller, integration testing with MES, and the 3D HMI on the running machine – the same model is reused across all stages.