The simulator screen¶

Reference — The working screen of the Braiding Simulator: header bar with setup and program, machine view, task bar with selection card, playback, keys and mouse

What you use this area for¶

When you open a machine on the start page, you see this screen. Here you set up the machine, write and check programs and output the switching plan. This page describes what is the same in all tasks; the tasks themselves have their own pages.

The screen at a glance¶

📷 Screenshot missing

Subject: Simulator screen of a round braiding machine: header bar with setup and program, machine view with carriers, on the right the task bar with the opened selection card of a switch, 3D preview, at the bottom playback bar and timeline; numbers 1–6 at the areas. How to create: Customer build with model licence, open a machine with a program, click a switch, play a few steps; navigation collapsed. Target file: assets/screenshots/braiding-simulator/bildschirm.png

Header bar — back to the start page, name of the machine, setup, program, messages, view, quick help, undo, save.
Machine view — the machine from above with gears, switches, tubes and carriers. This is where you click to set up, switch and select.
3D preview — braid, schematic or machine in 3D, see 3D preview and take-up.
Selection card — at the top of the right-hand bar, as long as something is selected.
Task bar — the tabs Set up, Program, Check and Output.
Playback bar and timeline — at the bottom, across the full width.

Header bar¶

Element	Effect
← Braiding Simulator	Back to the start page. If there are unsaved changes, the program asks first.
Name of the machine	With an asterisk if there are unsaved changes. The tooltip states the number of gears, switches and carrier positions.
Setup	List of the setups for this machine. Choosing one places the setup on the machine immediately and loads its most recently used program, see below.
⋯ next to Setup	Save as new setup…, Rename setup… and Delete setup…, see below.
Program	The time programs of the selected setup. Choosing one loads it immediately. The next time you open the machine, setup and program are selected again.
⋯ next to Program	New program…, Rename program…, Duplicate program, Assign to another setup… and Delete program…, see below.
⛔ n errors, ⚠ n notes	Appear as soon as there are messages (red or orange). The tooltip lists them; a click opens the Check task.
View	What the machine view shows, see below.
?	Quick help with mouse and keys, see Keys and mouse.
Undo, Redo	Multi-level (`Ctrl`+`Z`, `Ctrl`+`Y`). The run is then back at the start. Locked during recording.
Save	Saves your own setups and programs (`Ctrl`+`S`). Active as soon as there are changes and you have the Edit Braiding Simulator right. See Save.

Setup and program¶

Each program belongs to exactly one setup. The Program list therefore only shows the programs of the setup selected at the top.

📷 Screenshot missing

Subject: Header bar of the simulator with a selected setup and the opened ⋯ menu next to “Program” (New program…, Rename program…, Duplicate program, Assign to another setup…, Delete program…). How to create: Customer build with a model licence, open a machine with two setups and several programs, click ⋯ next to “Program”. Target file: assets/screenshots/braiding-simulator/programm-menue.png

Changing the setup: the new setup comes with its most recently used program; a setup without programs comes with — no program —. If the current arrangement has not been saved, the program asks first (Change setup, Discard and load).
Programs without a setup: programs from older program versions that do not belong to any setup yet are listed in the Program list under the subheading Without setup:. If you choose one, the program asks once which setup it belongs to (Assign program, Assign). If there is no setup yet, save one first.

⋯ menu next to Setup:

Entry	Effect
Save as new setup…	Creates the current arrangement as a new setup, optionally with a copy of the open program, see Set up.
Rename setup…	New name for the selected setup. The program refuses a name that already exists (The setup “…” already exists.).
Delete setup…	Deletes the selected setup together with its programs. The confirmation prompt names the programs, for example Delete setup “…” together with 2 programs?. Undo brings the setup and its programs back.

These three entries take effect immediately, without Save.

⋯ menu next to Program:

Entry	Effect
New program…	Creates a new program on the selected setup (enter a name). It takes over the current start position of switches and gears. A new program is only possible on a saved setup: if the arrangement is not one yet, the program asks A program belongs to a setup. The current arrangement is not a saved setup yet. Save it as a setup now?; Save setup… opens the Save setup dialog.
Rename program…	New name for the selected program.
Duplicate program	Creates a copy of the program on the same setup (… – copy).
Assign to another setup…	The program then belongs to the setup you choose in the dialog (Assign) and runs with its carriers. The simulator switches to that setup. Check the program afterwards under Check. Only active if the machine has more than one setup.
Delete program…	Deletes the selected program after a confirmation prompt; it is only gone for good once you Save.

You save these program changes with Save. The entries of both menus require the Edit Braiding Simulator right. The same commands are also available on the start page.

View¶

Toggle	Shows	Default
Switches with numbers	Switches and fixed components with their W number, as in the timeline. Round symbols can be switched, square ones are fixed components.	on
Running direction	Colors each empty position by the direction in which a carrier would run around the machine from there: the two thread systems of the braid. Plus rotation arrows on the hubs, direction arrows on the carriers and a legend at the bottom left (clockwise, counterclockwise, oscillates, stays on the horngear, Dead end). If you move the mouse over an empty position, the view shows its track.	on
Carrier numbers	Number of each carrier and the labels of the tubes.	off
Empty positions	Empty carrier positions.	on
Slots	The slots of the horngears.	on
3D preview	Shows or hides the 3D preview.	on
Fit machine	Shows the whole machine (also `Ctrl`+`0` or a double-click on an empty spot).	—

The program remembers the toggles.

Machine view¶

The machine appears from above, as it lies in the design. Besides the carriers and gears you see:

Switches with their number (W12); if a switch is attached to a shift lever, the lever follows the number (W12·H1). Round symbols are switchable switches, square ones fixed components.
G1, G2 … on the gears of a horngear group.
a run symbol below the hub of gears with their own drive (▶ running, ⏸ stopped), see Program.
the gear number in the hub when you move the mouse over it or the gear is selected.
during recording, a red Recording band at the top left with the position and the number of recorded commands.
after a collision, the marked spot.

What a click does depends on the open task, see Keys and mouse.

Task bar and selection card¶

The right-hand bar has a fixed width. At the bottom are the four tasks:

Tab	Content
Set up	Place and color carriers; yarn and tube threads. A click on an empty position places a carrier.
Program	Switches and gears during the run, speed and take-up. A click on a switch switches it.
Check	Errors and notes, collision check over the whole run. A red or orange dot on the tab indicates errors or notes.
Output	Switching plan for the control: print, as PDF or CSV.

If you click a carrier position, a switch, a gear or a tube in the machine, the selection card with its properties appears above the tabs, for example Carrier 7 selected or Switch W12 selected. ✕ or Esc closes it, as does a click on an empty area.

Card	Described under
Carrier, several carriers, tube	Set up
Switch, shift lever	Program
Gear, horngear group, pitch	Program

Playback bar¶

The bar above the timeline controls the run of the simulation:

Element	Effect
Start / Pause	Starts and stops (`Space`). Pause stops exactly at the current spot, even in the middle of a step. After a collision, playback no longer starts until you go back.
Step back	One step back; in the middle of a step, first to the start of the step (`Left`). Also works after a collision.
Single step	One step forward (`Right`).
Reset	Back to the start.
Record	Switches recording on and off, see Program.
Playback speed	0.5, 1 (default), 2 or 4 steps/s; plus Machine speed, Machine speed 1:4 and Machine speed 1:10: as fast as the real machine at the program's horngear speed, or as slow motion. Without a speed in the program, machine speed runs at 1 step/s.
Go to step	Enter a step and press `Enter`: the run is calculated from the start up to there. While recording, the program grows with it.
Step display	Step n without a program, Program step n/m with a program, from the second pass on with · cycle n.
Timeline	Hides and shows the timeline (only with a program). When it is hidden, the machine gets the space.

At the very bottom, a status line shows on the left the current state (for example Program step 3/48 · 32 carriers · program (length 48, repeated)) and the last message, and on the right the zoom of the machine view.

Save¶

Save writes a changed arrangement into the selected setup and saves the programs. If no setup is selected (for example after Remove all carriers), the program asks for a name (Save setup, Setup name:).

If you leave the machine with unsaved changes (going back, via the navigation or when closing the program), the program asks The machine "…" has unsaved changes. Save before leaving? with Save, Discard and Cancel. Without the Edit Braiding Simulator right there is no prompt: changes count as tried out and are discarded. If another user is currently editing the programs of this machine, you can only discard or stay, see Multiple users.

Switching the program in the header bar does not prompt: your changes are kept until you save or discard them.

Keys and mouse¶

Machine view¶

Action	Effect
Click	Set up: place a carrier (empty position) or select it. Program: toggle a switch. Check, Output: select. During recording, a click on a switch always toggles it, whichever task is open.
Right-click	Set up: remove a carrier. Otherwise and during recording: toggle a switch.
`Ctrl` + click, `Ctrl` + drag	Select several carriers or drag a frame around carriers. In Program: collect switches into a switch group.
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select all carriers.
`Esc`	Clear the selection.
Mouse wheel	Zoom around the mouse pointer.
Drag with the right or middle mouse button	Pan.
Double-click on empty space, `Ctrl`+`0`	Fit machine.

If a carrier position and a switch lie on top of each other, the click selects the position; you then toggle the switch with a right-click.

Keyboard¶

Key	Effect
`Space`	Start and pause (not in input fields).
`Left` / `Right`	Step back / forward. Works if you have clicked into the machine view first.
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select all carriers (the machine view has the focus).
`Esc`	Clear the selection.
`Ctrl`+`Z` / `Ctrl`+`Y`	Undo / Redo.
`Ctrl`+`S`	Save.
`Ctrl`+`0`	Fit machine.

The quick help ? summarizes mouse and keys for the machine, playback, timeline and 3D preview.

In the web app¶

Layout and operation are the same. Differences, with details under Braiding Simulator (web app):

Dragging with the left or middle mouse button pans the machine; Zoom in, Zoom out and Fit are at the top right.
In the ⋯ menu next to Program, the entries are called Rename… and Duplicate…; when duplicating, the web app asks for the name of the copy.
The playback speed additionally offers 8 steps/s.
On a smartphone everything is stacked, the selection card slides up from the bottom as a sheet, and a Long press replaces the right-click.
The prompt when leaving is called Save changes? and offers Save, Don't save and Cancel.

Related pages¶

Braiding Simulator — overview and start page.
Set up, Program, Check, Output
3D preview and take-up