OpenSim Creator Documentation

OpenSim Creator is a UI for building OpenSim models. These pages are the official documentation for OpenSim Creator, where you can find basic installation instructions and introduction tutorials.

Fig. 1 Screenshot of OpenSim Creator’s osim editor screen.

Warning

These documentation pages are work-in-progress 🚧. If they aren’t helpful enough then feel free to open a ticket on OpenSim Creator’s GitHub page. This documentation is kept in the project repository here so, if you know what you’re doing, you can also try to submit a PR.

Getting Started

• Get an OpenSim Creator release. Grab it from the 📥 releases page on GitHub. Make sure you download a release that is suitable for your machine. Install it according to the installer’s instructions.

• Boot OpenSim Creator:

  • On Windows: Search for “osc” or “OpenSimCreator” in the start menu and open the application. Alternatively, browse to your install location (default: C:\Program Files\OpenSimCreator\bin\osc.exe).

  • On Mac: Search for “osc” or “OpenSimCreator” in the finder (Super+Space, search, enter). Alternatively, browse to your install location (default: /Applications/osc.app).

  • On Ubuntu: Search for “osc” in your desktop. Alternatively, browse to your install location (default: /opt/osc/bin/osc).

• Explore the UI. You’ll probably want to initially explore and experiment with the UI by loading some of the example files, which are shown on OpenSim Creator’s splash screen. We recommend double_pendulum.osim if you want something basic, or ToyDropLanding.osim if you want something “meatier”.

• Work through the tutorials. Once you feel comfortable with the basics (opening/creating files, moving around the UI), then you are ready to start 📖 Make a Pendulum.

Table of Contents

Setup

• 1. Installation
  • 1.1. Installing on Windows (10 or newer)
  • 1.2. Installing on MacOS (Ventura or newer)
  • 1.3. Installing on Ubuntu (20 or newer)
  • 1.4. Building from Source

Tutorials

• 1. Make a Pendulum
  • 1.1. Prerequisites
  • 1.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 1.3. Create a New Model
  • 1.4. Add a Body with a WeldJoint
  • 1.5. Reposition the Body
  • 1.6. Add the Pendulum Head
  • 1.7. Pre-Swing the Pendulum Head
  • 1.8. Simulate the Model
  • 1.9. (optional) Make the Pendulum Look Nicer
  • 1.10. (Optional) Extra Exercises
  • 1.11. Next Steps
• 2. Make a Bouncing Block
  • 2.1. Prerequisites
  • 2.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 2.3. Create the Foot
  • 2.4. Add Contact Surfaces & Forces
  • 2.5. Attach the Knee & Head to the Foot
  • 2.6. Add a Spring between foot and head
  • 2.7. Constrain foot and head to stay along Y
  • 2.8. (Optional) Extra Exercises
  • 2.9. Next Steps
• 3. Use the Mesh Importer
  • 3.1. Prerequisites
  • 3.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 3.3. Open the Mesh Importer
  • 3.4. Add Bodies & PinJoints
  • 3.5. Add Decorative Geometry
  • 3.6. Export and Simulate
  • 3.7. (Optional) Extra Exercises
  • 3.8. Next Steps
• 4. Make an Arm
  • 4.1. Prerequisites
  • 4.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 4.3. Import Meshes
  • 4.4. Add Bodies to the Meshes
  • 4.5. Assign Unassigned Meshes to Appropriate Bodies
  • 4.6. Add Joints Between the Bodies
  • 4.7. Mark Points of Interest on the Meshes
  • 4.8. Convert to an OpenSim Model
  • 4.9. Add Muscle Paths
  • 4.10. Summary
  • 4.11. (Optional) Extra Exercises
• 5. Use the Mesh Warper
  • 5.1. Prerequisites
  • 5.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 5.3. The Thin-Plate Spline (TPS) Technique
  • 5.4. Opening the Mesh Warping UI
  • 5.5. Mesh Warping UI Overview
  • 5.6. Walkthrough: Warping a Femur
  • 5.7. Next Steps
  • 5.8. Relevant References
• 6. 🪄 Use the Model Warper
  • 6.1. Prerequisites
  • 6.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 6.3. Model Warping: Technical Overview
  • 6.4. Walkthroughs: How to Warp Models With the Model Warper
  • 6.5. How to Customize Model Warping behavior
  • 6.6. Diagnosing Warping Issues
  • 6.7. Outlook/Planned Future Changes
• 7. Preview Experimental Data
  • 7.1. Prerequisites
  • 7.2. Topics Covered by this Tutorial
  • 7.3. Opening the Preview Experimental Data UI
  • 7.4. Preview Experimental Data UI Overview
  • 7.5. Walkthrough: Markers to Motion
  • 7.6. Summary
  • 7.7. (Optional) Extra Exercises

Development

• 1. Building From Source
  • 1.1. Building on Windows (10 or newer)
  • 1.2. Building on MacOS (Ventura or newer)
  • 1.3. Building on Ubuntu (20 or newer)
• 2. Setup Development Environment
  • 2.1. Visual Studio 2022
  • 2.2. QtCreator
• 3. Contributing to OpenSim Creator
  • 3.1. Key Points

Other Links

• OpenSim Creator GitHub
• OpenSim GitHub
• OpenSim Documentation

Indices and tables

• Index

• Search Page