In an effort to improve the usability and extensibility of RMF, we’ve been working on an experimental side project to create a whole new kind of editor. We’re getting close to launching its first release, and we thought it would be a good time to demonstrate its capabilities to the community.
This new editor, called the “Site Editor”, is foremost a replacement for the old traffic editor, so its core capabilities are:
- Edit 3D environments in sufficient detail for visualization and simulation
- Edit the robots present in the environment
- Edit the traffic rules for the robots
- Edit elevators (lifts) and doors that are present in the environment
But beyond that, the site editor opens up new possibilities that would not have been feasible with the old traffic editor. Since it was developed on top of the Bevy video game engine, it will be possible for downstream users to extend and customize its capabilities. Users could even develop and sell a commercial product built on top of it.
The site editor is cross-platform, being able to compile to a native desktop application on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It can even run in a web browser by compiling to Web Assembly. This opens up exciting opportunities to develop commercial applications locally even if you intend to deploy them to customers as a web service.
At this session, we will do a quick demonstration of using the site editor to partially build a hotel environment. If you’re familiar with using the old traffic editor, you’ll immediately see how much smoother the new workflow is. Feel free to bring in ideas for additional features that would make your workflows easier or more expressive.