BSK Scripting Settings

Overview

The About Unity-based visualization can have its settings scripted from a Basilisk python simulation script. This allows the user to write a BSK simulation script and specify in the same script what Vizard options should be used. Within Vizard the user can change these gain if needed. The BSK scripted Vizard settings are only used once at the beginning of the playback.

When calling the enableUnityVisualization macro method a copy of the vizInterface module is returned. All scriptable Vizard settings are stored inside the settings variable. For example, to set the Vizard ambient lighting the following code is used:

viz = vizSupport.enableUnityVisualization(scSim, simTaskName, simProcessName, gravBodies=gravFactory, saveFile=fileName)
viz.settings.ambient = [0.5]

If a setting is not provided, then the Vizard defaults are used. This allows the user to specify just a few or a lot of settings, as is appropriate.

Listing of all BSK scriptable Vizard settings

The following list contains the optional Vizard settings that can be specified. Only the settings used will be applied to Vizard. If a variable below is not specified, then it is not applied to Vizard and the Vizard default values are used.

General Settings

Vizard Simulation Parameters

Variable	Type	Description
ambient	[0,8]	value to specify the ambient Vizard lighting.
orbitLinesOn	(0,1)	flag to show (1) or hide (0) the orbit trajectory lines
spacecraftCSon	(0,1)	flag to show (1) or hide (0) the spacecraft coordinate axes
planetCSon	(0,1)	flag to show (1) or hide (0) the planet coordinate axes
skyBox	String	Used determine what star background should be shown. The empty string “” provides default NASA SVS Starmap, “ESO” shows the ESO Milky Way skybox, “black” provides a black background, or the user can provide a filepath to custom background image file.

Setting Actuator GUI Options

To specify the actuator GUI settings use the setActuatorGuiSetting helper method in Python. An example is:

vizSupport.setActuatorGuiSetting(viz, viewRWPanel=True, viewRWHUD=True)

The following table includes the keyword options for this method.

GUI Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Required	Description
viewThrusterPanel	Boolean	No	Show the thruster panel
viewThrusterHUD	Boolean	No	Show the thruster particle streams
viewRWPanel	Boolean	No	Show the reaction wheel panel
viewRWHUD	Boolean	No	Show the reaction wheel disks configuration outside the spacecraft
spacecraftName	String	No, sc name default	Specify which spacecraft should show actuator information. If not provided then the viz.spacecraftName is used.

Defining a Pointing Line

Vizard can create a heading line from one object to another. For example, it might be handy to create a line from the spacecraft pointing towards the sun direction, or from the spacecraft towards Earth to know how the antennas should point. These pointing lines can be scripted from Basilisk as well using using a helper function createPointLine():

viz = vizSupport.enableUnityVisualization(scSim, simTaskName, simProcessName, gravBodies=gravFactory, saveFile=fileName)
vizSupport.createPointLine(viz, toBodyName='earth', lineColor=[0, 0, 255, 255]) vizSupport.createPointLine(viz, toBodyName=“sun”, lineColor=“yellow”)]

The createPointLine support macro requires the parameters toBodyName and lineColor to be defined. The parameter fromBodyName is optional. If it is not specified, then the viz.spacecraftName is used as a default origin. The lineColor state can be either a string containing the color name, or a list containing RGBA values. The support macro converts this into the required set of numerical values.

Each pointing line message contains the three variables listed in the next table.

Pointing Line Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Required	Description
fromBodyName	string	No, sc name default	contains the name of the originating body
toBodyName	string	Yes	contains the name of the body to point towards
lineColor	int(4)	Yes	color name or array on integer values specifying the RGBA values between 0 to 255

Defining Keep In/Out Cones

Vizard can create cones relative to the spacecraft which illustrated if a body axis is within some angle to the sun (i.e. keep in cone), or if a sensor axis is outside some angle to the sun (i.e. keep out cone). These cones can be setup in Vizard, but can also be scripted from Basilisk using the helper function createConeInOut:

viz = vizSupport.enableUnityVisualization(scSim, simTaskName, simProcessName, gravBodies=gravFactory, saveFile=fileName)
vizSupport.createConeInOut(viz, toBodyName='earth', coneColor='teal', normalVector_B=[1, 0, 0], incidenceAngle=30\ macros.D2R, isKeepIn=True, coneHeight=5.0, coneName=‘sensorCone’)
vizSupport.createConeInOut(viz,toBodyName='earth', coneColor='blue', normalVector_B=[0, 1, 0], incidenceAngle=30\ macros.D2R, isKeepIn=False, coneHeight=5.0, coneName=‘comCone’)]

The following table illustrates the arguments for the createConeInOut method:

Keep In/Out Cones Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Units	Required	Description
isKeepIn	bool		Yes	make cone keep in (True) or keep out (False)
fromBodyName	string		No, sc name default	contains the name of the originating body
toBodyName	string		Yes	contains the name of the body to point towards
lineColor	int(4)		Yes	color name or array on integer values specifying the RGBA values between 0 to 255
position_B	float(3)	m	No, (0,0,0) default	position of the cone vertex
normalVector_B	float(3)		Yes	normal axis of the cone in body frame components
incidenceAngle	float	rad	Yes	angle of the cone
coneHeight	float	m	Yes	height of the cone
coneName	string		No	cone label name, if unspecified , viz will autogenerate name

Defining the Vizard Camera View Panels

Vizard can create two spacecraft relative camera panels (camera One and Two) and one planet-pointing camera panel. This functionality can be controlled by using the ‘createCameraViewPanel’ helper method.

viz = vizSupport.enableUnityVisualization(scSim, simTaskName, simProcessName,
gravBodies=gravFactory, saveFile=fileName)
vizSupport.createCameraViewPanel(viz, “One”, viewPanel=True, setView=0)
vizSupport.createCameraViewPanel(viz, “Two”, viewPanel=True, setView=3,
spacecraftVisible=True, fieldOfView=50.\ macros.D2R)
vizSupport.createCameraViewPanel(viz, “Planet”, viewPanel=True,
setView=2, spacecraftVisible=True, fieldOfView=50.\ macros.D2R,
targetBodyName=‘earth’)

The following table illustrates the arguments for the createCameraViewPanel method if invoking the spacecraft relative camera headings for cameras One and Two.

Camera View Panel Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Units	Required	Description
spacecraftName	string		No, sc name default	name of the spacecraft with respect to which the camera is shown
viewPanel	bool		No, default is false	flag indicating if a panel should be shown (true) or not (false)
setView	int		Yes	index specifying along which axis the camera is pointing (0 -> +X, 1 -> -X, 2 -> +Y, 3 -> -Y, 4 -> +Z, 5 -> -Z)
spacecraftVisible	bool		No, default is false	flag indicating if the spacecraft should be shown in the camera view
fieldOfView	float	rad	No, default -1	camera field of view, to use the Vizard default set it to -1

The following table illustrates the arguments for the createCameraViewPanel method if a planet pointing camera is setup.

createCameraViewPanel Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Units	Required	Description
spacecraftName	string		No, sc name default	name of the spacecraft with respect to which the camera is shown
viewPanel	bool		No, default is false	flag indicating if a panel should be shown (true) or not (false)
setView	int		Yes	index specifying along which orbit axis the camera is pointing (0 -> Nadir, 1 -> Orbit Normal, 2 -> Along Track)
spacecraftVisible	bool		No, default is false	flag indicating if the spacecraft should be shown in the camera view
fieldOfView	float	rad	No, default -1	camera field of view, to use the Vizard default set it to -1
targetBodyName	string		Yes	name of the planet to point at

It is also possible to create a custom camera view which points in an arbitrary direction as illustrate in the image above. The following helper method is an example of how such a custom camera view can be created:

vizSupport.createCameraConfigMsg(viz, cameraID=1, fieldOfView=10 * macros.D2R,
                                     resolution=[1024, 1024], renderRate=int(1e9 / 10), sensorSize=[0.2, 0.2],
                                     cameraPos_B=[0.2, 0.1, 0.3], sigma_CB=[-1./3., 1./3., -1./3.])

The following tale illustrates the arguments for the createCameraConfigMsg method.

createCameraConfigMsg Parameter Options

Variable	Type	Units	Required	Description
cameraID	Int		Yes	ID of the Vizard camera
parentName	string		No, sc name default	name of the spacecraft with respect to which the camera is shown
fieldOfView	Float	rad	Yes	field of view
resolution	Int(2)		Yes	image sensor pixels
renderRate	Int	ns	Yes	time between image grabs
sensorSize	Float(2)	m	Yes	sensor dimensions
cameraPos_B	Float(3)	m	Yes	camera location relative to body frame in B frame components
sigma_CB	Float(3)		Yes	camera orientation relative to teh body frame in MRPs
skyBox	String		No	Used determine what star background should be shown. The empty string “” provides default NASA SVS Starmap, “ESO” shows the ESO Milky Way skybox, “black” provides a black background, or the user can provide a filepath to custom background image file.