How to connect external devices to PolyScopeX URSim

Technical Questions
1

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand whether external device/software communication is currently supported in PolyScopeX URSim, or if it may be added in the future.

Specifically, is it possible for MATLAB running on a Windows computer to communicate with PolyScopeX URSim through RTDE, similar to how MATLAB would communicate with a physical UR robot?

My goal is to:

  • Launch PolyScopeX URSim
  • Run a simulated UR3
  • Connect MATLAB R2025b on Windows to the simulator through RTDE
  • Run MATLAB scripts that command the simulated robot

Current setup:

  • Windows computer
  • MATLAB R2025b
  • Robotics System Toolbox + Universal Robots support package installed
  • PolyScopeX URSim launched through the PolyScopeX URCap SDK / GitHub Codespaces
  • Robot type: UR3
  • Browser UI works through forwarded port 4200
  • Robot is active in the simulator

I can use the PolyScopeX simulator through the browser, but when checking RTDE access through port 30004, the connection is refused. I’m trying to understand whether external RTDE access is unsupported, or if I am missing the correct setup.

Main questions:

  1. Can external software like MATLAB connect directly to PolyScopeX URSim through RTDE?
  2. If not, is this planned for a future PolyScopeX URSim release?
  3. Is the intended workaround to use a URCap backend container that communicates internally with urcontrol-rtde?
  4. For camera/RTDE workflows, should PolyScopeX URSim only be used for URCap/URScript development, with RTDE tested on the physical robot?

Any guidance on the cleanest supported workflow would be appreciated. Thanks!

2

Hey

I fear, that’s not yet possible:

image
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Working with the PolyScope X Simulator — PolyScope X - SDK Documentation 0.15 documentation

Beside that, in Polyscope X you need to activate the network interface, and also the single protocols you want to use within the settings. But I just tried by my own on a local on a linux PC hosted simulator, if you change that settings, it just reverts it after seconds…

Even though, Im not deep enough into the docker story and also not into Github Code spaces, my intuition says, it will be difficult go get that running on your setup even it will be basically possible in future. I think even Github’s or your firewall will block that port. So you will maybe need to set up your “docker host” locally then.

Hope this helps.