RaiSim is a physics engine for robotics and artificial intelligence research. The public distribution is provided as binary packages with headers, libraries, examples, rayrai tools, and documentation.

Download the binary package for your platform and unpack it to an install location such as $HOME/raisim2Lib on Linux/macOS or C:\raisim on Windows. Current macOS packages use macos-arm64-<version>.zip for Apple Silicon and macos-x86_64-<version>.zip for Intel. Keep the package directories together; examples and rayrai tools expect the bundled assets to remain next to the installed binaries.

Set up the runtime environment before running examples or applications. From the unpacked package root:

cd $HOME/raisim2Lib
source ./raisim_env.sh
export RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT=$PWD

raisim_env.sh must be sourced, not executed. It sets RAISIM_DIR and RAISIM_OS, then prepends raisim/lib and rayrai/lib to LD_LIBRARY_PATH on Linux or DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH on macOS.

On Windows, run one of the provided environment scripts from the package root:

.\raisim_env.ps1

or:

raisim_env.bat

The Windows scripts prepend the installed RaiSim and rayrai bin and lib directories to Path.

RAISIM_EXAMPLE is enabled by default, but the flag is shown explicitly in the commands below. CMake downloads RAISIM_VERSION when the package in this checkout is missing or has a different version.

From the repository root, source the environment script, configure, and build the C++ examples:

cd $HOME/raisim2Lib
source ./raisim_env.sh
export RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT=$PWD
cmake -S . -B build-examples -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DRAISIM_EXAMPLE=ON
cmake --build build-examples --parallel

The source-built example executables are written to build-examples/examples:

./build-examples/examples/rayrai_tcp_viewer
./build-examples/examples/primitive_grid

Install headers, libraries, CMake package files, and bundled rayrai tools to a local prefix with:

cmake --install build-examples --prefix "$HOME/.local"

The install target does not install source-built example executables; run those from the build tree. Downstream projects using this CMake-installed layout should pass -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=$HOME/.local.

From the repository root, source the environment script, configure, and build the C++ examples:

cd $HOME/raisim2Lib
source ./raisim_env.sh
export RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT=$PWD
cmake -S . -B build-examples -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DRAISIM_EXAMPLE=ON
cmake --build build-examples --parallel

The source-built example executables are written to build-examples/examples:

./build-examples/examples/rayrai_tcp_viewer
./build-examples/examples/primitive_grid

If raisim/ or rayrai/ is missing from the checkout, CMake downloads the matching macOS release asset automatically. You can also update an unpacked tree explicitly:

./raisim_upgrade.sh -y

Apple Silicon hosts select the macos-arm64 package, even when CMake or the shell is running under Rosetta, and compile with the Apple M-series tuning flags used by the examples. Intel Macs select macos-x86_64 when that release asset is available.

Install headers, libraries, CMake package files, and bundled rayrai tools to a local prefix with:

cmake --install build-examples --prefix "$HOME/.local"

The install target does not install source-built example executables; run those from the build tree. Downstream projects using this CMake-installed layout should pass -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=$HOME/.local.

From the repository root, run one of the Windows environment scripts, configure, and build the C++ examples:

cd C:\raisim2Lib
.\raisim_env.ps1
cmake -S . -B build-examples -DRAISIM_EXAMPLE=ON
cmake --build build-examples --config Release --parallel

Visual Studio and MSBuild are multi-config generators, so CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release does not select the build configuration on Windows. Use exactly --config Release for the release runtime DLLs. If rayrai_tcp_viewer.exe reports a missing SDL2d.dll, the executable in build-examples\bin was built from a debug-flavored configuration and should be rebuilt with the command above.

The source-built example executables are written to build-examples\bin:

.\build-examples\bin\rayrai_tcp_viewer.exe
.\build-examples\bin\primitive_grid.exe

Install headers, libraries, CMake package files, and bundled rayrai tools to a local prefix with:

cmake --install build-examples --config Release --prefix C:\raisim-local

The install target does not install source-built example executables; run those from the build tree. Downstream projects using this CMake-installed layout should pass -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=C:\raisim-local.

Please go to raisim.com to get your raisim license. Rename the activation key received by email to activation.raisim and place it in the default location:

Linux/macOS: $HOME/.raisim/activation.raisim
Windows:     C:\Users\<YOUR-USERNAME>\.raisim\activation.raisim

You can also set the activation key explicitly in your application with raisim::World::setActivationKey().

Server-based examples publish a raisim::World through RaisimServer. Start the rayrai TCP viewer first, then run an example:

$RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT/bin/rayrai_raisim_tcp_viewer
$RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT/bin/example_anymal_contacts

In-process rayrai examples open their own renderer window and do not need the TCP viewer:

$RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT/bin/example_rayrai_pbr_asset_inspector
$RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT/bin/example_polyhaven_blue_wall --fast-load

RaiSim is installed as a CMake package. Point CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH at the installed package prefix from your downstream project:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=$RAISIM_LOCAL_INSTALL_ROOT/raisim

Minimal downstream CMakeLists.txt:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
project(my_raisim_app LANGUAGES CXX)

find_package(raisim CONFIG REQUIRED)
find_package(Eigen3 REQUIRED)

add_executable(app main.cpp)
target_link_libraries(app PRIVATE raisim::raisim)
if (UNIX)
  target_link_libraries(app PRIVATE pthread)
endif()

Use rayrai_raisim_tcp_viewer for applications that publish through raisim::RaisimServer. Use in-process rayrai APIs when your application needs its own renderer window, offscreen rendering, RGB/depth sensors, or screenshots.

rayrai_raisim_tcp_viewer is the recommended visualizer for RaisimServer simulations. It connects to a running server over TCP and renders the world with the full rayrai PBR pipeline (procedural sky, IBL, directional shadows, reflective ground, weather, tone mapping). The overlay surfaces:

• Pause / Step / Step 10 — interactive simulation control over the wire (PROTOCOL_FEATURE_SIM_CONTROL); pause and step a remote server from the viewer without changing simulation code.
• Force / pose / generalized-coordinate authoring — drag-poke objects, retarget single-body poses, or override an articulated system's joint angles directly from the inspector.
• Render tab — switch render-quality presets, tone mapping, weather, bloom, SSAO, and DoF at runtime.
• Drag-drop joint inspector — drop a URDF or MJCF file on the disconnected viewer to inspect joints, limits, and mesh resolution kinematically.
• Headless screenshots and session record/replay — --screenshot, --record-session, and --replay-session for CI, doc image generation, and offline replays.

See the documentation page on the rayrai TCP viewer for the full panel walkthrough, the wire format, and a minimal custom-client example.

Open the installed documentation from the package, or visit the hosted RaiSim documentation for installation, activation, API, examples, and visualization workflows.