Objects: Instruments and Targets

There are two types of objects in NemaStudio:

Instruments are GPS, Weather, Heading, Sounder and Velocity. Targets are Radar and AIS objects like Class A vessels, Class B vessels, Aids To Navigation, SAR airplanes and Base Stations. There is also a special type of object: the Custom Sentence Formatter for creating user defined (proprietary) sentences.

We can distinguish between Active Objects and Passive Objects.

Active Objects are objects visible on the GUI either on top or tabbed.

Passive objects are objects that are currently not active but can be openened at will, either via the Object Explorer or with the large buttons in the Instrument Selection Panel.

Active objects are visible in a tabbed interface, will transmit NMEA 0183 sentences and can be manipulated by common controls in the Object Control Center or specific controls on the object itself.

All instruments and targets have the following important controls on their user interface:

Select the serial output port or UDP to be used by this instrument or target to send the output to. Use the Communications Settings to set the parameters for the port like baud rate.
Select the transmit interval in seconds (or tenth of seconds if you like). This is the time between sending consecutive sentences. NMEA 0183 default is 1 sentence per second. When you set the value to 0 (zero), the time interval is handled manually, the selected sentences are sent each time you click the Start button ("Single Shot").
Start/Restart sending sentences for this instrument or target, or Stop/Inhibit sending. Remember you also have the possibility to start all active instruments simultaneously with the Start All / Stop All buttons on the toolbar.

General mode of operation

Most fields can be adjusted by either typing in a value directly in the field or by using the up/down buttons (small arrows) on the right side of the field.

After clicking the "Start" button the object simulation will start, and the apropriate NMEA sentences will be sent to the selected output port of the PC, until the "Stop" button is pressed.

All sentences are shown in the I/O Port Monitor as they are output. When logging is ON (toolbar option), the sentences will also be written to the user selected log file.

Clicking the "Stop" button will suspend the operation, until "Start" is clicked again.

When the Transmit Interval is set to 0.0 the sentences are output as "single shot" each time you click the "Start" button.

Clicking the little X top-right will exit the instrument and save optionally all current values, so that next time the instrument is used it can continue where it stopped. Note: saving is an optional setting in the General Settings.

The contents of Objects: Instruments and Targets

Instruments

Targets

Bridge Alert Management

Custom Sentence Formatter