OrbitalSimulator/INTERFACES.md

Orbital Simulator Interfaces

This project now includes multiple ways to interact with the orbital simulator:

1. Web Interface

A browser-based interface with real-time 3D visualization.

Features:

• Real-time 3D orbital visualization using Three.js
• Interactive controls (start, pause, stop, step)
• Multiple simulation management
• Custom configuration editor
• Live statistics and energy monitoring
• Responsive design

Usage:

# Start the API server
cargo run --release --bin api_server

# In another terminal, start the web frontend
cd web
npm install
npm run dev

# Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser

2. Desktop GUI

A native desktop application using Tauri (Rust + Web technologies).

Features:

• All web interface features in a native app
• File system integration
• Native notifications
• System tray integration
• Better performance than browser

Usage:

# Install Tauri CLI
cargo install tauri-cli

# Start development mode
cargo tauri dev

# Build for production
cargo tauri build

3. Command Line Interface (Original)

The original command-line tools are still available:

# Run simulation
cargo run --release --bin simulator -- \
  --config config/planets.toml \
  --time 365d \
  --step-size 3600 \
  --output-file trajectory.bin

# Visualize results
python3 plot_trajectories.py trajectory.bin --animate

# 3D real-time visualizer
cargo run --release --bin orbiter -- trajectory.bin

API Endpoints

The web API server provides RESTful endpoints:

• POST /api/simulations - Create new simulation
• GET /api/simulations - List all simulations
• GET /api/simulations/:id - Get simulation state
• POST /api/simulations/:id/control - Control simulation (start/pause/stop)
• DELETE /api/simulations/:id - Delete simulation
• GET /api/configs - List available configurations

Installation

Prerequisites:

• Rust (latest stable)
• Node.js 18+ (for web interface)
• Python 3.7+ (for visualization)

Full Installation:

# Clone and build
git clone <repository-url>
cd orbital_simulator

# Install Rust dependencies
cargo build --release

# Install Node.js dependencies
cd web
npm install
cd ..

# Install Python dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install Tauri CLI (optional, for desktop GUI)
cargo install tauri-cli

Quick Start:

# Start everything with one command
./start_interfaces.sh

This will launch:

• API server on port 3000
• Web interface on port 5173
• Desktop GUI (if Tauri is installed)

Development

Architecture:

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Desktop GUI   │    │  Web Interface  │
│    (Tauri)      │    │    (React)      │
└─────────┬───────┘    └─────────┬───────┘
          │                      │
          └──────────┬───────────┘
                     │
        ┌─────────────────┐
        │   API Server    │
        │    (Axum)       │
        └─────────┬───────┘
                  │
        ┌─────────────────┐
        │ Rust Simulator  │
        │   (Core Logic)  │
        └─────────────────┘

Adding Features:

1. Backend: Add endpoints in src/bin/api_server.rs
2. Web: Add components in web/src/components/
3. Desktop: Add commands in src-tauri/src/main.rs

Testing:

# Test Rust code
cargo test

# Test web interface
cd web
npm test

# Test API endpoints
curl http://localhost:3000/api/simulations