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Running the Simulation

Starting the Application​

After opening the project in Godot 4.7.1, run the project using the Run Project button.

The main application provides access to the simulation environment and experiment controls.

Simulation Controls​

The application provides controls for managing simulation execution.

Start​

Starts or resumes the simulation.

Pause​

Pauses the simulation while preserving its current state.

Reset​

Resets the simulation to its initial state.

Simulation Speed​

Controls the visual execution speed of the simulation.

The simulation uses fixed time steps, meaning that changing the display speed should not change the underlying simulation behaviour.

Simulation Steps​

The simulation can operate using discrete simulation steps.

Step-based execution is important for scheduled events such as stimulus activation and treatment administration.

For example:

Simulation Step 0
       ↓
Simulation Step 1
       ↓
Simulation Step 2
       ↓
Scheduled Stimulus
       ↓
Simulation Step 3

Stimuli and other scheduled events are activated according to simulation steps rather than the frame rate of the application.

Observing the Simulation​

During a simulation, users can observe the simulated rat and its interaction with the environment.

Depending on the current project version, this includes:

  • Rat movement
  • Arena regions
  • Environmental stimuli
  • Barriers
  • Shelter
  • Other arena structures

The simulation environment is being expanded as the 3D arena and behavioural systems are developed.

Reproducibility​

The simulation uses a random seed and fixed simulation time steps to support reproducibility.

Running the same experiment with the same configuration and random seed should produce the same simulation behaviour.

Changing the visual display speed should not change the underlying simulation result.

AI Attribution: The preceding document was generated and edited with assistance from ChatGPT Web (GPT-5.6 Luna).