Simulation Repository - Team Setup Guide

Prerequisites

Before pulling, make sure you have the following installed:

1. Unreal Engine 4.27 (default install: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_4.27)
2. Visual Studio 2022 with the C++ Desktop Development workload
3. WSL2 with Ubuntu 24.04 — install by running in an admin command prompt:

   wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04
   

4. Podman and podman-compose installed inside your WSL Ubuntu. Run the following inside WSL:

   sudo apt-get install -y podman
   pip3 install podman-compose
   

5. SUAS-2025 repo cloned somewhere on your machine (e.g., D:\repos\SUAS-2025)

Step 1: Clone or Pull the Simulation Repository

If you haven't cloned it yet:

git clone git@131.151.19.149:SimulationRepository.git

If you already have it:

git checkout master
git pull origin master

Step 2: Set the SUAS_REPO_PATH Environment Variable

Open a Command Prompt and run the following, replacing the path with wherever you cloned the SUAS-2025 repo:

setx SUAS_REPO_PATH "/mnt/d/repos/SUAS-2025"

Important notes:

• The path must be in WSL format: use /mnt/c/... or /mnt/d/... instead of C:\... or D:\...
• Example conversions:
  • D:\repos\SUAS-2025 becomes /mnt/d/repos/SUAS-2025
  • C:\Users\john\SUAS-2025 becomes /mnt/c/Users/john/SUAS-2025
• After running setx, close and reopen any terminals, editors, or Unreal Engine for the variable to take effect
• If the variable still isn't recognized after reopening, restart your PC

Step 3: Build the Project

Open a command prompt and run the following build command. Adjust the paths if your UE4 install or repo location differs:

"C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_4.27\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\Build.bat" SimulationEditor Win64 Development "<YOUR_REPO_PATH>\Simulation.uproject" -waitmutex

For example, if your repo is at D:\repos\SimulationRepository:

"C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_4.27\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\Build.bat" SimulationEditor Win64 Development "D:\repos\SimulationRepository\Simulation.uproject" -waitmutex

This will take approximately 2-3 minutes on the first build.

Step 4: Open and Test in Unreal Engine

1. Open Simulation.uproject in Unreal Engine 4.27
2. If prompted to import new source files, click Yes
3. Click Play — the project will boot WSL and start the simulation containers automatically. Wait 30–60 seconds on the main menu before entering a level to give the containers time to fully initialize.
4. Select a level (L_SUAS or L_IARC)
5. Verify the following:
   • A terminal window opens when entering the level with the container prompt visible (e.g., root@...:#)
   • The back button on each level works and returns you to the main menu
   • When you press Stop in the editor, the terminal window closes and WSL shuts down automatically

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
UE4 logs show "SUAS_REPO_PATH is not set"	Set the environment variable (Step 2) and restart the editor
Container never becomes ready	Make sure Podman is installed inside WSL. Check with: wsl -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- podman ps
Build fails with compiler errors	Ensure Visual Studio 2022 C++ Desktop Development workload is installed
WSL distro not found	Verify your distro name matches with: wsl -l -v (should show Ubuntu-24.04)
Terminal doesn't open when entering a level	Check that run_container.sh exists in your SUAS repo and is executable
"Permission denied" errors in WSL	Run chmod +x run_container.sh inside your SUAS repo directory in WSL
"Error at startup: bind" popup	Run wsl --shutdown in a Command Prompt to clear stale WSL processes, then reopen the project. If that doesn't work, restart your PC.