Ember
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Getting Started

Quick start for using Ember. For building from source, see Building Ember in the Developer Guide.

System Requirements

Component Minimum Recommended
OS Ubuntu 20.04+ / Debian 11+ Ubuntu 22.04+
CPU Dual-core Quad-core
RAM 4 GB 8 GB
Display 1280x720 1920x1080

Quick Build

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential cmake git git-lfs libgtk-3-dev libxml2-dev
# Clone and build
git lfs install
git clone https://github.com/Dmowmyh/BTV.git && cd BTV
git lfs pull
mkdir build && cd build && cmake .. && make -j$(nproc)
# Run
./bin/emberforge

Build time: ~2-3 minutes on Ubuntu 20.04+ (prebuilt binaries included via Git LFS)

First Launch

On first launch, Ember will:

  1. Create a configuration folder (~/.config/ember/ on Linux)
  2. Set up default preferences
  3. Show an empty workspace or welcome screen (depending on settings)

Opening a Behavior Tree

From the Menu

  1. Click File > Open or press Ctrl+O
  2. Choose your XML file
  3. Click Open

From the File Explorer

  1. Use the left panel to browse to your file
  2. Double-click the XML file to open it

Drag and Drop

Drag an XML file from your file manager onto the Ember window.

Creating a New Tree

  1. Click File > New or press Ctrl+N
  2. A new empty canvas appears
  3. Right-click on the canvas and choose Add Child to add your first node
  4. Select the node type (Sequence, Action, etc.) from the submenu

Creating a Multi-File Project

  1. Click File > New Project
  2. Enter a project name and folder
  3. Add your XML files (or create new ones)
  4. Configure shared blackboards if needed
  5. Set which tree is the main entry point

Basic Workflow

  1. Open or create a tree
  2. Add nodes via right-click context menu
  3. Select a node to edit its properties in the right panel
  4. Connect to blackboard by typing {variable_name} in port fields
  5. Save with Ctrl+S

Typical User Flow

┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Open or │ │ Build │ │ Refine │
│ Create │ ──► │ the tree │ ──► │ & save │
│ a tree │ │ visually │ │ │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
│ │ │
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
File > Open Right-click Edit props
or New Add nodes Connect ports
Select types Validate

Canvas Navigation

Action How
Pan Middle-click drag, or Space + left-click drag
Zoom Scroll wheel
Fit to window Press F or View > Fit to Window
Select Left-click on a node

Saving Your Work

  • Save (Ctrl+S) — Save to the current file
  • Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S) — Save to a new location
  • Auto-save — Enable in Edit > Preferences > General

Next Steps