This chapter explains how to develop applications using the VR-Link C# library.

It references the F-18 example, which is in the ./C-sharp/examples, to illustrate the concepts that are introduced. The explanations include example code. However, we recommend that you browse the F-18 project while reviewing this information. If your application involves extending VR-Link for C#, please see Extending VR-Link for C#. It is assumed that you know the C# language.

9.1.1 Overview

VR-Link is a simulation toolkit that provides comprehensive support for distributed simulation protocols. The C# implementation (VRLink-Sharp) offers .NET developers access to VR-Link's capabilities through a managed interface that wraps the native VR-Link C++ library.

9.1.2 Build Requirements

VR-Link for C# is built with Microsoft Visual Studio. It is built against the VR-Link version and uses 64-bit compilers and 64-bit libraries. It is also built on the .NET Framework. Please see the VR-Link Release Notes for the supported versions of Visual Studio and .NET for your version of VR-Link for C#.

9.1.3 Supported Areas

The C# VR-Link interface leverages the VR-Link C++ libraries to provide robust support for networking, interoperability, and integration with industry standards. The C# layer communicates with the native layer through a message interface: encoded messages are exchanged via shared memory between the managed (C#) and unmanaged (C++) components. C# support is therefore limited to the simulation concepts explicitly represented by these messages. (See 10.2 - Architectural Overview for additional architectural details.)

The following simulation concepts are supported in C#:

Acknowledge
ActionRequest
ActionResponse
AttributeChangeRequest
Collision
Data
Detonate
Emitter
EntityState
EventReport
WeaponFire
IFF
Receiver
SetData
Signal
StartResume
StopFreeze
Transmitter

9.1.5 Exercise Connection: C# vs C++

This section describes the aspects of exercise connection covered in the C# implementation compared to the C++ implementation.

In VR-Link, the exercise connection is responsible for managing the federation or simulation session, handling network communication, and coordinating object and interaction updates.

C++ Implementation:**

Provides full support for DIS, HLA 1.3, HLA 1516, HLA 1516e, and HLA 4 protocols.
Implements advanced features such as federation management, time management, ownership transfer, and custom FOM support.
Offers extensive callback and event handling mechanisms for object discovery, removal, updates, and interactions.
Supports platform-specific optimizations and integration with third-party libraries.
Includes robust error handling, diagnostics, and logging.

C# Implementation:**
Supports core exercise connection features for DIS and HLA protocols, including federation/session management and network communication.
Provides managed wrappers for key federation and object management operations.
Implements essential callbacks for object discovery, removal, and updates.
Offers basic error handling and logging, with integration into .NET diagnostics.
May not cover all advanced features present in the C++ implementation (e.g., some custom FOM extensions, time management, ownership transfer, or low-level network tuning).

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