Machinery TwinDocs

Remote View with a Connector

Run the visualization on a GPU-capable machine while a VM hosts the PLC connector.

Pro plan and up

Remote View lets a Machinery Twin Connector on a VM bridge PLC connectivity to the normal Machinery Twin web application running on a GPU-capable physical machine. It is designed for a VM that can reach a real or simulated PLC while another trusted machine owns and renders the kinematic twin in its browser.

What it is (and isn't)

The GPU client browser renders the scene itself; this is not pixel streaming, screen sharing, or a remote observer of an editor running on the VM. It runs the full application, loads its own local project, and owns the PLC runtime lease. It opens a direct encrypted WebSocket to the Connector; there is no cloud relay and no project or PLC data is routed through Machinery Twin servers.

Enabling it

On the VM, install the Connector, then:

  1. Quit the running Connector from its notification-area menu.
  2. Open %LOCALAPPDATA%\MachineryTwinConnector\connector.json and set bind to the VM's specific private IPv4 address. Keep port 43871 unless your deployment has deliberately selected another port.
  3. From PowerShell, enable the narrowly scoped firewall rule for the single GPU-capable host and restart the Connector with a one-use pairing code:
$connector = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Programs\Machinery Twin Connector\MachineryTwinConnector.exe'
& $connector --enable-remote-view-for 192.168.56.20
& $connector --pairing --show-status

Replace 192.168.56.20 with the GPU machine's private IPv4 address. Windows requests administrator approval only for the firewall change. The Connector itself continues to run as the current non-administrator user. Its notification-area menu displays the one-use pairing code for this launch.

On the GPU-capable machine, open the normal Machinery Twin web app in Chrome or Edge. In Settings, select the VM's Connector address, pair the browser, and load the project locally. The client can then use the VM's PLC connectivity while rendering locally.

The browser and Connector authenticate and encrypt the application channel. Automatic pairing is available when the Connector is on the same machine; VM pairing uses the Connector's one-use code. Use Remote View only between machines you control on a trusted private network or VPN. When Remote View is no longer needed, disable its firewall rule from PowerShell:

$connector = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Programs\Machinery Twin Connector\MachineryTwinConnector.exe'
& $connector --disable-remote-view

Reach

The Connector is reachable only from the selected GPU host on the chosen private interface. Nothing is punched through firewalls automatically and no relay server is involved. PLC polling stops when the browser runtime lease ends.

Use cases

  • A low-spec VM hosts a simulated PLC while a workstation with a capable GPU renders the twin.
  • A commissioning VM provides access to a PLC endpoint while an engineer uses a separate GPU-capable PC to load and visualize the project locally.

On this page

What it is (and isn't)Enabling itReachUse cases