> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bedrockdynamics.studio/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Your first drone simulation in 5 minutes.

This guide walks you through launching a simulated PX4 quadcopter in Substrate, exploring the 3D viewer, and issuing your first AI-assisted flight command.

<Info>
  Before you begin, make sure you have [installed Substrate](/substrate/installation) and that [Docker is running](/substrate/installation#system-requirements) on your machine. Substrate will pull the required simulation images automatically on first launch.
</Info>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download and install Substrate">
    If you have not already, download Substrate from [bedrockdynamics.studio/download](https://bedrockdynamics.studio/download) and follow the [installation instructions](/substrate/installation) for your platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch Substrate">
    Open the application. You will see the editor workspace with a welcome tab. The left sidebar contains icons for the file explorer, search, simulation panel, and other tools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Simulation Panel">
    Click the rocket icon in the left sidebar to open the Simulation panel. You can also open it through the command palette: press <kbd>Cmd+Shift+P</kbd> (macOS) or <kbd>Ctrl+Shift+P</kbd> (Windows/Linux) and type "Simulation".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a drone">
    In the Simulation panel, choose **PX4 Quadcopter (x500)** from the robot type selector. This configures a standard quadcopter running the PX4 autopilot in Software-In-The-Loop mode with a Gazebo physics environment.

    <Tip>
      The first time you select a simulation profile, Substrate will download the Docker images for PX4 and Gazebo. This may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection. Subsequent launches use the cached images and start in seconds.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch the simulation">
    Click **Launch**. The SITL status panel appears with readiness indicators that track the simulation startup sequence: Docker container health, Gazebo world loading, PX4 boot, EKF convergence, and GPS lock.

    Wait for all indicators to turn green. This typically takes 10-20 seconds after the containers are cached. When the status reads "Ready", the simulated drone is powered on and waiting for commands.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Explore the 3D Viewer">
    The Viewer3D panel opens automatically alongside the simulation. You will see the x500 quadcopter sitting on the ground in the Gazebo world.

    Use these mouse controls to navigate the scene:

    | Action    | Control                               |
    | --------- | ------------------------------------- |
    | **Orbit** | Left-click and drag                   |
    | **Zoom**  | Right-click and drag, or scroll wheel |
    | **Pan**   | Middle-click and drag                 |

    Click on the drone to select it. The entity inspector panel shows the vehicle's pose, sensor list, and joint states.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the AI Assistant">
    Click the AI chat panel in the right sidebar. The assistant has access to the running simulation and can execute commands directly.

    Try typing:

    ```
    Take off to 10 meters
    ```

    The AI agent will arm the vehicle, switch to the appropriate flight mode, and command a takeoff. You will see the drone lift off in the 3D viewer while telemetry plots update in real time.

    <Warning>
      The AI assistant sends real MAVLink commands to the simulated autopilot. In simulation this is safe to experiment with, but exercise caution if you are connected to physical hardware.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Simulation Management" icon="server" href="/substrate/features/simulation">
    Learn about multi-vehicle scenarios, custom world files, and simulation profiles.
  </Card>

  <Card title="3D Viewer" icon="cube" href="/substrate/features/3d-viewer">
    Explore entity inspection, transform gizmos, TF tree visualization, and scene authoring.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Telemetry and Plotting" icon="chart-line" href="/substrate/features/telemetry">
    Set up live telemetry plots, drag channels onto chart groups, and synchronize time cursors.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Assistant" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/substrate/features/ai-assistant">
    Learn what the AI agent can do: mission planning, diagnostics, parameter tuning, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data Playback" icon="play" href="/substrate/features/flight-review">
    Open ULog files and MCAP recordings for synchronized multi-panel playback and analysis.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect Real Hardware" icon="wifi" href="/substrate/guides/connect-robot">
    Connect Substrate to a physical drone or robot over MAVLink or ROS 2.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>