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System and Software Setup

Hardware Requirements

Recommended hardware specifications for the SMC AICA 2026 competition.

Tier CPU RAM GPU
Minimum Specifications Intel Core Ultra 5 / Intel Core i5 / Ryzen 5 8GB Intel Iris Xe or Intel Arc integrated GPU
Recommended Specifications Intel Core Ultra 7 / Intel Core i7 / Ryzen 7 16GB Intel Arc integrated GPU or discrete GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050)
Recommended Research Specifications Intel Core Ultra 7 / Intel Core i7 / Ryzen 7 32GB Discrete GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050)

Software Setup & Installation

Required software installation and configuration before running the SMC AICA 2026 Competition Files Package.

Step 1 - Download

Download the SMC AICA 2026 Competition Files Package to the system. This can be done using Git or by downloading the files as a .zip archive. It is recommended to store the files in C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser.

With Git

  1. Install Git.
  2. Open a windows terminal in C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents.
  3. Run the following command to create the Quanser directory and copy the contents of this repo in there.
git clone https://github.com/UTADNCLab/IEEE-SMC-AICA-Competition-2026.git Quanser

Without Git (ZIP)

  1. Create a folder named Quanser under Documents on the system. The directory should be C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Quanser. Then open the repository on GitHub: IEEE SMC AICA Competition 2026.
  2. Click the green Code button at the top of the GitHub page, then select Download ZIP from the menu.
  3. Unzip the folder in the system.
  4. Open IEEE-SMC-AICA-Competition-2026-main (containing folders0_libraries, 1_setup, 2_SMC_AICA_2026_Competition_Files). Copy all contents into the newly created C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Quanser folder.

Expected Local Layout


C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\
    0_libraries\
    1_setup\
    2_SMC_AICA_2026_Competition_Files\

For additional information on Quanser Academic resources refer: Quanser_Academic_Resources

Step 2 - Install Required Software

Install Python

Download Python (Python 3.12 recommended): Python Official Downloads. On the first screen of the installer, make sure to check Add Python to PATH. If you download Python from the official Python website, do not use the Python Install Manager.

Install NumPy using the following command:

python -m pip install numpy

Install Quanser SDK

Download the Quanser SDK for Windows from the following GitHub repository: Quanser SDK

Download MATLAB (2023a or later): MATLAB for Windows

In MATLAB, download Quanser Interactive Labs for MATLAB via Add-On Explorer.

MATLAB Add-Ons menu

Quanser Interactive Labs for MATLAB

Follow the instructions in the Getting Started section of Quanser Interactive Labs for MATLAB to properly install Quanser Interactive Labs. Run QLabs.setup and complete the installation process before continuing with this guide.

Install Quanser Interactive Labs (QLabs)

If the QLabs has been properly installed in previous section, skip this step.

Download the QLabs: QLabs Get Started

Step 3 - Check System Requirements

Navigate to:

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\1_setup\

Run step_1_check_requirements and make sure system diagnosis is successful before proceeding to Step 4.

Step 4 - Configure Environment

From C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\1_setup\:

  • Run configure_python.bat for Python workflow only
  • Run configure_matlab.bat for MATLAB workflow only
  • Run both files if using Python and MATLAB

Restart your system after all configuration steps are complete.

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