System and Software Setup

Hardware Requirements

Recommended hardware specifications for participating teams.

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 AICA competition files.

If you are using both MATLAB / Simulink and Python, follow both sections below.
If you are using only one workflow, follow the corresponding section only.

Step 1 -- Initial Download

Before software installation, On your system, create a folder called Quanser under Documents. This should look like C:/Users/user/Documents/Quanser. download the documentation and competition runtime files into your local Documents/Quanser workspace.

1A) Download Competition Files

A separate folder for actual competition files.

With Git

Install Git.
Open a terminal in C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\.
Clone the repository: IEEE SMC AICA Competition 2026

Without Git (ZIP)

Open the repository on GitHub.
Click Code -> Download ZIP.
Extract the ZIP and place it at:

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

1B) Expected Local Layout

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\
    0_libraries, 1_setup ..\
    9_AICA_Competition_Files\

For detailed installation guide for Quanser resources refer: Quanser_Academic_Resources

Step 2 -- Install Required Software

MATLAB (2023a or later)

Download: MATLAB for Windows
In MATLAB, install Quanser Interactive Labs for MATLAB via Add-On Explorer.

MATLAB Get Add-On Explorer

Quanser Interactive Labs for MATLAB

C Compiler (required for Simulink workflows)

Download: Visual Studio Community

Python (3.12 recommended)

Download from: Python Official Downloads

WARNING ⚠️❗Make sure to click on the Add Python to PATH option in the first screen of the installer.

NOTE: IF YOU DOWNLOAD FROM THE PYTHON WEBSITE, DO NOT USE THE PYTHON INSTALL MANAGER

Quanser Interactive Labs (QLabs)

Install via MATLAB Add-On Explorer (MATLAB workflow), or
Install standalone: QLabs Getting Started

Note: If you are using both MATLAB / Simulink and Python, QLabs only needs to be installed once using either of the methods above.

Step 3 -- Check System Requirements

Navigate to:

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Quanser\5_research\1_setup\

Run step_1_check_requirements and select your mode:

Selection	Software you want to use	Device Usuage
When only using Python	Python Only (Option 1)	Virtual Only (Option 1)
When only using MATLAB	MATLAB Only (Option 2)	Virtual Only (Option 1)
When using both	Both Python + MATLAB (Option 3)	Virtual Only (Option 1)

Workflow	Software Selection	Device Usage Selection
Python Only
MATLAB Only
Python + MATLAB

A green highlighted box indicates successful configuration and required dependencies are available.

In a successful setup check:

the required dependencies are detected correctly
installed software versions are shown
the system diagnosis completes without missing required tools

Step 4 -- Configure Environment

From 1_setup, run:

configure_python.bat
configure_matlab.bat

Run configure_python.bat for Python workflow only
Run configure_matlab.bat for MATLAB workflow only
Run both files when using both Python + MATLAB

Restart your system after running setup scripts before continuing.