> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.nvidia.com/aerial/aodt/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.nvidia.com/aerial/aodt/_mcp/server.

# Quickstart

This quickstart introduces the main AODT use cases, run modes, and guided walkthroughs for each workflow.

Complete [Installation](/installation) before running the examples below.

## Use cases

AODT supports the following workflows:

| Use case         | Description                                                                                              |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **EM mode**      | Generate channel coefficients for a configured scenario. The 5G RAN transmit/receive chain does not run. |
| **RAN mode**     | Run channel generation and the 5G RAN L1/L2 stack, producing deployment telemetry.                       |
| **GIS pipeline** | Convert OSM or CityGML maps into USD and 3D Tiles for simulation and visualization.                      |
| **Calibration**  | Tune parameters so field measurements align with simulation results.                                     |

Calibration is documented separately and is not covered in this quickstart.

## Run modes

### Batched mode

In batched mode, configure the simulation to run for a predetermined duration using one of the following options:

**Duration mode** — Specify the simulation interval and total duration.
Example: Run with a 10 ms interval for 10 seconds total.

**Slot mode** — Specify the number of 0.5 ms slots.
Example: Run for 1,000 slots (500 ms of simulated time).

![Batched RAN mode configuration](https://files.buildwithfern.com/aerial.docs.buildwithfern.com/aerial/aodt/bd311becc9813d204b236b682a3e0842fc47f6aae794e0a486e66c2e3ed6ac0d/docs/assets/quickstart/batched_ran_mode.png)

After configuring the simulation, start the run. When all time steps complete, retrieve and process the generated data from the database.

Batched mode has two submodes:

* **Batched EM** — Runs the EM solver only. Supports both duration and slot modes.
* **Batched RAN** — Runs the EM solver and 5G PHY Tx/Rx. Slot mode only, to preserve 5G timelines.

### Interactive EM mode

![Interactive EM mode workflow](https://files.buildwithfern.com/aerial.docs.buildwithfern.com/aerial/aodt/68987675d9cf0b1b8917610d5b508f5d77c5553771a073f4a8f31cd3f35acba7/docs/assets/quickstart/interactive_em_mode.png)

Interactive mode integrates AODT into a system-level simulator (SLS) workflow:

1. The SLS connects to the AODT worker over gRPC.
2. The SLS determines which time steps require channel calculations.
3. For each time step, the SLS sends a channel request to the worker.
4. The worker returns channel data, which the SLS stores in the database.

This request-response cycle repeats until all scheduled time steps are processed. RAN is not supported in interactive mode.

## Guided quickstarts

Select a workflow to follow the step-by-step guide:

Run a batched or interactive electromagnetic simulation.

Run a batched simulation with the 5G RAN stack enabled.

Generate 3D scene maps from OpenStreetMap or GML data.