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Tutorials

Neat tutorials — from your first model to a production pipeline

Before You Start​

Running sima-cli install neat installs the Neat library. When prompted, select the optional SiMa.ai Neat extras package to receive the tutorials as well. Press Space to toggle the extras checkbox in the installer.

The extras package gives you a self-contained tutorial folder with:

  • prebuilt C++ tutorial binaries under lib/sima-neat/tutorials/
  • C++ and Python tutorial source under share/sima-neat/tutorials/
  • a build.sh helper for downloading tutorial models or rebuilding C++ examples

The tutorials do not install into system paths. They are extracted into your current working directory as sima-neat-<version>-Linux-extras/. The folder name includes the Neat version, branch, and commit hash.

sima-neat-<version>-Linux-extras/
├── build.sh
├── lib/sima-neat/tutorials/      # prebuilt C++ binaries
└── share/sima-neat/tutorials/    # C++ and Python source folders

If the tutorial folder is missing, re-run the Neat installer and select SiMa.ai Neat extras when prompted.

Run a Tutorial​

First enter the extracted extras folder:

cd sima-neat-*-Linux-extras

Your shell's current directory is now the root of the extras tree. Then run a tutorial in the language you want to use.

Python​

Activate PyNeat on the DevKit, then run the tutorial script:

source ~/pyneat/bin/activate
python3 share/sima-neat/tutorials/<chapter>/<chapter_name>.py --args

Python tutorials are interpreted, so there is nothing to compile. You can copy the .py file anywhere on disk if you want to modify it.

C++​

Run the prebuilt tutorial binary:

./lib/sima-neat/tutorials/tutorial_<chapter_name> --args

To rebuild a C++ tutorial from source:

./build.sh --list-targets
./build.sh --target tutorial_<chapter_name>
./build/tutorials-standalone/tutorial_<chapter_name> --args

build.sh auto-detects SimaNeatConfig.cmake from the installed Neat package and writes rebuilt binaries under build/tutorials-standalone/.

Some tutorials need Model Zoo artifacts. build.sh downloads required models automatically before a C++ build. To download models without rebuilding:

./build.sh --download-models-only

By default, tutorial models are prepared under /tmp. To use another download root, add --model-target-folder <path>.

Verify the Extras Folder​

Both lists should print the same tutorial chapter names. If either list is empty, re-run sima-cli install neat and make sure SiMa.ai Neat extras is selected.

ls lib/sima-neat/tutorials/ | grep '^tutorial_'
ls share/sima-neat/tutorials/ | grep -E '^0[0-9]{2}_'

Use a Tutorial in Your Own C++ Project​

If you copy a tutorial .cpp file into your own codebase, you do not need the extras folder anymore. You only need the installed sima-neat package, which provides SimaNeatConfig.cmake and the Neat libraries.

Create a minimal CMakeLists.txt next to your source file:

CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
project(my_chapter LANGUAGES CXX)

set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 20)
set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)

find_package(SimaNeat REQUIRED CONFIG)

add_executable(my_chapter <chapter_name>.cpp)
target_link_libraries(my_chapter PRIVATE SimaNeat::sima_neat)

find_package(SimaNeat REQUIRED CONFIG) locates the installed Neat package, and target_link_libraries(... SimaNeat::sima_neat) brings in Neat's libraries, headers, and transitive dependencies.

Build and run:

cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build -j
./build/my_chapter --args

For a fuller template with Palette SDK cross-build handling, see Hello Neat.

Choose a Tutorial Path

Use the cards in each section in order. Each tutorial includes concept-first guidance with matching C++ and Python implementation.