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Tutorials

Neat tutorials — from your first model to a production pipeline

Before You Start​

Packaged tutorial bundle

Before running the packaged tutorials, make sure the Neat Library is installed, then download the tutorial bundle:

sima-cli neat install core -t extras

The extras package contains the tutorial source and prebuilt tutorial binaries.

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

Quick Preflight​

Before you run a chapter, check three things:

  • Run the command from the directory shown in the tutorial.
  • For model-backed tutorials, pass the real .tar.gz model archive path with --model <path> when the default path does not exist.
  • For Python tutorials on a DevKit, activate PyNeat first with source ~/pyneat/bin/activate.

If paths still do not line up, see Tutorial Assets and Model Archives.

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 Library and writes rebuilt binaries under build/tutorials-standalone/.

Some MPK tutorials need Model Zoo artifacts. build.sh downloads those required models automatically before a C++ build. GenAI tutorials use LLiMa model directories and are skipped by this automatic Model Zoo download path. To download MPK tutorial 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, download the extras package:

sima-cli neat install core -t extras
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 release artifacts, which provide 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 Library, 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 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 source code in the supported language surface.