Get Started

Preview and Set Up an API Key

NIM APIs can be found on the NVIDIA API Catalog. Follow the example here to generate an API key from the API Catalog Preview of your desired NIM.

For USD Search NIM and USD NIM Code previews, see the links below.

Set Up USD Code NIM in VS Code

Start to use USD Code NIM directly in Visual Studio Code.

Set Up the Environment

The first step with these microservices is to set up a custom application. You will use this application to connect to the microservices and develop custom tools for building your virtual factories and warehouses. Setting up your custom application is a foundational step and the environment you build can be used with multiple use cases defined in the sections below.

In this section you will review system requirements to get started, add the API key, and create your custom application.

  • Operating System: Windows 10/11 or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 recommended)

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX capable GPU (Turing or newer recommended)

  • Driver: Latest NVIDIA driver compatible with your GPU

  • Internet Access: Required for downloading the Omniverse Kit SDK, extensions, and tools.

  • Git: For version control and repository management

  • Git LFS: For managing large files within the repository

  • (Windows) Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable: Many Windows systems will already have this. If not, it can be obtained from latest-supported-vc-redist.

  • (Linux) build-essentials: A package that includes make and other essential tools for building applications. For Ubuntu, install with sudo apt-get install build-essential.

  • VSCode (or your preferred IDE): For code editing and development.

Add API Key

The following instructions will create a temporary environment variable to store your API Key. Environment variables set with this method will be stored only for a single session. Once a given CMD/PowerShell/Terminal window is closed, these values will no longer be stored.

Windows CMD

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. Enter the following command:

    set "NVIDIA_API_KEY=<your API key>"

Windows PowerShell

  1. Open PowerShell.

  2. Enter the following command:

    $env:NVIDIA_API_KEY="<your API key>"

Note

If the two commands above are not working, you can add API Key to Windows System Environment Variables.

Key: NVIDIA_API_KEY

Value: <your API key>

Linux Terminal

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Enter the following command:

    export NVIDIA_API_KEY="<your API key>"

Create the Application

Before getting started with the Kit template defined here, ensure your development environment meets the System Requirements outlined above.

  1. Clone the Kit App Template repository.

    git clone https://github.com/NVIDIA-Omniverse/kit-app-template.git
cd kit-app-template

    Note

    Windows Long Path: When cloning the kit-app-template repository, some Windows users may experience issues if the directory is deeply nested in their file system. It is recommended on Windows to place the kit-app-template repository near the root of the file system to avoid long path issues.

  2. Create a new application using command line. For this example, follow these instructions to set up the Kit Base Editor.

  3. Create a new application:

    Linux:

    ./repo.sh template new

    Windows:

    .\repo.bat template new

  4. Follow the prompt instructions.

    1. Select Yes to accept the EULA agreement.

    2. Select Application using arrow keys.

    3. Select Kit Base Editor

    _images/create-app_3.png

    1. Enter name of application .kit file.

      • This should be name-spaced, lowercase, and alphanumeric.

    2. Enter the application display name [set application display name].

    3. Enter Version [Set App Version].

  5. Build your application using the provided build scripts:

    Linux:

    ./repo.sh build

    Windows:

    .\repo.bat build

  6. Launch your application in developer mode.

    Linux:

    ./repo.sh launch -d

    Windows:

    .\repo.bat launch -d

  7. Select with arrow keys which App would you like to launch: my_company.my_editor.kit

    Note

    • Do not select my_company.my_editor_streaming.kit.

    • The initial startup may take 5 to 8 minutes as shaders compile for the first time. After initial shader compilation, startup time will reduce dramatically

  8. Keep the application open for the next step.

    Note

    If you close the application, you will need to re-open it before proceeding to the next step.

➤ Next Steps: Develop a Virtual Facility with NVIDIA NIMs.