STK Intro | 3D Graphics | More STK | Astrogator | Communications | Urban Propagation Extension for STK/Communications | Radar | Attitude & Coverage | SEET | AGI Data Federate (ADF)
Follow the links below to step-by-step tutorials and exercises to help you learn how to use selected functions of STK and its modules.
Notes:
An online Quick Start to get you up and running with STK, as well as a more detailed, printable tutorial giving an overview of the fundamentals of STK, are provided.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| STK Quick Start | Learn to navigate the STK workspace while creating and populating a scenario, defining properties for objects in the scenario, visualizing the scenario on a 2D map and a 3D globe, computing access between objects, setting constraints on access and generating reports and graphs, and animating your scenario to observe time-varying properties of the objects you created. |
| STK Tutorial (PDF) | An introduction to the basics of STK, including: startup, creation of a scenario, population of the scenario with vehicles and ground stations, access computations, constraints, reports, graphs, and the creation of a Walker constellation. Also includes a sampling of features and capabilities provided with the STK Professional Edition, including 3D visualization, 3D models and articulations, area targets, sensor displays and profiles, additional constraints, and the facility database. |
The following exercises give you practice with the 3D Graphics capabilities of STK and introduce you to the use of the Globe Manager.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| 3D Graphics Quick Start | Building on the STK Quick Start (above), this exercise provides a brief tour of STK's dynamic 3D visualization environment and gives you hands-on experience configuring the 3D Graphics window and the 3D properties of an STK object. |
| Globe Manager Tutorial | This exercise shows you how to customize scenario globes with imagery and terrain data and manage that data once it has been applied. |
| GIS Analyst Best Practices | Best practices for optimizing performance and sharing scenarios with GIS Analyst. |
The following tutorials and exercises take you beyond the basics of STK and give you a sampling of its modeling and analysis capabilities. You will need a license of STK Professional Edition license. Additional licenses may be required for some tutorials.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Using the STK AzEl Mask Tool (PDF) | This exercise takes you through the process of creating a body mask (BMSK) file with the AzEl Mask tool and using it to constrain visibility calculations. Also, you will be able to visualize the body mask in 3D. |
| Working with Multi-Track Objects (PDF) | An introduction to the Multi-track Object (MTO), which can be used to display large amounts of time/positional data in the 2D and 3D Graphics windows. |
| Best Practices for Authoring a VDF | Best practices for the creation of VDF files. |
| Using External Terrain & Imagery Data (PDF) | An overview and step-by-step introduction to STK's tools for the importation, conversion and utilization of terrain and imagery files in 2D and 3D Graphics display. |
| Using Aircraft Mission Modeler (PDF) | An introduction to Aircraft Mission Modeler, including 3D
mission editing, working with catalogs, performing terrain
following, and using performance models to define phases of a
mission.
To do this tutorial, you will need an STK/AMM license in addition to the STK Professional Edition license. |
| Using Chains & Constellations | Construct a simple example using chain and constellation objects to model a situation in which a ground-based sensor tracks satellites in a constellation. |
The following exercises introduce you to the use of the STK/Astrogator module, including its powerful targeting capabilities. To do the following tutorials, you will need an STK/Astrogator in addition to the STK Professional Edition license.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Hohmann Transfer | Use Astrogator's maneuver modeling capability to design this well-known and efficient method for transferring between circular, co-planar orbits. |
| Hohmann Transfer Using Targeter | Let the Astrogator targeter calculate the ΔVs needed to carry out the Hohmann transfer. |
| Fast Transfer Using Targeter | Use the targeter to design this maneuver, faster but more expensive than the Hohmann transfer. |
| Inclination Change Using Targeter | If you need to change your satellite's inclination when you move it to the outer orbit, is it better to do the plane change after the Hohmann transfer or in combination with it? Try both options, using the targeter. |
| Mars Probe | Model a rendezvous with Mars based on the 1997 Pathfinder mission. |
| Lunar Mission with B-Plane Targeting | Model a mission to the Moon, including a Trans-Lunar Injection sequence that targets on the lunar b-plane. |
The following exercises introduce some of the functionality of the STK/Communications module. To do the following tutorials, you will need a valid license of STK/Communications in addition to the STK Professional Edition license.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| STK/Communications Receivers & Transmitters | Work with STK/Communications transmitter and receiver objects to model communications links, and also get some practice creating a custom graph. |
| STK/Communications Antennas (PDF) | An introduction to the antenna object in STK/Communications. You will learn about embedded vs. linked antennas and how to work with the new antenna object. |
| STK/Communications Graphics | An introduction to 2D and 3D Graphics options in STK/Communications: contours, vectors, and antenna beam patterns. |
| Modeling Communications Links with Communications Constraints (PDF) | Using the constraints available with the STK/Communications module to model real-world conditions affecting communications links due to equipment limitations and environmental factors, and testing the effect of different transmitter and receiver settings on link performance under those conditions. |
| How to Model a Transponder | Learn how to use Communications and Chains to model two kinds of transponders - analog and digital - and to assess their performance using a report available with Chains. |
| STK/Communications Interference Analysis | This tutorial introduces the CommSystem object, its setup and use to analyze RF interference phenomena. After setting up an interference scenario, you will observe interference graphics in 2D and 3D displays, generate a report and graph detailing the effects of interference on communications link performance indicators, and impose a constraint that takes account of interference effects. |
| Using the QualNet Interface to Analyze Network Performance | This tutorial introduces the QualNet Interface for STK/Communications, which provides off-the-shelf interoperability with QualNet, an industry-recognized network modeling and simulation tool. |
The following tutorial demonstrates how to model propagation loss in an urban environment. You will need a valid license for STK/Communications, Urban Propagation Extension for STK/Communications, and STK/Coverage. An STK/Terrain, Imagery and Maps license is not required for this tutorial, but is required to include Bing Maps in the scenario.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| How to Model Propagation Loss in an Urban Environment | A step-by-step introduction to modeling urban propagation loss using the Urban Propagation Wireless InSite Real Time 2.5 model. |
The following exercise introduces one of many capabilities of the STK/Radar module. You will need a valid license of STK/Communications, STK/Radar, in addition to the STK Professional Edition license.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Radar Jamming with STK (PDF) | A step-by-step introduction to jamming analysis using the Radar module, including data providers and constraints that let you assess the performance of your radar with and without jamming present. |
The following exercises introduce the STK/Attitude and STK/Coverage modules, including their use in combination. You will need a valid license of STK/Attitude, STK/Coverage, in addition to the STK Professional Edition.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Using Coverage | Learn to use two objects provided by the Coverage module - the coverage definition object and the figure of merit - to define and evaluate the coverage of a region of interest, given available coverage assets. |
| Doing Things with Vectors (PDF) | A tutorial on the application of vectors to the 3D visualization of vehicle attitude and other phenomena of interest, including the configuration and use of the vector-related 3D graphics properties of a satellite, the Attitude Sphere, the Attitude View Window, and the Vector Geometry Tool. |
| Attitude Coverage | A relatively simple illustration of how Attitude Coverage can be applied to a common analytical and planning task: to determine the best direction in which to point an Earth-based sensing device over a period of time to have access to the maximum number of satellites in a constellation. |
The following exercises introduce you to some of the basic functionality of the STK/SEET space environmental effects tool. You will need a valid license of STK/SEET.
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Magnetic Field (PDF) | Learn how to determine the local magnetic vector location along the orbit and the times when the spacecraft location is magnetically conjugate with a ground station. |
| Particle Impacts (PDF) | Learn how to determine the degree of exposure to potentially damaging debris and meteoroid impacts for a given vehicle configuration and orbit over its mission lifetime. |
| Radiation Environment (PDF) | Learn how to create low- and high-resolution dose-depth curves for a given space vehicle configuration and orbit and compare the results from different flux models for varying time periods of interest. |
| South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) (PDF) | Learn how to determine the amount of exposure to high levels of ionizing proton radiation due to satellite interaction with the SAA for a given vehicle configuration and orbit over its mission lifetime. |
| Vehicle Temperature (PDF) | Learn how to determine the variation of the mean temperature of a panel on a satellite in a given configuration and orbit. |
In order to perform all of the exercises in the following tutorial, you will need to be connected to an ADF server and have permission to write to it. If you do not have such a connection available to you, you can get temporary permission to write to AGI’s ADF server by requesting a guest account at:
http://license.agi.com/adfeval
| Tutorial | Description |
|---|---|
| Working with an AGI Data Federate (ADF) (PDF) | This tutorial will guide you through the process of finding objects stored in an ADF, loading them into a scenario, and tracking the revisions that you make to an object. |