# In-IDE visual modeling for Julia

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529>\
**Category:** Tooling\
**Created:** [June 9, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529 "2026-06-09T16:01:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![madppiper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/madppiper/32/220029_2.png) [@madppiper](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/madppiper)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/1 "2026-06-09T16:01:56Z")

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Hey everyone,

Paul here - the guy behind “Flexible Julia”. Anyway, I’ve been working on something new…

It is a visual, component-based simulation modeling toolkit for JetBrains IDEs. My goal is to get us a more accessible alternative to Simulink. Right now it is based on the amazing ModelingToolkit.jl, though I might revisit that again in the future as the plugin progresses.

It is still very early and probably best suited as an extension to Flexible Julia… So my thought is: why not ask the community what features you’d consider must-haves for something like this. If you have any thoughts - let me know 🙂

Oh and quick shoutout to the guys from JuliaHub - I wouldn’t mind collaborating on this. So if interested, shoot me a dm 🙂

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**Author:** ![langestefan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/langestefan/32/207923_2.png) [@langestefan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/langestefan)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/2 "2026-06-09T17:09:48Z")

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Really cool! Would it work with Dyad? Maybe you saw their recent announcement on modelling planar mechanics [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxPxFTFMArw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxPxFTFMArw)

(no idea how their visualization works, but it’s probably Makie + observables)

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**Author:** ![madppiper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/madppiper/32/220029_2.png) [@madppiper](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/madppiper)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/3 "2026-06-09T17:15:30Z")

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I did not see that announcement, no. But thanks for the link will check it out. It will be compatible with dyad - yeah, like flexible Julia is

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**Author:** ![baggepinnen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/baggepinnen/32/693_2.png) [@baggepinnen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/baggepinnen)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/4 "2026-06-09T17:26:04Z")

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> [@langestefan](#):
>
> (no idea how their visualization works, but it’s probably Makie + observables)

It is, it works the same way as in Multibody.jl

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**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/5 "2026-06-09T17:43:38Z")

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> [@madppiper](#):
>
> Oh and quick shoutout to the guys from JuliaHub - I wouldn’t mind collaborating on this. So if interested, shoot me a dm 🙂

Friendly ping to @viralbshah

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**Author:** ![madppiper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/madppiper/32/220029_2.png) [@madppiper](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/madppiper)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 5:56am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/6 "2026-09-25T05:56:27Z")

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**Flexible Sim Release 2026.1.2**

Quick update on this: I just released the first version of Flexible Sim on the JetBrains Marketplace, and I’m now looking for the first people willing to try it out.

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 ![04-bode-margins](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/f/6/f6bd83df075e11794ad6ecac4d9ff68c64837cfb.png)  
 ![05-nyquist](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/3/3/33e6d17fb0663ced388dbd23f5d71addacac49ac.png)  
 ![06-nichols](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/8/e/8ee192d7025b979a50648c8d53026d2a1942fff5.png)  
 ![07-monte-carlo-bands](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/c/8/c8a0ac1a39617bbb4038570c155b46c596ebf27f.png)  
 ![08-monte-carlo-histogram](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/7/6/76bf9bea0f93bfdf4dc586327a223c23215facb1.png)  
 ![09-3d-robot-arm](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/b/4/b4b2d6433eb9ff873ad1a34f8c084e1d925d1037.jpeg)  
 ![01-diagram-live-values](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/6/7/67bae2e11a4763993794af1a1715226c09107192.png)  
 ![02-scope-subplots](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/2/c/2c024ca044151209a3e2de511a761233062af903.png)  
 ![03-runs-compare](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/3/0/303b208fbbef97840852a1ba8813f5e777300d91.png)

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What it does: you open a Dyad or ModelingToolkit file and get a live block diagram next to the code. Then you can run simulations on it. It comes with a scope with subplots and cursors, and you can overlay runs. There’s some Bode, Nyquist and root locus with linearization support. There’s also a 3D view for multibody models, and it opens URDF robots.

It’s not only Julia either. Modelica (through OpenModelica), Python/SciPy and plain DifferentialEquations.jl scripts work too, and there’s an experimental Simulink .slx import that translates to an MTK model (though this is untested at this point). Dyad and MTK editing need the Flexible Julia plugin. I also added a demo project that you can load if you just want to have some fun.

Like my other plugin, it’s free for students and open source projects and Freemium for smaller projects. The free version opens and edits models of any size and runs models with up to 5 blocks.

**I’m throwing in a 3 month free voucher to anyone who is willing to give feedback & feature requests.**

Just reply here or DM me. It’s a v1, so I really want to hear what breaks and what’s missing compared to how you work today.

> **[Flexible Sim - IntelliJ IDEs Plugin | Marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/34429-flexible-sim)**
>
> Block diagrams and simulation runs for Dyad, Julia/ModelingToolkit, Modelica, and Python/SciPy models, inside the IDE. Flexible Sim turns the source files into live...

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![madppiper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/madppiper/32/220029_2.png) [@madppiper](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/madppiper)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 6:53am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/in-ide-visual-modeling-for-julia/137529/7 "2026-09-25T06:53:53Z")

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Since this came up: if you want to try this but don’t have a subscription to Flexible Julia yet (and obviously want to try it together), then of course you get a 3-month off for Flexible Julia, too. Just let me know in your dm and I’ll send you both