Can I Connect my APM_Planner to my local ArduPilot in Ubuntu

Hi guys,
I’m newbie to this technology :open_mouth: . I installed the APM_Planner and was able to buld the ArduPilot in the same ubuntu machine.
My question:
Just for simulation purposes can I make my APM Planner get fake data like the copter real time location from the local build of ArduPilot? This is just for me to understand how the whole thing works (at a software level). And furthermore, playing with it, I believe is a good way to learn it through the feedback loop of changes in ardupilot reflecting in apm planner.
If so, how can I do that? what do I need to do, I spent a lot of hours trying to find a documentation that hints how to link them.
If I’m wrong on the premise. If suppose, they are meant to be tested and work independently then how do i run ArduPilot for Copter… any insights or pointers are highly appreciated.

Thank you guys, :smiley:

You mean Software in the Loop?

copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common … simulator/

Thank you Gary, I like the idea of SITL. I followed the instructions on the link you sent but I was not able to find a folder called Desktop in my arduPilot git clone, or is it a separate download or git project?
I found SITL folder in the library, but there is no make file there.
github.com/diydrones/ardupilot/ … aries/SITL

I’m particularly interested in the interface between APM_Planner and the Ardu_Pilot. Like, I wanted to play with how data is sent back and forth between the two components.

Thanks,
PS. I also was able to find another SITL document dev.ardupilot.com/wiki/setting-up-sitl-on-linux/
that didn’t help either. I guess the documentation is not catching up with the codebase. But may be I’m not searching in the right place.