NinjaTrader 8 setup

Connect NinjaTrader 8 to Trade3Dx

The NT8 bridge runs inside NinjaTrader 8 and sends your selected instrument's quotes, trades and market depth to the standalone Trade3Dx app on the same computer.

Download the app and NT8 bridge

1. Install and activate Trade3Dx

Install the signed Trade3Dx Windows application from Downloads. Start your 14-day trial, then paste your activation code into Account → Activation → Activate License. No card is required to start the trial.

You will also need NinjaTrader 8 installed on the same Windows computer and a market-data connection that provides Level 2 depth for your instrument. Trade3Dx does not supply a data subscription.

2. Import the NT8 bridge ZIP

  1. Download NT8 Bridge v1.0.1. Keep the ZIP intact for NinjaTrader's importer.
  2. In NinjaTrader's Control Center, select Tools → Import → NinjaScript Add-On….
  3. Select the downloaded ZIP and complete the import. Restart NinjaTrader after importing so the bridge loads.
  4. Open New → NT Depth Map Bridge in Control Center. The window is titled NTDepthMap Bridge. If the entry is under Tools in your installation, open it there.

The bridge is a NinjaScript AddOn, so you do not add it as a chart indicator or launch a separate bridge executable. Use NinjaTrader's importer rather than manually copying files into its folders.

3. Connect your data feed and select the instrument

Connect NinjaTrader to your subscribed market-data provider using the Control Center's Connections menu. Open a NinjaTrader chart for the instrument you want to view. For futures, select the full contract and expiry that you intend to track.

In the bridge's Chart feed box, select that chart's instrument. If the list is empty, open the chart and reopen the list, or type the exact NinjaTrader instrument name manually.

To check your subscription, open New → Level II in NinjaTrader and select the same instrument. Confirm that bid and ask depth updates there. Last-price quotes alone do not establish that you have Level 2 depth.

4. Start the bridge and connect Trade3Dx

  1. Stop any running IBKR bridge or other NT8 bridge session. One bridge supplies Trade3Dx at a time.
  2. Click Start Bridge in the NTDepthMap Bridge window. Check that its status says Bridge is publishing: followed by your selected instrument.
  3. Open Trade3Dx and click Connect. Keep NinjaTrader, its data connection and the bridge running while you use the chart.
  4. To change instruments, click Stop, select the next instrument, then click Start Bridge. Reconnect Trade3Dx if it is no longer connected.

A publishing status means the bridge has attached to the instrument; confirm that live data is arriving in both NinjaTrader and Trade3Dx. The local connection needs no TWS API settings, IBKR API library or socket-port configuration.

What the NinjaTrader feed represents

The bridge forwards NinjaTrader's market-depth updates, best bid/ask quotes and last-trade events for the selected instrument. Trade3Dx displays and records that received data locally. The bridge does not place orders.

Available depth levels and market coverage depend on your provider and subscriptions. Trade3Dx cannot create levels that the feed does not deliver. Compare the same contract, data connection, price grouping and live time when checking Trade3Dx's DOM against NinjaTrader Level II or SuperDOM.

The regular DOM shows size at each price; the aggregated DOM adds sizes cumulatively across prices. Those two columns are expected to have different numbers. NinjaTrader depth does not provide the IBKR bridge's tracked venue breakdown, so Trade3Dx does not invent venue sections for NT8 data.

Trade3Dx records received depth while connected. Downloading historical chart bars in NinjaTrader does not recreate missing order-book history. Levels carried forward in the heatmap show recorded observations; they are not a guarantee that liquidity remains in the current book.

Connection troubleshooting

  • Bridge menu missing: confirm that the ZIP imported successfully, restart NinjaTrader, and check both New and Tools in Control Center.
  • Import or compile error: check Control Center's Log tab and NinjaScript error details. If an older bridge conflicts with the import, stop it and use Tools → Remove NinjaScript Assembly to remove that bridge assembly before importing again. Avoid removing unrelated AddOns.
  • Empty instrument list or unable to attach: open a chart for the full instrument, refresh the Chart feed list, or enter its exact NinjaTrader name. Check the futures expiry.
  • Quotes but no heatmap depth: verify Level 2 entitlements and depth updates in NinjaTrader's Level II window for the same instrument.
  • Publishing but Trade3Dx is disconnected: run both apps on the same computer, stop competing bridge sessions, then click Connect in Trade3Dx.
  • Feed disconnect or platform restart: restore NinjaTrader's data connection, reopen the bridge if needed, click Stop / Start Bridge, and reconnect Trade3Dx.

If the problem persists, contact support with the instrument and expiry, provider, NinjaTrader version and exact import or connection error.

Official references: NinjaTrader AddOn installation · Level II · Data by provider.