After you have modeled your work cell in Model Mode, you can create a set of pre-planned robotic motions, specifically the robot’s configurations and the paths connecting them, in Roadmap Mode. The robotic motions are checked for possible collisions during runtime.
...
| Table of Contents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roadmap Toolbar
...
Target
Used to add a target, which is a node in a roadmap with a position and orientation that a robot end-effector should be able to reach.
...
With a robot’s Jog Dialog open and the TCP in the desired new location, select the target to be moved, then click the Update button (which changes from Add when you select the target to be moved).
...
Sequence
A sequence, or a target sequence, is a list of targets, listed in an order that the robot can follow. Target sequences are specific to a particular robot and its preset.
...
You can double-click on the target sequence name in the Property Tree to display its Target Sequence dialog to add or delete targets, change the order or, in general, make edits to the target sequence.
...
Yellow text - Target Sequence text that displays in yellow alerts you to potential issues. Hover your cursor over the text to display more information.
...
If “All states” is selected for a mate, Auto-connect will try to find a motion path that would avoid obstacles in all object states for the mate.
...
Advanced Settings
Total optimization time - Determines how long to allow for the roadmap to be generated.
Required clearance - Determines how close the roadmap can get to an object.
| Info |
|---|
NOTE: The clearance value entered in auto-connect is not recommended to be below the robot-world clearance value set under project settings. |
Fast or Optimal mode - Optimization algorithms used to generate the roadmap.
Maximum planner iterations - One iteration is a single execution step of the Auto-Connect path planner. A larger number of iterations gives the planner more opportunity to find a solution.
Fast or Optimal mode - Optimization algorithms used to generate the roadmap.
Fast mode - Auto-Connect will return the first feasible solution it finds. Fast mode will fail if no solution has been found in the total optimization timegiven number of planner iterations.
...
Optimal mode - Auto-Connect tries to optimize the solution as best it can in the total optimization time givengiven the maximum planner iterations. Optimal mode will fail if no solution has been found in the total optimization timegiven number of planner iterations.
...
Cost terms importance:
Used to weigh parameters against each other when auto-generating the roadmap. The sliders are used to allocate weights to shorter path, fewer via points, and lesser external axis motion (example: robot on rail) for motion planning.
...
You can measure the distance between any two items in the 3D View by clicking on them. The Measure dialog box can display minimum (straight-line) distance and dimension-wise (Dx, DYDy, and DZDz) distance between the two items. The Measure tool displays other measurement information such as distance between parallel surfaces, relative plane angles, and total area.
Preset
The Robot preset dialog exposes the same dialog box for Preset as it is in Model mode. In Roadmap mode, the dialog will allow users to perform only operations restricted to:
renaming preset
modifying robot dynamics
To learn more robot dynamics under the preset dialog, please refer to the Robot Dynamics section in the Model Mode documentation of RapidPlan Create.
In addition, the Measure dialog box can display the Rotational Offset (Rx, Ry, and Rz), if applicable. The user can select between different modes for measuring said distance:
Face/Edge/Vertex - Allows selection of any face or edge or vertex for any objects or links in the project
Subassembly - Allows selection of a sub-assembly (part of an assembly or a complex object with multiple parts)
Object - Allows selection of an entire assembly (or an object)
The Measure tool can display other measurement information such as distance between parallel surfaces, relative plane angles, and total area.
Preset
The Robot preset dialog exposes the same dialog box for Preset as it is in Model mode. In Roadmap mode, the dialog will allow users to perform only operations restricted to:
renaming preset
modifying robot dynamics
To learn more robot dynamics under the preset dialog, please refer to the Robot Dynamics section in the Model Mode documentation of RapidPlan Create.
Inspect
For QA and debugging purposes it is necessary to have some way to validate generated edges. You should be able to see if a robot collides with obstacles while moving through a given edge.
...
Visualize robots in collision
Visualize robot voxelization
Visualize connections by validity state (invalid, in progress/unknown, valid) and by connection type (Cartesian or Joint)
Display edge paths as connections or according to the motion of the TCP
Play and pause robots motion with adjustable speeds along edges
Visualize intersecting voxels between multiple robots
Play complete target sequence motions
...
Roadmap Inspector - Typical sequence of operation
...
Edge Color - Validity State - Display edges according to the validity of their connections:
Legend - Invalid: Red connections.
Legend - In progress/Unknown: Yellow connections.
Legend - Valid: Green connections.
...
Edge Color - Connection Type - Display edges colored by their type: purple for Cartesian; green for Joint.
Edge Path - Display paths solely by their connected state (straight lines) or by the actual motion the TCP will follow. Examples:
...
Visibility - The visibility options determine which elements in the canvas are seen or hidden. This feature can be useful for decluttering the canvas. You can, for example, zoom in to inspect an area of invalid edges while filtering out the other valid and in-progress edges. Check or uncheck boxes to display/hide these voxel and edge types:
Motion Voxels - Gray voxels showing the swept volume and robot dilation along the motion path.
Intersecting Voxels - Red voxels indicate where the motions of two or more robots would collide following the planned paths.
Edges - Color coordinated: Invalid, In progress/Unknown, Valid
...
Auto-play motions - Check to start playing motions immediately after edges, targets, or target sequences are selected for each robot.
Play/Pause Selected - Play or pause the motion of the currently selected robot.
Reset Selected - Teleport the robot to the path’s starting position.
Speed Factor - Drag the slider to adjust the speed of robots. This affects all the robots in the list. Use the numeric spin box for more granular control.
Collision
The Collision drop-down menu allows user to:
Disable Collision Checking for Objects - Same functionality as is the case in Model Mode. To learn more robot dynamics under the preset dialog, please refer to the Collision section in the Model Mode documentation of RapidPlan Create.
...
straight lines) or by the actual motion the TCP will follow. Examples:
...
Visibility - The visibility options determine which elements in the canvas are seen or hidden. This feature can be useful for decluttering the canvas. You can, for example, zoom in to inspect an area of invalid edges while filtering out the other valid and in-progress edges. Check or uncheck boxes to display/hide these voxel and edge types:
Motion Voxels - Gray voxels showing the swept volume and robot dilation along the motion path.
Intersecting Voxels - Red voxels indicate where the motions of two or more robots would collide following the planned paths.
Edges - Color coordinated: Invalid, In progress/Unknown, Valid
...
Auto-play motions - Check to start playing motions immediately after edges, targets, or target sequences are selected for each robot.
Play/Pause Selected - Play or pause the motion of the currently selected robot.
Reset Selected - Teleport the robot to the path’s starting position.
Speed Factor - Drag the slider to adjust the speed of robots. This affects all the robots in the list. Use the numeric spin box for more granular control.
Collision
The Collision drop-down menu allows user to:
Disable Collision Checking for Objects - Same functionality as is the case in Model Mode. To learn more robot dynamics under the preset dialog, please refer to the Collision section in the Model Mode documentation of RapidPlan Create.
...
Disable Collision Checking Rule - Also known as Collision Rules in the Property Tree, disable collision checking option allows to specify what parts of a robot/preset’s roadmap should be ignored for collision checking. These sets of rules, which are user-defined, are taken into consideration during path planning.
...
Name: Provide rule name
The rule is applied between Selection (A) and Selection (B) for Roadmap (C).
Selection (A): Select whether to apply the rule to the entire robot (except robot base) or apply the rule to specific links of the robot (except robot base). The additional joints for the external axis can also be selected here.
Selection (B): Select whether to apply the rule to the entire environment, or to specify the static objects and/or robot links (excluding robot base and including external axis) to apply this rule to.
Roadmap (C): Select whether to apply the rule for the entire roadmap of the selected robot/preset or select specific connections and/or auto-connects, which are part of the roadmap
As the selections are made, you can view the rule description at the bottom of the dialog. To view full text, you can copy and paste in a text editor.
...
| Info |
|---|
NOTE:
|
Disable Collision Checking for link/object pair - Analyze the entire project for pairs of objects/links which (a) never collide, (b) are always equidistant, and (c) almost always collide. The analysis produces a list of all pairs, accessible from the Collision Analysis menu or from the property tree, that fit the condition aforementioned. As a result, the Collision Analysis dialog provides an option to disable collision checking for all or part of the detected link/object pair.
...
Both the options above can be accessed from the property tree in roadmap mode.
...
...
Clearance
...
Validate
Validate checks the roadmap’s targets, configurations, and connections are valid, in preparation for exporting the project file. It is a two-step process.
...