Visualize Motion Path

 

Version used: 4.0.3 Premium

 

In a former version I saw an entry in the help file how to visualize a motion path.

Well, I can’t find the entry any more or it was removed (there was a picture of a robot with a green motion path).

Now, there are elements to draw a path, but only with line elements, splines are not supported (Python).

What’s at the moment the best way to show a path? Are Polylines, Splines etc. supported in C# implementation?

 

 

Best,

Michael

Hi Michael,

in my opinion its still possible. Select the robot and go to the “Program” section. After that edit ur robot program and set a Boolean between 17 and 32 to TRUE after the robot reached the first Position. Now the robot should trace the movement. For further informations just check the tutorial: http://academy.visualcomponents.com/lessons/trace-robot-motions/.

But as far as I know this solution only works for tracing the motion path of a robot.
My question would be if its possible to trace the motion path of a random object inside VC?
For example a component which is being moved on a conveyor?

regards

The Program tab displays a set of visualization options in the Ribbon. One option allows you to show connecting lines for robot positions. Another option can be used to show traced motion paths. That, of course, would require you to signal tracing action in robot program, and then run the simulation at least once to trace the lines.

I cannot confirm anything, but I believe topology and curve data should be supported in next release, so you should be able to generate splines and polylines…not sure about nurbs.

Swept volume is another option for visualizing volume displacement of objects as well as robot motions. Swept volume is a supported signal action in ActionScript of robot…I believe default signal is 80.

To track the movement of a component during a simulation, see the vcComponent topic in reference guide. For example, you could write a script that tracks the movement of component during a simulation using a pulse that updates a curved line set.

Hey zesty,
I would like to take up on your idea to visualize the motion path of a component during the simulation with the help of vcComponent. I tried different stuff, but I have definitly no idea on how a python script could look like.
Do you maybe have a small example how something like that could look like ?

 

(I think I have to do it this way, because in my opinion only the motion path of a robot can be visualized ?!)

Greetings

Please take a look to the enclosed demo layout. There is a small component with the name ‘tracer’ attached to the WorksHuman. When starting the simulation the ‘Tracer’ paints a line in the 3d scene related to the position of the WorksHuman. In general it uses the same logic as the ActionScript of a robot to visualize the trace.

 

TracerDemo.vcmx (7.58 MB)

OK. Let’s party. As you can see there are different ways to go about this from Ralle’s example.

Take a look at my attached layout, specifically the Logic component and its script. You, of course, would need to figure how often you want to update the lines, text, etc for tracking parts.

Forum-Test-Layout.vcmx (380 KB)

Thank you, John. It worked with a signal as described in the video tutorial.

Now I would like to plot the trajectory of a custom gripper TCP.

Do I have to add a signal to the coordinate system at the TCP and connect it somehow with the robot signal?

Edit: Doublepost…Sorry.

I hope this answers your question. You can trace using any tool frame available to robot. By default, signals 17 to 32 are set up to trace and use the first 16 tool frames of robot. So for an Output of 17, just change the Using tool to the imported tool frame. Otherwise, you can make your own signal action via signals 100 onward. It is also possible to trace using a Base Frame, so you could attach the base frame to a moving object and trace til the cows come home.