70 What kinds of Robotics Simulators are there?
Description
This article is from the Robotics FAQ, by Kevin Dowling nivek@cs.cmu.edu with numerous contributions by others.
70 What kinds of Robotics Simulators are there?
Simulation allows researchers, designers and users to construct robots
and task environments for a fraction of the cost and time of real
systems. They differ significantly from traditional CAD tools in that
they allow study of geometries, kinematics, dynamics and motion
planning. This list is NOT a comparative analysis of the different
systems but rather a list of systems that are available.
[3][13.1] Commercial Simulators
[4][13.2] Shareware and Freeware Simulators
[13.1] Commercial Robotics Simulators part1
"Auto Simulations, Inc."
655 Medical Drive
Bountiful, UT 84010
tel: 801.298.1398
contact: Teresa Francis, ext 330
Products: AutoMod II Platforms: ? Cost: ?
"CADSI"
2651 Crosspark Rd
Coralville, IA 52241
tel: 319.626.6700
tel: 319.626.3488
net: [5]marketing@cadsi.com
url: [6]http://www.cadsi.com
DADS - kinematics and dynamics package. Have ProEngineer to CADSI
interface. Supports rigid and flexible body analysis. Animation and
interfaces to FEA/FEM and CAD programs.
"Deneb Robotics, Inc."
3285 Lapeer Road West
PO Box 214687
Auburn Hills, MI
tel: 810.377.6900
fax: 810.377.8125
net: marketing@deneb.com
url: [7]http://www.deneb.com/
See the URL or send email for offices all over the world.
Deneb Robotics, was founded in 1985 develops 3D graphics-based factory
simulation, telerobotic, and virtual reality software.
Products include IGRIP, ENVISION, Deneb/ERGO, UltraArc, UltraFinish,
UltraPaint, UltraSpot, QUEST, Virtual NC, and TELEGRIP suite of
simulation software packages utilize geometrically exact data to
develop the models used in simulation, analysis, programming, and
control applications.
Platforms include UNIX workstations from HP, SGI and Sun and Window NT
(486/Pentium) machines.
"Mechanical Dynamics Inc."
2301 Commonwealth Blvd
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
tel: 313.944.3800
fax: 313.994.6418
net: hotline@adams.com
ADAMS is a general purpose dynamics simulator: it can be used to
simulate any mechanism. You input the model you want to simulate, and
ADAMS builds the system of equations, and solves it through time. You
can do kinematic, static, quasi-static and dynamic simulations. And
then, you can study the results (forces, accelerations and so on).
It has a good graphical interface, although it's non-standard (it
doesn't use OpenLook or Motif, but it's own windowing system). But if
you want to study something not very common, you will have to deal
with the text interface, and perhaps Fortran programming. It's not
very easy to learn.
"Silma/Cimstation"
1601 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road
Cupertino, California 95014
tel: 408.725.8908
Product:
CimStation
Platforms:
SGI-4D, SUN SparcStation, Apollo, Intergraph, Computervision, HP, IBM
Risc6000 and DEC.
Cost:
Base system around $55K (commercial license) They also have a
University Partnership Program to enable universities to purchase
CimStation for around $20K US and $25K International.
Features:
Silma offers application solutions for Spot Welding, Arc Welding,
Painting, Stamping and Assembly, as well as Robot Calibration Tools.
Also, SILMA has direct CAD interfaces to Computervision CADDS,
Parametric Technology Corporation Pro/ENGINEER, IBM CATIA ans MCS
ANVIL5000. We also support VDAFS and SET in addition to IGES. Finally,
in addition to CimStation Robotics, we also offer SILMA(R) CimStation
Inspection - used to create, simulate and edit DMIS programs for
coordinate measuring machines- (CMMs) and SILMA(R) CimStation NC
Verification- used to simulate and verify NC part programs.
Provides: Basic CAD Tools: 2D and 3D solid and wireframe, IGES
interface, Robot Modelling: generate the required governing equations
(iterative or closed form) automatically for "many" classes of robots
Path Generation Kinematic Simulation with Collision Detection Dynamic
Simulation (CimStation only at this point) I/O Operations.
John Craig, who wrote the book, Introduction to Robotics is head of
Silma's R and D. Silma has a programming environment called SIL
complete with its own PASCAL-like iterative language with graphics and
robotics extensions. CimStation is built out of this language. This
allows you to add your own functionality. E.g. your own path planner.
You can also write C-code, compile it, and add it to the system.
Robot Simulations Ltd.
Lynnwood Busines Centre
Lynnwood Terrace
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE4 6UL
England
tel: +44 (0)91 272 3673
fax: +44 (0)91 272 0121
net: [8]Sales@rosl.demon.co.uk
or [9]Support@rosl.demon.co.uk
url: [10]http://www.rosl.com
US contact:
John Lapham
Applications Engineer
International Business Link
17105 San Carlos Blvd. Suite A6151
Ft. Myers Beach, FL 33931
tel: 813.466.0488
fax: 813.466.7270
net: [11]lapham@gate.net
[12]Robot Simulations (RSL) develops and markets the world's first
microcomputer based industrial robot simulation software named
Workspace. The package has been selling since 1989. The package uses
3d graphics to simulate robots and their associated machinery in a
workcell, and is capable of offline programming industrial and
educational robots in many different robot languages. It runs on a PC
and is $5K to educational institutions. $26K for industrial version.
Workspace 3 robot simulation: Kinematic modeller
Discrete event simulation Interactive creation of new mechanimsm
Library of standard robots
Advanced robot languages Dynamics simulator
Variables Forces and torques calculated
Subroutines Graphical representation of results
Loop structures
Sophisticated motion commands Text editor
Accurate representation of mechanisms Integral editor for track and
Calculation of cycle times teachpoint files
Collision detection
Solid 3-d rendering
Integrated CAD system Fast shaded animations in 256 colours
Constructive solid geometry
Library of standard 3d primitives Computer Aided Learning
Extruded polylines Simple authoring of training exercises
Spheres
Cones Calibration
Cylinders In-built robot and fixture
Boxes calibration system
Surfaces
Solids of rotation User Manuals
DXF and IGES import facilities Tutorial exercises
Example robots and workcells
The system is in use throughout Europe and the Far East in both
Industry and Education with several hundred seats. Sales in the USA
are relatively recent.
"Tecnomatix Technologies/Robcad"
39750 Grand River Avenue Suite A-3 Novi, MI 48375 tel: 313.471.6140
fax: 313.471.6147
Platforms: HP, Silicon Graphics, IBM and Sun.
Tecnomatix makes several packages for simulation including ones for
Spot welding, Arc welding, Painting, Teleoperation (Martel), CMM and
Drilling. They also have an open systems environment, ROSE, that
allows user customization and interface design. ROBCAD itself allows
robot modeling (library of 100 robots is supplied), collision free
path generation, importation of IGES, VDAFS and SET files and direct
interface with Catia and ComputerVision.
[GMF - the entry that used to be here, no longer supports OLPW-200,
instead they are a Robcad reseller]
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