Mech-Viz 1.8 Release Notes
This document introduces the new features, improvements, and resolved issues of Mech-Viz 1.8.
Mech-Viz 1.8.0 Release Notes
This document introduces the new features, improvements, and resolved issues of Mech-Viz 1.8.0.
New Features
File
In version 1.8.0, the functional interfaces have been reorganized and the File page has been upgraded. The File page includes example projects, file management, option settings, version information, and quick access links to the Online Community and User Manual. The example projects can help you better understand various functions and application scenarios of Mech-Viz.
Master-Control Robot
Added a configuration window for Master-Control Robot, facilitating the configuration and establishment of Master-Control communication in Mech-Viz.
The “Adaptive Relative Move” Step
Added a new Adaptive Relative Move Step. In depalletizing scenarios, this Step automatically adjusts the lifting height of the held box based on its height in the vision result.
More Robot Configurations Supported
The configurations of spray robots, gantry robots, ABB GoFa six-axis collaborative robots, SCARA robots with axis 1 as the translation axis are supported in the new version. In version 1.8.0, Mech-Viz has supported for all industrial robot configurations except for parallel robots.
| Configuration support means that Mech-Viz can conduct simulation and path planning for the robot. |
Key Query Tool
Added Key Query Tool, facilitating the query of keys that can be read and written by external services. The function description and usage example of each key are also provided. This tool is available only when the Developer mode is enabled.
Improvements
Robot Z-Offset
When the origin of the robot reference frame was not at the bottom of the robot base, the tool pose on the robot teach pendant would be inconsistent with the values in the software. With the upgraded Mech-Viz and Mech-Vision of version 1.8.0, this problem can be solved. With the improved feature, when you perform manual calibration, teach the pick point, or send the planning or recognition result in tool poses to the robot through Adapter, the DH1 no longer requires manual compensation.
Step
For the “Reuse Vision Result” and “Share Vision Results” features, the unused vision result will be automatically overridden by newly received vision result, without the need for manual reset with the “Reset” Step. |
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The “Only Use Poses with Following Label” parameter was renamed to “Use Specific Workobject Pose Only” and moved from the custom parameter panel at the bottom to the upper parameter list. |
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Added the “Sorting Strategy” parameter in the “Multiple at once” mode for box depalletizing. |
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When the upper surface of a single box is larger than the entire vacuum gripper, and all sections of the vacuum gripper are activated, the “box surface coverage” can reach 100%. |
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The “Set DO List” Step has been merged with the “Set DO” Step to form a new “Set DO” Step. |
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The “Check DI List” Step, “Check DI” Step, and “Wait for DI” Step have been merged to form a new “Check DI” Step, and more check modes were added. |
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Change Tool |
The “Change Tool” Step will no longer interrupt the planning. When you need to switch the end tool based on the pick point labels for picking, you can classify before changing the tool instead of vice versa. |
Predefined Pallet Pattern |
Improved the “Automatic Layout” algorithm. |
Added the “Limit Box Count” parameter. |
Robot Model Library
Robot Model Library enables you to download the robot model online and load the online robot model list with one click. If you find any robot model inaccurate, you can provide feedback in the software. The robot models in the online library have been expanded to over 1000, covering basically all common robots on the market.
Plan History
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The plan history was organized into three levels: level one, the planning entry; level two, the planning attempt; level three, the picking path.
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The causes of the planning failure was simplified from more than 20 to 3, i.e., waypoint unreachable, singularity, and collision.
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Reproducing the planned path is supported.
Save and Use Vision Records
Improved the workflow to save and use vision records.
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A default number of vision records will be automatically saved when the project runs. The number of saved records can be adjusted as well.
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The entry for setting vision records has been moved to the drop-down list on the side of the “Simulate” button.
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Improved the “Select Vision Record to Use” window.
Improved “Result Must Be in Specified Bin” Feature
In version 1.8.0, the “Result Must Be in Specified Bin” parameter was added in the “Vision Move” Step. You can choose whether or not to limit the effective range for vision results for each “Vision Move” Step and specify the bin in which the vision result must be located. In earlier versions, no adjustable parameters of this feature were available in the “Vision Move” Step, and the activation of the feature was completely controlled by the bin configuration. Once the feature was enabled for a bin, it would take effect for all “Vision Move” Steps in the workflow.
Model Editor
In the Model Editor of version 1.8.0:
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New Elliptic Cylinder Selection and Cylinder Selection were added to better process complex end tool models and avoid selection interference.
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Improved the workflow to set the reference frame.
3D Simulation Area
The 3D simulation area now includes a navigation gizmo, as well as buttons for panning the view, zooming views, screen adaptation, switching between perspective/orthographic views, and displaying key buttons.
Project Resource Tree
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Vision services and Vision records entries were added to the project resource tree. New buttons for collapsing and expanding items were added as well.
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A “Reload Robot” option was added to the context menu of the robot entry in the project resource tree, and modifying the robot parameters no longer requires restarting the software.
Collisions
The “Compute collision contacts” was removed from the Collisions functional panel, and “Point cloud collision calculation mode” was added in the Configuration on point cloud pane in Collision detection configuration.
Robot
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Revised the robot communication capability list.
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A common parameter to define the robot reference frame was added in the robot configuration parameters, supporting the customization of the robot reference frame position relative to its base.
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Four-axis robots can be used in the planning and picking horizontal and vertical vision results.
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The five-axis robot now includes a feature similar to the four-axis robot, automatically correcting the vision poses that deviate from the world reference frame Z-axis within ±5°.
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Allows customization of the robot flange orientation.
Others
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Improved the robot motion algorithm, reducing excessive rotation of the robot end and increasing the motion efficiency.
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Removed the Logging Level option in Settings in the menu bar has been removed. All levels of logs will be printed.
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Added visualization model similar to the buffer to the array gripper.
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Added a “Do not detect” option to the singularity detection method.
Resolved Issues
Mech-Viz 1.8.0 has fixed the following issues:
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The reduction ratio would not take effect when a singularity was caused by excessive acceleration.
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When the workobject was a custom model, the collision detection between the workobject and the scene object would not take effect.
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When you clicked one plan history entry to check the recorded tool pose, the robot pose displayed might not be the same as at the time of planning.
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Clicking the plan history entry would switch the active tool in the project resource tree.
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Scene object files with spaces at the beginning or end of their names could not be deleted or renamed.
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The software automatically added zeros to the decimal part in the input box, making it impossible to input decimals.
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Steps may overlap when using automatic format.
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After the boxes were grouped, the “Relative Move” Step that depends on the “Vision Move” Step would generate a superimposed path, resulting in abnormal visualization.
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If the collision detection was not enabled for the bin model in the scene, an error would occur when the “Vision Move” Step updated the bin pose according to the vision result.
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The algorithm for grouping boxes along the Y-axis of the box reference frame in multi-pick depalletizing might result in an error when using the “Vision Move” Step.
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The software might crash when the “All Vision Poses in One Move” option in the “Vision Move” Step was selected.
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When a project was running, setting multiple parameters for multiple Steps at once through the Adapter took a long time.