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Topics - Johannes @ Robots in Architecture

#1
Dear members of the Association for Robots in Architecture,

I just noticed that the links in the member section that redirect to Springer did not work correctly anymore, as they prompted you to buy the book.
We have now fixed the issue with Springer, if you click the link in the protected member section, Springer will offer you the Rob|Arch eBooks and the Construction Robotics Journal as a free download. If it doesn't work, try clearing your cache or going there in incognito mode.

Book and journal links are here: https://forum.robotsinarchitecture.org/index.php/board,6.0.html

Happy reading!
Best,
Johannes
#2
> See also https://creativerobotics.at/openposition/

Creative Robotics at the University for Arts and Design Linz (Austria) is looking for a new researcher (75%, 30h/week) to join the team. The lab is a collaborative project of the University, with partners Grand Garage, Ars Electronica, KUKA Robotics, and the Association for Robots in Architecture, headed by Prof. Johannes Braumann, the development lead of KUKA|prc.

We're looking for people that bring additional, specialized knowledge (such as handcraft, material knowledge, physical computing, geometry, software development, media art, HCI...) to the lab. Current research projects involve the manipulation and simulation of textile materials, large-scale robotic fabrication of structures, and R&D for automotive and aerospace OEMs, as well as "fun" projects (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVAcKG9kdjM) with Ars Electronica and other partners.

We are operating two labs, one at the university itself and a second one within the 4000m² Innovation Workshop Grand Garage, where we have got access to high-end machinery like HP SLS printers, additive metal fabrication, coating technology, measuring machines alongside the more usual CNC machines.

Linz has got a vibrant international digital media/arts scene alongside its "historic" industrial background, that draws in both high-tech companies as well as heavy industry.

German knowledge is not a prerequisite, however the official job posting is only available in German at https://ufgonline.ufg.ac.at/ufg_online/wbMitteilungsblaetter.display?pNr=292930

Please send your application (cover letter, CV, overview of projects/research) until July 17th, 2019 to ufg.bewerbung449@ufg.at

For questions, please directly contact johannes@robotsinarchitecture.org
#3
Tutorials / Quick Getting Started for KUKA Sunrise
July 04, 2019, 12:10:43 PM
As there are more and more iiwa users, here are some quick instructions to get you started with KUKA|prc (new, "v3" Version) and Sunrise:

Go into the KUKA|prc settings, Advanced/Code/Sunrise/Download Sunrise Library
The generated ZIP file contains a number of directories, copy them into your Sunrise project.
It should look somehow like in the attached screenshot.
Set up your tool and base in the Sunrise Workbench, make sure that the XYZABC values are the same in the KUKA|prc simulation and at the actual robot. Take care that Sunrise by default displays radians in the Workbench but degrees on the smartPad. KUKA|prc expects values in degrees.
Now modify the following lines to fit your base and tool in the PRC_RunXML.java file:

String toolname = "PolierVib"; //SET TOOL NAME
String tcpname = "TCP"; //SET TCP NAME
ObjectFrame baseFrame = getApplicationData().getFrame("/BASE1"); //OPTIONAL: SET BASE COORDINATE SYSTEM


When you run the program on the iiwa, you will get a file browser window. You can then select the XML file that was generated by KUKA|prc from e.g. a USB stick or a network share. You could also hardcode the path if you wanted to.

The UDP and SmartServo programs work in a similar way, but they need a realtime Ethernet (UDP) connection between robot and Grasshopper/KUKA|prc, so you need to set the right IPs, ports, and firewall settings.
Note that if you are not using the SmartServo tech package, you may need to delete the PRC_RunSmartServo.java file, otherwise Sunrise will complain because it's looking for missing libraries.

Also, the iiwa has some limitations that are not linked to KUKA|prc, e.g. that the motion blending needs to be at least 4mm. So you need to set that as the C_DIS value in the KUKA|prc advanced settings, in order to get motion blending.
In general, very high point density can be problematic.

Hope that helps a bit!

Best,
Johannes
#4
KUKA|prc for Dynamo - Preview



We are proud to present a public preview of KUKA|prc for Autodesk Dynamo. To encourage testing, we are providing a full-featured license of KUKA|prc to everyone, with a license valid until March 31st, 2019.  The current release is optimized for Dynamo Studio 2017 (Dynamo Core 1.3). Dynamo is available as a free evaluation software.

When testing the software, please expect problems and issues. We are kindly asking you to provide feedback through the forum!

KUKA|prc for Dynamo - Installer: http://robotsinarchitecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KUKAprcDynamo_20181018_PublicPreview.exe
KUKA|prc for Dynamo - Tutorials by IP RWTH Aachen: https://www.ip.rwth-aachen.de/teaching/dynamo-tutorials/
KUKA|prc for Dynamo - Additional Sample Projects: http://www.robotsinarchitecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KUKAprcForDynamo_Samples.zip

Following the testing period, KUKA|prc for Dynamo will be made available as a free version with reduced functionality and a full version for all members, in parallel to the Grasshopper version at no extra cost.
#5
Hello Community,

We'd like to inform you that the registration for the upcoming Rob|Arch 2018 conference at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland is now open at http://www.robarch2018.org/registration/
It will again consist of 3 days of intensive, hands-on workshops and two days of scientific conference sessions. Both parts can be booked separately, though we of course recommend attending a workshop first and then exchanging ideas and experiences at the conference, with its presentations as well as social events!

Currently there is still "early bird" pricing in effect, it will get more expensive closer to the event. Members of the Association for Robots in Architecture get a special, reduced fee. Send an eMail to robots@robotsinarchitecture.org with the names of the people who will be attending. We can provide a maximum of 5 reduced registrations per regular member, and 1 reduced registration per student member.

We hope to see many of you at Rob|Arch in September!

Best,
Johannes
- on behalf of the Rob|Arch conference team
#6
Tutorials / Example: Custom Turntable Strategy
March 27, 2018, 11:35:28 AM
Custom Turntable Strategy
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5/6, Grasshopper 0.9.0076/1.0, KUKA|prc V2

You can set up entirely customizable turntable strategies. This is an example based on the thread at http://forum.robotsinarchitecture.org/index.php?topic=817
Note that using a mesh for extracting the normal vectors might lead to a "jittery" robot movement if the mesh is rather coarse.
#7
Support / Rhino 6/7/8 Advisory
March 05, 2018, 01:24:17 PM
Update regarding Rhino 8: We have released a new community and member release that ensures compatibility with the release version of Rhino 8 on Windows and macOS. Feedback is always welcome!

Update regarding Rhino 7: We have been using Rhino 7 for the past months and have not encountered any specific problems.

Recently, Rhino 6 has been released. The past weeks we've been working with it, and have not encountered any KUKA|prc-specific issues so far. There have been a few crashes, but they seem unrelated to KUKA|prc. However, please do let us know if you run into any issues, ideally in a reproducible way.

However, the display performance of Rhino 6 when displaying Grasshopper-planes is significantly (!) slower than in Rhino 5. Our brief tests showed that Rhino 5 is up to 80 times faster than Rhino 6.
As the general display performance of Rhino 6 is better than before, this seems to be a bug. We have reported it to McNeel, where it is logged at https://mcneel.myjetbrains.com/youtrack/oauth?state=%2Fyoutrack%2Fissue%2FRH-44499
It is recommended to disable plane preview whenever possible to ensure that the viewport stays responsive.
Our testing was limited to NVidia cards, maybe someone can compare the performance on AMD graphics cards as well. The easiest way to test is to use "Populate 2D" to create 5000 points, then place the Planes through "World XY" and run the textmaxspeed command in Rhino. In Rhino 6, the viewport refreshes with less than 0.5fps on a current PC.

Update 06/2018: As of Rhino 6 SR5, plane display performance seems to be on par or even better than Rhino 5.

As long as Grasshopper in Rhino 5 and Rhino 6 are mostly compatible, we are planning to support both. Ideally, we will offer parallel Rhino 5, Rhino 6, and Dynamo builds with the same functionality. At some point after 2018 Rhino 5 support might cease, however your licenses will still be valid, and you will still be able to access older versions through the member section. Rhino 6 support will be a free update for members, as are all new builds and versions.

Thank you!
Johannes
#8

The Lab for Creative Robotics at the University for Arts and Design Linz (Austria) is looking for a new researcher (50%) to join the team. The lab is a collaborative project of the University, with partners Ars Electronica, KUKA Robotics, the Association for Robots in Architecture, Johannes Kepler University and Bernstein Innovation. It is headed by Prof. Johannes Braumann, the main developer of KUKA|prc.

We're looking for people that bring additional, specialized knowledge (such as handcraft, material knowledge, physical computing, geometry, software development, media art, HCI...) to the lab. Robot knowledge is a plus, but not a requirement. You will be part of a small team that is expected to grow over time and will work on a variety of creative and industrial projects. Working hours are flexible.

Linz has got a vibrant international digital media/arts scene alongside its "historic" industrial background, that draws in both high-tech companies as well as heavy industry.

German knowledge is not a prerequisite, however the official job posting is only available in German at https://ufgonline.ufg.ac.at/ufg_online/wbMitteilungsblaetter.display?pNr=195260 – scroll down to "870".
An automatically (!) generated translation is available for your convenience here. If anything needs clarification or if you need additional information, please do not hesitate to get in touch via eMail

Please send your application until June 14th, 2017 to ufg.bewerbung305@ufg.at

Note that this is an informal summary of the job posting that is missing the standard legal phrases.
#9
Tutorials / Example: Trimming
April 29, 2016, 04:17:11 PM
Trimming
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

A parametric trimming operation on an automotive part.
#10
Tutorials / Example: Tool Change
April 29, 2016, 04:16:16 PM
Tool Change
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Implementing a tool change operation. In this example, a custom tool with two TCPs is used.
#11
Tutorials / Example: Simple Path
April 29, 2016, 04:15:15 PM
Simple Path
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Having the robot follow a simple path.
#12
Tutorials / Example: Pick and Place
April 29, 2016, 04:14:28 PM
Pick and Place
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

A simple pick-and-place operation parametrically defined through Grasshopper.
#13
Tutorials / Example: Parametric Tool
April 29, 2016, 04:13:39 PM
Parametric Tool
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Creating a parametric tool, e.g. for a spindle with tools of different sizes.
#14
Tutorials / Example: Turntable
April 29, 2016, 04:12:34 PM
Turntable
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Using a turntable. You can display the values of E1 to E4 by right-clicking any movement component and choosing the relevant option.

USING COMPONENTS THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS
#15
Tutorials / Example: KUKA LBR iiwa and Sunrise
April 29, 2016, 04:11:19 PM
KUKA LBR iiwa and Sunrise
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Programming a KUKA LBR iiwa via Sunrise. Note that the redundant axis is mapped to E1 in KUKA|prc. In the code output, axis are numbered from A1 to A7, from the base to the flange.

USING COMPONENTS THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS

How to use Sunrise:
Import the KUKA|prc Sunrise library to your project and then adapt your program file as in the *.java file that is also attached as an example below.
If your setup is not too unusual, you just need to set the name of the tool, tool tip, and base in the *.java file.
When you start the program, a "File Open" dialog will pop up, asking you to select the *.xml file that you want to run.
So just like with KRC4 you can use USB sticks, network shares etc. Of course it is also possible to hardcode the paths, have multiple programs selectable via a GUI etc., you just need to adapt the Java code.
#16
Tutorials / Example: Custom Robot
April 29, 2016, 04:09:36 PM
Custom Robot
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Defining a custom robot from CAD data. Note that we integrate new robots and external axes for free for our members.

USING COMPONENTS THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS
#17
Tutorials / Example: Custom Linear Axis
April 29, 2016, 04:08:35 PM
Custom Linear Axis
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Setting up a custom linear axis. Note that we integrate new robots and external axes for free for our members.
USING COMPONENTS THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS
#18
Tutorials / Example: Hot-Wire Cutting
April 29, 2016, 04:07:05 PM
Hot-Wire Cutting
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

A hotwire is used to trace a ruled surface. Refer to projects like https://vimeo.com/71018219
#19
Tutorials / Example: Extrusion for 3D Printing
April 29, 2016, 04:05:28 PM
Extrusion for 3D Printing
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

Using Grasshopper to define robotic 3D-printing toolpaths, allowing us to quickly fine-tune parameters.
#20
Tutorials / Example: 3D-Scan Drilling
April 29, 2016, 04:03:49 PM
3D-Scan Drilling
Requirements: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 0.9.0076, KUKA|prc V2

The geometry of a 3D-scan is constrained to the robot's toolpaths to perform a drilling operation that is always normal to the scanned geometry.