WorkPieceMaker

User’s Guide
Version 3.2

ABB Flexible Automation

©1998 ABB Flexible Automation
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America May-98
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a
commitment by ABB Flexible Automation Inc. ABB Flexible Automation Inc. assumes no
responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

In no event shall ABB Flexible Automation Inc. be liable for incidental or consequential damages
arising from use of this document or of the software and hardware described in this document.

This document and parts thereof must not be reproduced or copied without ABB Flexible Automation
Inc.’s permission, and contents thereof must not be imparted to a third party nor be used for any
unauthorized purpose. Contravention will be prosecuted.

© 1998 ABB Flexible Automation Inc.

All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America May-98
Chapter 1: Getting Started ......................................................................................................................... 1-1
What is WorkPieceMaker............................................................................................................ 1-1
The graphical view ...................................................................................................................... 1-1
Visible range ................................................................................................................. 1-1
Current point ................................................................................................................. 1-1
Context sensitive menu.................................................................................................. 1-1
Chapter 2: WorkPiece Editing ................................................................................................................... 2-1
Creating a workpiece image ........................................................................................................ 2-1
Convert RAPID code into a Workpiece file ................................................................................ 2-1
Workpiece edit operations........................................................................................................... 2-2
Editing positions by using the Properties dialog ........................................................... 2-2
Insert a point in workpiece ............................................................................................ 2-3
Delete a point in workpiece........................................................................................... 2-3
Clipboard functions ....................................................................................................... 2-3
Toolbars....................................................................................................................................... 2-4
Standard Toolbar ......................................................................................................................... 2-5
Show symbols................................................................................................................ 2-5
Selection Toolbar ........................................................................................................................ 2-5
Selecting points in a workpiece..................................................................................... 2-5
Orientation Toolbar ..................................................................................................................... 2-5
Zooming the graphical view.......................................................................................... 2-6
Rotating the graphical view........................................................................................... 2-6
Panning the graphical view ........................................................................................... 2-6
Fixed Views Toolbar ................................................................................................................... 2-6
Load default view.......................................................................................................... 2-7
Save default view .......................................................................................................... 2-7
Parallel views ................................................................................................................ 2-7
Appendix A: WorkPiece file format .......................................................................................................... A-1
APPENDIX B: Short cut keys ................................................................................................................... B-1

iii
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED
WHAT IS WORKPIECEMAKER
The WorkPieceMaker is an editor used to turn a RAPID program into a workpiece
and to edit existing workpiece files so they look even nicer on the screen.
By workpiece we mean an image of the physical object (part) the robot is working
on. A workpiece is represented as a 3D wire-frame model.
Workpiece images are an aid for the programmers using ProgramMaker’s
GraphView or the SiTo Programming Station. The workpieces are kept fairly simple,
as their sole function is to help you determine where you are in a program during
editing.
Workpiece files may be stored at any drive that your workstation can access.

THE GRAPHICAL VIEW

The graphical view displays a workpiece in three-dimensional (3D).
A triad showing the rotation of the graphical view is displayed at all times in the lower left
corner.
The X vector is red, Y is green and Z is black.

You can change the view by using the functions in the Orientation Toolbar and Fixed
Views Toolbar.
You can open several graphical views of a workpiece by activating the menu
Window and choose New Window. The WorkPieceMaker will change the window
text of the graphical view that already was opened so you can identify the different
views of the same workpiece.

VISIBLE RANGE
The graphical view can show positions within the range -6000 mm to 6000 mm. The
view has a resolution of 1 mm.

CURRENT POINT
Current point is the selected element in a workpiece. The graphical view marks it
with a circle. You can edit the current point from the Properties dialog, delete it or
insert new positions after it.

CONTEXT SENSITIVE MENU

You activate a context sensitive menu by clicking the right mouse button or by
pressing the menu key if you have a windows-keyboard.
The WorkPieceMaker supports two types of context sensitive menus.

1-1
WorkPieceMaker User’s Guide

One for the graphical views and a second for the edit fields of the Properties Dialog.

The graphical view’s context sensitive menu.

From that menu you can choose: Cut , Copy , Paste , Insert , Delete and Properties.

The context sensitive menu for the Properties dialog’s edit fields
From that menu you can choose: Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete and Select All.
These commands only operate on the text of an edit field and not on whole points.
For operation on whole point use the graphical view’s context sensitive menu

1-2
CHAPTER 2: WORKPIECE EDITING
CREATING A WORKPIECE IMAGE
You use the robot arm to make a workpiece image. The workpiece object (part) is
digitised using the robot as a digitiser. You teach the workpiece as a standard RAPID
program.
To be able to do this you must mount a known tool on the robot arm and install the
correct TCP. The tool is used as a pointing device. The more accurate the tool, the
better the workpiece image. To digitise an object you touch the object with the
pointing tool and get the points (for example using the teach functionality on the
robot pendant). For a straight part of the object a point in each end is sufficient, but
for curved parts more points are needed. The rule is to not overdo it. Experiment to
find the trade-off between time used and finished result.
The benefit of using the robot arm as a digitiser to build the workpiece is that no
external file transfer, no file format conversion and no data-reduction from a
CAD/CAM system is needed. You are also certain that the workpiece and the robot
program, when displayed together in the graph window, have the exact same
coordinate system, the same scaling and a common origin. And it is fast - typically
you build a complete workpiece object in an hour.
Please note when teaching programs meant for workpiece conversion, that the
WorkPieceMaker extracts both the positions defined as robtargets and the robtargets
defined directly in the syntax parts of the program. The positions are converted in the
order which they are defined in the program file, so the order points are taught is
important.
Please also make sure to teach all points with the same user and object frames so the
workpiece image appears in the same object coordinates.
When the program has been taught in the robot transfer it to the your PC.
Convert the program into a Workpiece file by inserting the program file as RAPID
code in the WorkPieceMaker.

CONVERT RAPID CODE INTO A WORKPIECE FILE

The WorkPieceMaker can insert RAPID program files into a workpiece. During this
process it extracts the X, Y and Z values of the texts that have the same bracket
structure as robtarget. The WorkPieceMaker inserts both robtarget definitions and
robtargets defined directly in procedure calls. See creating a workpiece image to get
information on how to create a RAPID file.
You activate the Insert menu and choose RAPID code, to convert the robtarget of a
file.
After activating the Insert RAPID code menu the WorkPieceMaker displays a file
open dialog.
You use that dialog to find the file you will insert into your workpiece.
For your convince we have provided masks for files of type:
Program Files (*.prg).

1-1
WorkPieceMaker User’s Guide

Module Files (*.mod).

System Module File (*.sys).

WORKPIECE EDIT OPERATIONS

The edit functions in the WorkPieceMaker are used to refine the workpiece image
(like hiding unwanted lines), so it looks nicer when displayed in the ProgramMaker’s
GraphView together with a robot program.
Workpiece files are opened and saved using the file menu.
You may have several graphical views open within the WorkPieceMaker at the same
time.
Use the Properties dialog for editing the positions of the open workpieces.

The edit operations:

• Insert a point in workpiece
• Delete a point in workpiece
• Copy a point into the clipboard
• Cut a point from a workpiece and place it into the clipboard
• Paste points from the clipboard into a workpiece
• Selecting points in a workpiece .
• Load default view
• Save default view
• Zooming the graphical view
• Rotating the graphical view
• Panning the graphical view
• The Parallel views
• Creating a workpiece image
• Convert RAPID code into a Workpiece file

EDITING POSITIONS BY USING THE PROPERTIES DIALOG

The Properties dialog has edit fields for the x, y and z values in mm. A point can be
moved by editing the values. If you want the graphical view to update immediately
after changing a value, press enter or choose another edit field.
The edit fields have context sensitive menus giving you the possibility to undo the
last typing inside the fields and to use the clipboard functions locally between the edit
fields.

Activating the Properties dialog

You can activate the Properties dialog by double clicking inside a graphical view.

2-2
 Chapter 2: WorkPiece Editing

By double clicking at the symbol of another position you get the Properties of that
position.
You might also activate the dialog from the edit menu and the content sensitive
menu.

Hidden lines in the workpiece

When you teach a workpiece with the robot, you get into situations where you want
to move the robot to start digitising a new section of the workpiece object, but you do
not want the line between these two points to be visible in the finished workpiece.
In the WorkPieceMaker you use the Hidden box in the Properties dialog to hide a
line. The line is hidden from the previous point to current point. The lines you hide in
the WorkPieceMaker will remain hidden (invisible) when the workpiece is displayed
in the GraphView of the ProgramMaker.
To distinguish the hidden lines from the "real" lines, they are displayed using a doted
red line.

INSERT A POINT IN WORKPIECE

In the WorkPieceMaker you use this function to add a new point after the current in
the workpiece. If the current point is not the last point, the new point is inserted on
the line between the current and the next. You can then move the point by editing the
X, Y, Z values for the point.
You insert a point by activating the Insert menu and choose Element. You can also
insert a point by activating the context sensitive menu and choose Insert.
The selection toolbar has buttons for selecting points in a workpiece .

DELETE A POINT IN WORKPIECE

In the WorkPieceMaker you use this function to remove the current point from the
workpiece.
You delete the current point by activating the Edit menu and chose Delete. You can
also delete the point by activating the context sensitive menu and choose Delete.
The selection toolbar has buttons for selecting points in a workpiece .

CLIPBOARD FUNCTIONS
The WorkPieceMaker supports the standard Windows clipboard functions: Copy ,
Cut and Paste .
You place a copy of current point to the clipboard by activating Copy function.
Opposite you insert new positions into your workpiece from the clipboard by using
the Paste function.
By copying a point to the clipboard you enter a text representing the X, Y and Z
value. The WorkPieceMaker and the text editor Notepad have compatible clipboard
functions. You can thereby interactive between the WorkPieceMaker and Notepad
gaining more flexibility while editing the workpieces.

2-33
WorkPieceMaker User’s Guide

Copy a point into the clipboard

In the WorkPieceMaker you use the Copy function to place the text representing the
X, Y and Z values of the current point to the standard clipboard.
Click the Copy button in the Standard Toolbar or activate the Edit menu and choose Copy.
The Copy function is also available from the context sensitive menu.
Note: You can insert new lines to the copied position by selecting points in a workpiece and then use
the clipboard function paste

Cut a point from a workpiece and place it into the clipboard

In the WorkPieceMaker you use the Cut function to remove the current point and
place it on the standard clipboard. The point is placed on the clipboard as a text that
represents the X, Y and Z values.
Click the Cut button in the Standard Toolbar or activate the Edit menu and choose Cut. The
Cut function is also available from the context sensitive menu.
You can insert new lines to this position by selecting points in a workpiece and then
use the clipboard function paste.

Paste points from the clipboard into a workpiece

In the WorkPieceMaker you use the Paste function to insert positions from the
standard clipboard. Use copy or cut to enter points to the clipboard. If the text that is
on the clipboard contains several lines then you will insert the same number of
points. The WorkPieceMaker ignores clipboard text that does not represent at least
one position value, while pasting. If the clipboard text only represents the X value
then the Y and Z value defaults to 0.
Click the Paste button in the Standard Toolbar or activate the Edit menu and choose Paste.
The Paste function is also available from the context sensitive menu.

TOOLBARS
A toolbar is a window that contains graphical buttons. By pressing one of the buttons
you activate its function.
If you move the mouse over the buttons you will see short descriptions of the
functions in the statusbar. Alternatively, you can get a flyby text attached to the
mouse cursor describing the toolbar function. To get the flyby text you place the
mouse cursor inside a toolbar button for a little while. While the flyby text is active
you can move the mouse to another button to see its text.
You can place a toolbar at any sides inside the WorkPieceMaker or make it floating .
To place a toolbar at another location you press the left mouse button down inside the
toolbar. You can drag the toolbar after a gray frame appears. You will see the frame
grow when dragging it off one of the WorkPieceMaker’s sides. Equivalent the frame
will shrink when you enter one of the sides. If you release the mouse button at one of
the sides you dock the toolbar otherwise you make it floating. You can place the
floating toolbars anywhere also outside the WorkPieceMaker.

2-4
 Chapter 2: WorkPiece Editing

STANDARD TOOLBAR
You can hide or show the toolbar by activating the menu View and then choose
Standard Toolbar.
The toolbar has buttons for creating, saving and opening files. It also has buttons for
the clipboard functions and to show symbols.

SHOW SYMBOLS
In the WorkPieceMaker you use this function to show or hide the crosses
representing the end of the points.
Click this button in the Standard Toolbar or activate menu View and choose Symbols, to
toggle the crosses.

SELECTION TOOLBAR
The selection toolbar has buttons for selecting point in a workpiece.
You can hide or show the toolbar by activating the menu View and then choose
Selection Toolbar.

SELECTING POINTS IN A WORKPIECE

In the WorkPieceMaker you use the selection functions to make another point the
current point.
Selecting a point will make it visible, if it is X, Y and Z values are within the visible
range.
To make another element the current point click one of the buttons in the Selection
Toolbar .
Click First to make the first element in the workpiece current point
Alternatively, activate the menu Edit, expand the pop-up menu Select and choose First.
Click Previous to make the element in front the current point.
Alternatively, activate the menu Edit, expand the pop-up menu Select and choose Previous.
Click Next to make the element after this the current point.
Alternatively, activate the menu Edit, expand the pop-up menu Select and choose Next.
Click Last to make the last element in the workpiece current point.
Alternatively, activate the menu Edit, expand the pop-up menu Select and choose Last.

The mouse is maybe the preferred way to select a visible position because you just
click at the position. You can browse the properties of positions by pressing the left
mouse button and keep the button pressed while dragging the mouse inside the
graphical view.

ORIENTATION TOOLBAR
The orientation toolbar has buttons for zooming , rotating and panning .

2-55
WorkPieceMaker User’s Guide

You can hide or show the toolbar by activating the menu View and then choose
Orientation Toolbar.

ZOOMING THE GRAPHICAL VIEW

Use these functions from the Orientation Toolbar to focus on a specific part of the
workpiece or to get an overview it.
Zoom out makes the workpiece appear smaller.
Alternatively, activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Zoom and choose Out.
Zoom in makes the workpiece appear larger.
Alternatively, activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Zoom and choose In.

ROTATING THE GRAPHICAL VIEW

Use these functions from the Orientation Toolbar to rotate the workpiece. (It will also
change the view from parallel to perspective.)
Click Up or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Rotate and choose Up

Click Down or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Rotate and choose Down

Click Left or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Rotate and choose Left

Click Right or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Rotate and choose Right

The triad (X, Y, Z) in the lower left corner of the window shows the current orientation.

PANNING THE GRAPHICAL VIEW

You use the pan (shift) functions from the Orientation Toolbar to move the displayed
workpiece inside the graphical view.
Click Up or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Pan and choose Up

Click Down or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Pan and choose Down

Click Left or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Pan and choose Left

Click Right or activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Pan and choose Right

FIXED VIEWS TOOLBAR

The fixed views toolbar has buttons to load default view , save default view and for
viewing the six ISO parallel views .
You can hide or show the toolbar by activating the menu View and then choose Fixed
View Toolbar.

2-6
 Chapter 2: WorkPiece Editing

LOAD DEFAULT VIEW

In the WorkPieceMaker you use the function load default view to reset the view to a
pre-defined zoom and rotation.
You can set the pre-defined zoom and orientation by activating the save default view
function.
Click this button in the Fixed Views Toolbar to restore the view.
Alternatively, activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Fixed Views and choose
Load default view.

SAVE DEFAULT VIEW

In the WorkPieceMaker you use this function to store the current zoom and rotation.
This pre-defined view can be recalled by loading the default view.
Click this button in the Fixed Views Toolbar to save the current zoom and rotation as default.
Alternatively, activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Fixed Views and choose Save
default view.
This default view is common for all the graphical views.

PARALLEL VIEWS
In the WorkPieceMaker you use the Fixed Views Toolbar to view the workpiece in
one of the six ISO parallel views. They change the view from perspective to parallel
view.
Click this button to view the workpiece from the Back.

Click this button to view the workpiece from the Front.

Click this button to view the workpiece from the Left.

Click this button to view the workpiece from the Right.

Click this button to view the workpiece from the Bottom.

Click this button to view the workpiece from the Top.

Alternatively, activate the menu View, expand the pop-up menu Fixed Views and
choose Back, Front, Left, Right, Bottom or Top.

2-77
APPENDIX A: WORKPIECE FILE FORMAT
The file format of a workpiece image is a plain ASCII text file using tab delimited
values for X, Y, Z and a flag telling if the line is visible or not. If the flag is 0 a line is
drawn from the previous point to this point. However, a flag value equal to 1 results
in an invisible line.
The lines must be separated with the ASCII characters representing <carriage return>
and <newline>.
Any line that starts with a number is interpreted as a workpiece point. If any of the
other values are not a numeric, the default value 0 is used for that value and the rest
of the values on that line.
You can add comments to the workpiece files. A comment is any line that does not
begin with a number.
The file extension for workpiece files are “.WPO”.

A-1
APPENDIX B: SHORT CUT KEYS
File New Ctrl + N
File Open Ctrl + O
File Save Ctrl + S
Edit Cut Shift + Delete
Edit Cut Ctrl + X
Edit Copy Ctrl + C
Edit Copy Ctrl + Insert
Edit Paste Ctrl + V
Edit Paste Shift + Insert
Edit Delete Alt + Delete
Edit Properties Alt + Return
Edit Select First Alt + Home
Edit Select Last Alt + End
Edit Select Next Alt + Arrow Right
Edit Select Previous Alt + Arrow Left
Insert element Alt + Insert
View Pan Down Alt + Shift + Arrow Down
View Pan Left Alt + Shift + Arrow Left
View Pan Right Alt + Shift + Arrow Right
View Pan Up Alt + Shift + Arrow Up
View Rotate Down Alt + Ctrl + Arrow Down
View Rotate Left Alt + Ctrl + Arrow Left
View Rotate Right Alt + Ctrl + Arrow Right
View Rotate Up Alt + Ctrl + Arrow Up
View Zoom In Alt + Ctrl + Plus
View Zoom Out Alt + Ctrl + Minus
Window next F6
Window previous Shift + F6

B-1