| This thesis proposes a new CAD based tool for robot simulation (CROBOTS) that can be used in the design, application, and programming of educational and industrial robots. The software is written using the AutoLisp programming language and runs as a third party application inside AutoCAD R14. CROBOTS combines the impressive graphics capability of AutoCAD with custom developed tools for revolute robot model creation, robot operation cycle planning, and robot controller simulation. Custom functions enable the automatic creation of a 3D solid model representation of robot geometry given dimensions, the teaching of point positions defining a desired robot trajectory, and the 3D graphical simulation of the manipulator's response to computed torque plus PID generated drive torques.; CROBOTS should prove an effective tool in the delivery of robotics related curriculum at both secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. The time required to become proficient in the use of CROBOTS should be less than that required to learn stand alone commercial software packages for robot simulation. AutoCAD's inquiry tools, for example, may be used to facilitate the teaching of robot design concepts. Furthermore, CROBOTS can assist with the development of robot programs offline and should allow for more efficient use of limited robot hardware resources at educational institutions.; Future developments of CROBOTS should allow modeling of additional robot mechanical configurations, the recording of significant production data, and a task level programming interface. CROBOTS should also be tested in both industrial and educational settings to determine its robustness and to identify needs for additional functionality. |
