Your files — input to the twin
A mechanism comes as a STEP assembly or an open description, programs as standard text; the line goes out in AutomationML.
What is accepted and what is exported
| Format | What is done with it | Status |
|---|---|---|
| STEP | an assembly becomes a mechanism: a subassembly is a link, its position is a joint; from you — joint type, axis, limits | import |
| URDF and xacro | URDF — an open mechanism description: links, joints, limits; the format of library kinds | import and export |
| SRDF | joint groups and named poses next to the mechanism | in library kinds |
| ST, PLCopen XML | unit programs under IEC 61131-3; with several POUs — choosing the right one | import |
| AutomationML (CAEX 3.0) | line project: ISA-88 roles, PackML tags, unit links | export; external import is a subject of the implementation |
| G-code | cutting program generated from operations on the part | output |
Closed chains — a hexapod, a delta — cannot be expressed as a tree: such mechanisms come as ready geometry, and the machine type declares the kinematics.
How an assembly becomes a mechanism
- Assembly structureSubassemblies become links of the kinematic tree.
- JointsThe position of a subassembly is a joint; from you — type, axis and limits.
- ChannelsDriven joints get the names of program channels.
- Kind or instanceThe mechanism becomes a library kind or the body of your machine.
A mechanism is data, not code
Three ways to import
A mechanism file is one description; a whole folder is mechanism and geometry in one gesture, the recommended path; a training sample comes from the same gallery as the unit catalogue.
Name table
If joints are named in their own way, the file is not renamed: the table “file joint → program channel” is filled in. The platform shows the number of open gaps.
Visible — from the visual geometry
A mesh named only in the collision geometry and missing from the visual one will not get into the twin — the link will be invisible.
- Your own file is labelledA brought file carries the “own file” label; one generated by the platform carries the kind’s factory label.
- Export and returnThe current description is given as a file; “Default” returns the factory original, and the platform warns directly that the brought file will stop applying.
- One panel for everythingMechanism import and export are the same on the card of a unit, a machine and tooling.
Questions about formats
Can we bring a model from our CAD?
Yes, as a STEP assembly: the assembly structure becomes the kinematic tree; you set the joint type, axis and limits.
What about closed-chain mechanisms?
A hexapod and a delta cannot be expressed as a tree: they come as ready geometry, and the machine type declares the kinematics.
Discuss an implementation
Describe the unit or line — we will tell you what we will verify and in what time. Target indicators are fixed in the implementation specification.
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