Resource home positions

Kinematic resources usually are no static components, i.e. their shape changes due to the motion of its kinematic joints. But like any other resource, its design is reflecting a certain state, i.e. a certain position of the kinematic chain. And that state not necessarily is the position that the user needs at that moment.

With the Home position dashboard the resource kinematic chain can be modified to any desired position, within its limits, and that position can be saved as a so called home position. Such home position can be used as a start for simulation.

Edit kinematic positions

The dashboard shows the resource, represented by its name, with all its driven kinematic joints. For each joint some interactive controls are available to modify the position.

The slider can be dragged sideways, where the most left and most right positions correspond to the limit motion values of the joint. In the 3D View the joint, and attached objects, will move accordingly. The current position value is updated while moving the slider.

A left mouse button click on the slider bar will also move the joint to the position corresponding to where on the slider bar the user has picked.

And finally the value field, including its up and down spinner can be used to alter the joint position. The desired value directly can be inserted in the field.

Home positions

The bottom part of the dashboard is used to keep defined certain positions of the resource to be able to call a position on demand, without the need to interactively move the resource to that position.

To save a predefined position of the resource as so called home position, a name has to be entered in the text field. Pressing the Add command button will save that position under the given name. In case the name already exists, an error message appears and a different name has to be given and confirmed with pressing the Add command button again. The just created home position automatically has become the active one.

Picking the drop down button in the name field will open the list of all defined home positions. The wanted position can be selected here to make it active. in the 3D View the resource position is updated to the selected home position.

Defined home positions can be removed from the list. The home position has to be called to become active. Pressing the Remove command button will remove the definition.That means that only the saved home position has been removed. The resource itself is kept in its position as before removing the definition.

A home position is a static definition of the values of all the driven joints of the resource, set at the time of saving the home position. Changing a joint position, either in this dashboard or through any other interactive manipulation, does not update the home position definition. If it is required to change the home position definition, the Update command button has to be pressed.