Including the Robotics Toolbox into a Matlab App

manuel...@gmail.com

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Nov 10, 2018, 4:25:24 PM11/10/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

I want to include the code I'm writing into a Matlab App for distribution (and in hope that the code will run faster once compiled).

Unfortunately I get this error message:

Error using evalin

Undefined function 'trotz' for input arguments of type 'double'.

My code up to there is

L1 = 500; % torso height

L2 = 1000; % upper arm length

L3 = -200; % z offset

L4 = 1500; % lower arm length

s = 'Tz(L1) Tz(q1) Rz(q2) Tx(L2) Tz(L3) Rz(q3) Tx(L4) Ry(q4) Rz(q5) Rx(q6)'; % transformations

disp('a');

dh = DHFactor(s); % denavit-hartenberg parameters

disp('b');

cmd = dh.command('scara');

disp('c');

scara = eval(cmd); % build robot

This code is right now just called with the click of a button inside the app.

Did anybody already try to integrate the RTB into a Matlab App? How did you do the visualization?

Thanks,

Manuel

Peter Corke

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Nov 10, 2018, 5:28:54 PM11/10/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

The toolbox functions can be used inside an app. Apps are not compiled, so there won't be any speed advantage, just a user interface and ease of distribution advantage.

To debug your problem please send back the following the output of the following commands, thanks

which trotz

ver

rvccheck

manuel...@gmail.com

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Nov 12, 2018, 4:52:35 AM11/12/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Just to be clear: It only fails when I open the compiled stand alone desktop app.

I added those three lines to the app and now that's the log (when starting the standalone app):

'trotz' not found.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MATLAB Version: 9.5.0.944444 (R2018b)

MATLAB License Number: unknown

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise Version 6.1 (Build 7601: Service Pack 1)

Java Version: Java 1.8.0_152-b16 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM mixed mode

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Control System Toolbox Version 10.5 (R2018b)

Global Optimization Toolbox Version 4.0 (R2018b)

MATLAB Compiler Version 7.0 (R2018b)

Optimization Toolbox Version 8.2 (R2018b)

Phased Array System Toolbox Version 4.0 (R2018b)

Signal Processing Toolbox Version 8.1 (R2018b)

System Identification Toolbox Version 9.9 (R2018b)

You are using:

- MATLAB release 2018b

a

Undefined function 'DHFactor' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in app1/ButtonPushed (line 29)

Error in appdesigner.internal.service.AppManagementService/tryCallback (line 330)

Error in matlab.apps.AppBase>@(source,event)tryCallback(appdesigner.internal.service.AppManagementService.instance(),app,callback,requiresEventData,event)

Error using matlab.ui.control.internal.controller.ComponentController/executeUserCallback (line 335)

Error while evaluating Button PrivateButtonPushedFcn.

It somehow doesn't include your toolbox into the compiled app. It also doesn't list trotz when showing me all dependencies just before creating the app.

Starting the app inside Matlab, that's the output:

C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\MathWorks\MATLAB Add-Ons\Toolboxes\Robotics Toolbox for MATLAB\robot\trotz.m

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MATLAB Version: 9.5.0.944444 (R2018b)

MATLAB License Number: ******

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise Version 6.1 (Build 7601: Service Pack 1)

Java Version: Java 1.8.0_152-b16 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM mixed mode

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MATLAB Version 9.5 (R2018b)

Simulink Version 9.2 (R2018b)

5G Toolbox Version 1.0 (R2018b)

Aerospace Blockset Version 4.0 (R2018b)

Aerospace Toolbox Version 3.0 (R2018b)

Antenna Toolbox Version 3.2 (R2018b)

Audio System Toolbox Version 1.5 (R2018b)

Automated Driving System Toolbox Version 1.3 (R2018b)

Bioinformatics Toolbox Version 4.11 (R2018b)

Communications Toolbox Version 7.0 (R2018b)

Computer Vision System Toolbox Version 8.2 (R2018b)

Control System Toolbox Version 10.5 (R2018b)

Curve Fitting Toolbox Version 3.5.8 (R2018b)

DSP System Toolbox Version 9.7 (R2018b)

Data Acquisition Toolbox Version 3.14 (R2018b)

Database Toolbox Version 9.0 (R2018b)

Datafeed Toolbox Version 5.8 (R2018b)

Deep Learning Toolbox Version 12.0 (R2018b)

Econometrics Toolbox Version 5.1 (R2018b)

Embedded Coder Version 7.1 (R2018b)

Filter Design HDL Coder Version 3.1.4 (R2018b)

Financial Instruments Toolbox Version 2.8 (R2018b)

Financial Toolbox Version 5.12 (R2018b)

Fixed-Point Designer Version 6.2 (R2018b)

Fuzzy Logic Toolbox Version 2.4 (R2018b)

GPU Coder Version 1.2 (R2018b)

Global Optimization Toolbox Version 4.0 (R2018b)

HDL Coder Version 3.13 (R2018b)

HDL Verifier Version 5.5 (R2018b)

Image Acquisition Toolbox Version 5.5 (R2018b)

Image Processing Toolbox Version 10.3 (R2018b)

Instrument Control Toolbox Version 3.14 (R2018b)

LTE HDL Toolbox Version 1.2 (R2018b)

LTE Toolbox Version 3.0 (R2018b)

MATLAB Coder Version 4.1 (R2018b)

MATLAB Compiler Version 7.0 (R2018b)

MATLAB Compiler SDK Version 6.6 (R2018b)

MATLAB Report Generator Version 5.5 (R2018b)

Mapping Toolbox Version 4.7 (R2018b)

Model Predictive Control Toolbox Version 6.2 (R2018b)

Model-Based Calibration Toolbox Version 5.5 (R2018b)

OPC Toolbox Version 4.0.6 (R2018b)

Optimization Toolbox Version 8.2 (R2018b)

Parallel Computing Toolbox Version 6.13 (R2018b)

Partial Differential Equation Toolbox Version 3.1 (R2018b)

Phased Array System Toolbox Version 4.0 (R2018b)

Polyspace Bug Finder Version 2.6 (R2018b)

Polyspace Code Prover Version 9.10 (R2018b)

Powertrain Blockset Version 1.4 (R2018b)

Predictive Maintenance Toolbox Version 1.1 (R2018b)

RF Blockset Version 7.1 (R2018b)

RF Toolbox Version 3.5 (R2018b)

Risk Management Toolbox Version 1.4 (R2018b)

Robotics System Toolbox Version 2.1 (R2018b)

Robotics Toolbox for MATLAB Version 10.3

Robust Control Toolbox Version 6.5 (R2018b)

Sensor Fusion and Tracking Toolbox Version 1.0 (R2018b)

Signal Processing Toolbox Version 8.1 (R2018b)

SimBiology Version 5.8.1 (R2018b)

SimEvents Version 5.5 (R2018b)

Simscape Version 4.5 (R2018b)

Simscape Driveline Version 2.15 (R2018b)

Simscape Electrical Version 7.0 (R2018b)

Simscape Fluids Version 2.5 (R2018b)

Simscape Multibody Version 6.0 (R2018b)

Simulink 3D Animation Version 8.1 (R2018b)

Simulink Check Version 4.2 (R2018b)

Simulink Code Inspector Version 3.3 (R2018b)

Simulink Coder Version 9.0 (R2018b)

Simulink Control Design Version 5.2 (R2018b)

Simulink Coverage Version 4.2 (R2018b)

Simulink Design Optimization Version 3.5 (R2018b)

Simulink Design Verifier Version 4.0 (R2018b)

Simulink Desktop Real-Time Version 5.7 (R2018b)

Simulink PLC Coder Version 2.6 (R2018b)

Simulink Real-Time Version 6.9 (R2018b)

Simulink Report Generator Version 5.5 (R2018b)

Simulink Requirements Version 1.2 (R2018b)

Simulink Test Version 2.5 (R2018b)

Spreadsheet Link Version 3.4 (R2018b)

Stateflow Version 9.2 (R2018b)

Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox Version 11.4 (R2018b)

Symbolic Math Toolbox Version 8.2 (R2018b)

System Identification Toolbox Version 9.9 (R2018b)

Text Analytics Toolbox Version 1.2 (R2018b)

Trading Toolbox Version 3.5 (R2018b)

Vehicle Dynamics Blockset Version 1.1 (R2018b)

Vehicle Network Toolbox Version 4.1 (R2018b)

Vision HDL Toolbox Version 1.7 (R2018b)

WLAN Toolbox Version 2.0 (R2018b)

Wavelet Toolbox Version 5.1 (R2018b)

You are using:

- MATLAB release 2018b

- Robotics Toolbox for MATLAB 10.3 19-Aug-2018 [mltbx install]

** Toolbox function rotx is shadowed by D:\Matlab\R2018b\toolbox\phased\phased\rotx.m

** Toolbox function roty is shadowed by D:\Matlab\R2018b\toolbox\phased\phased\roty.m

** Toolbox function rotz is shadowed by D:\Matlab\R2018b\toolbox\phased\phased\rotz.m

** Toolbox function angdiff is shadowed by D:\Matlab\R2018b\toolbox\robotics\robotcore\angdiff.m

Some Toolbox files are "shadowed" and will cause problems with the use of this toolbox

Use path tool to move this Toolbox to the top of the path

Apart from that: Is it possible to do the visualization inside the app window? For normal graphs, I have to set the handle of the axes visualization as first argument of the plot function. But that doesn't work for the SerialLink.plot or plot3d.

Peter Corke

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Nov 17, 2018, 5:41:47 PM11/17/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Hi Manuel,

you're using MATLAB capability that I'm not very familiar with. Are you compiling using the AppCompiler or mcc? There is at least one problem in that you have the Phased Array Toolbox installed which "shadows" some of the functions in my toolbox.

It might be best to contact MATLAB support about this, it seems more of a MATLAB problem than a RTB problem.

peter

manuel...@gmail.com

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Nov 17, 2018, 6:04:50 PM11/17/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Hi Peter,

I’m using the AppCompiler. I could try deactivating the Phased Array Toolbox, see if that helps.

Otherwise I’ll contact Matlab support.

But it’s not that important right now anyway – there’s a lot of work to do until I would actually benefit from the app distribution functionality – and if it won’t work in the end that would be also fine.

Thanks,

Manuel

Peter Corke

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Nov 17, 2018, 6:13:53 PM11/17/18

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

The app distribution capability is intriguing. I did experiment a bit with compiling to a CTF file which can be placed on a web server, which allows the app to effectively run in a web page, but the web server needs a lot of customisation.

peter

Message has been deleted

Manuel Vossel

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Nov 17, 2018, 9:18:11 PM11/17/18

to robotics...@googlegroups.com

Hi Peter,

I’m using the AppCompiler. I could try deactivating the Phased Array Toolbox, see if that helps.

Otherwise I’ll contact Matlab support.

But it’s not that important right now anyway – there’s a lot of work to do until I would actually benefit from the app distribution functionality – and if it won’t work in the end that would be also fine.

Thanks,

Manuel

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Mel

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Aug 19, 2020, 10:20:29 AM8/19/20

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Hi Manuel,

I'm referring to your email:

"Apart from that: Is it possible to do the visualization inside the app window? For normal graphs, I have to set the handle of the axes visualization as first argument of the plot function. But that doesn't work for the SerialLink.plot or plot3d."

Have you tried at the end if you are able to plot SerialLink in App Designer ?

Please help...

manuel...@gmail.com

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Aug 19, 2020, 1:17:34 PM8/19/20

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Hi Mel,

well, it's been quite some time since I used the RTB.

I just looked into the code from nearly two years ago - I ended up not using the SerialLink.plot at all.

Instead, I created STL files from the actual robot CAD and visualized those. The STL files I created with the same origin and orienation as the robot was defined from the RTB and then I used the SerialLink.A (or to whatever class this function belongs, the ones calculating the transformation matrix from the robot's base to any joint) function to get the transformation matrix and then shifted all points of the STL.

Best regards,

Manuel

Jay Tailor

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Jan 29, 2021, 5:36:02 PM1/29/21

to Robotics & Machine Vision Toolboxes

Hey Manuel and all in this thread -

I understand it has been a long time since you last responded. However, I was hoping to get some insight on how you worked with STL files and how to worked with RTB. Specifically can you please expand on :

- How you found the robots origin and orientation and used that to configure the STL files.

- How you got the T matric and shifted the points of the STL exactly.

I am facing this issue currently, where my STL files are being red but not creating the robot arm structure. I believe my problem is the parameters for the serial link object and the STL link files don't match. Thanks so much!

See some sample outputs I am getting at: https://groups.google.com/g/robotics-tool-box/c/n1xRGcAFghs/m/1dTt4zX0AAAJ