Generating Paths

You can create a well-defined path to paint by selecting surfaces and curves, and add approach and retract points that you can save in a template for reuse.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
Creating a Surface Sequence
Generating Surface Tasks
Surface Trajectory Dialog Box

Generate Paths on Surfaces

You can automatically create a well-defined path to paint by selecting surfaces and curves in the work area.

Upon selecting the surfaces to be painted, the resulting default path can be customized in many ways to suit your application.

Click Play to watch the video:

  1. From the Surface section of the action bar, click Surface Trajectory .

    You are prompted to select a resource to create the trajectory under. Upon selecting a robot, the Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.



    You can enter a Trajectory Name that differs from the provided default name.

  2. In the work area, select a surface or curve to generate a path upon.

    A preview of the initial path appears on the selected geometry.



    The Surface Trajectory panel expands to provide Path and Stroke tabs, providing options for Distance between Strokes, Path Parameters, and Defining Offsets. Options for Approach Retract Templates and List of Points are also provided.



    The preview is updated in the work area as options are modified in the Surface Trajectory panel.

  3. In the Surface Trajectory panel, click Add/remove geometries to generate surface path to select surfaces for the trajectory.

    The path preview becomes hidden, and you can select surfaces in the work area to add or remove them from the Geometries list as required.



    A context toolbar appears and provides commands for the following functions:



    Reset selection removes any selections you have made since starting the Add/remove geometries to generate surface path command.
    Toggles between Single surface selection (only the selected surface is selected) and Automatic adjacent surface selection (surfaces adjacent to the selected surface are also automatically selected).
    When selected, Body Normals are indicated by an arrow pointing from the selected surface. You can click on the displayed body normal to reverse its direction.
    Click Select mask surface(s) or closed curve(s) to select surfaces that will act as a mask as described in Generate a Path Within a Defined Boundary.
    Exit ends the Add/remove geometries to generate surface path command.

    Click Exit when all necessary selections have been made and return to the Surface Trajectory dialog box.

  4. In the Path tab, define the following options:
    1. Strategy specifies whether the trajectory is traversed with alternate strokes in opposite directions (Zigzag) or with all strokes in the same direction (One-way).



    2. Via Pattern specifies whether the approach and depart point of two consecutive strokes are connected with an additional via point (Arc). The additional via point is offset from the Approach/Departure points by the value specified in Via Offset. When Line selected, no additional point is created.



    3. Distance between Strokes specifies either a Constant or Variable distance between strokes. When Variable is selected, the distance between strokes can be changed by either selecting a stroke in the work area and using the manipulator, or using the Distance to Next Stroke in the Stroke tab.



    4. In the Path Parameters section, Stroke Tolerance specifies a value used to determine where tag points are generated along the selected surface. Lower values result in a higher number of points generated and higher accuracy. You can select Skip Holes Larger Than and enter a hole size to be skipped. Path Extremeties allows you to create a Start Point and End Point at the beginning and end of the sequence, respectively. When selected, Alternate Tool Orientation flips the robot tool orientation at the beginning of every other stroke of the sequence.



    5. Reposition allows you to reorient and/or reposition the entire sequence using the orientation Robot. A context menu appears that allows you to apply or undo modifications and return to the Surface Trajectory dialog box.



  5. In the Stroke tab, Selected Stroke displays the list of individual strokes for selection when Distance between Strokes is set to Variable in the Path tab. When a stroke is selected, it is displayed in blue in the work area. You can specify the Distance to Next Stroke and Number of Approach Points and Number of Retract Points in the selected stroke.



  6. Approach Retract Templates are described in Create Approach and Retract Path Templates below.
  7. Click any point in the trajectory to access a context toolbar providing the following commands.

    Inserts a new point before the selected point in the trajctory.
    Toggles between locking and unlocking the selected point.
    Inserts a new via point after the selected point.
    Reverts changes made to the selected point.
    Deletes the selected point.
    Toggles between editing all axes of the selected point, or only the stroke direction axis.
    Toggles between showing and hiding the reach disc for the selected point.
    Exits the target manipulation mode.



  8. Once the trajectory has been defined, click OK in the Surface Trajectory panel.

    The trajectory is created and appears in the Behavior side tab of the browser.



Generate a Path from a Curve

You can generate a path from a curve. After the supporting surfaces are selected, strokes in the surface path have the shape of the selected curve.

  1. From the Surface section of the action bar, click Surface Trajectory .
    The Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.
  2. In the work area, select a curve.
    In the Surface Trajectory dialog box, Creation Mode is specified as Path from Curve.
  3. In the work area, select the supporting surfaces for the path.
  4. Click OK to create the surface trajectory.

Generate a Path on a Virtual Plane

You can create a surface trajectory on a virtual plane without geometry selection.

  1. From the Surface section of the action bar, click Surface Trajectory .
    The Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.
  2. Select Virtual Surface.


    You are prompted to select a plane.

  3. Using the plane selection context toolbar, select a plane in the work area.


    A default trajectory is created on the virtual surface and the Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.

  4. Use the tools provided by the Surface Trajectory dialog box (see Related Links, above) to define the path.

Generate a Path from a Curve Extrusion

You can create a surface trajectory on a virtual surface generated by an extruded sketch or connected curves of any shape.

In cases where you have many small surfaces with different surface normal orientation, it is difficult to create a trajectory such that you get clean long paint strokes with uniform paint deposition. This method allows you to create a virtual surface over the surfaces to paint by extruding a sketch or connected curves, and generate a surface trajectory on it with clean long strokes to a get a uniform paint deposition.

  1. From the Surface section of the action bar, click Surface Trajectory .
  2. Select a resource to create a surface trajectory under.

    The Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.



  3. Select Virtual Curve Extrusion.

    You are prompted to select a curve.

  4. Select a curve.

    • If you select a 3D curve, you are then prompted to select a plane with the Plane Selection context toolbar. On selecting a plane, a default trajectory is created.
    • If the selected curve is 2D, a perpendicular plane is automatically selected and a default trajectory is created.

    The default trajectory is created on a virtual extruded surface generated from the selected curve, and the Surface Trajectory dialog box appears with Geometries set to 1 Curve. If a 3D curve was selected, additional curves can be selected and added to Geometries.

  5. Use the Surface Trajectory dialog box to define the surface as needed, and click OK.


Generate a Path Within a Defined Boundary

You can create a surface trajectory with a defined boundary using support surfaces and masking surfaces. Support surfaces are the surfaces upon which the trajectory is created. Masking surfaces are surfaces that mask the supporting surfaces. The trajectory is then created either only on the masked area (Within mode), or only outside the masked area (Outside mode).

  1. From the Surface section of the action bar, click Surface Trajectory and select a robot.
    The Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.
  2. Select support surfaces in the work area.


  3. Click Add/remove geometries to generate surface path
    The context toolbar appears.
  4. From the context toolbar, click Select mask surfaces or closed curves .
    The Masking Entities dialog box appears.
  5. Select surfaces that will act act as a mask.

    Selected surfaces are added to the Masking Entities dialog box.



  6. Select Trajectory outside masked area if the trajectory is to appear outside of the masked area, and click Close.

    The resulting path excludes the masked area.



Create Approach and Retract Path Templates

You can create a multi-point Approach and Retract path and save it as a template for later use on other existing surface trajectories and sequences.

  1. Create a surface trajectory as described above, or double-click an exising trajectory to edit it.
    The Surface Trajectory dialog box appears.
  2. Click Reposition in the dialog box.
  3. Select an Approach point and click Insert new Approach point after selected point in the context toolbar.


  4. Move the new Approach point to the desired location.


  5. Select a Retract point and click on Insert new Retract before selected point in the context toolbar.


  6. Move the new Retract point to the desired location.


  7. From the context toolbar, click Exit .
  8. In the Surface Trajectory dialog box, click Approach Retract Templates.
  9. Click in the textbox for Approach.
    The Choose Template dialog box appears.
  10. Select New for both Library and Template, and enter a name for each.


  11. Click OK.
    The new Approach Library and Template names appear in the Surface Trajectory dialog box.



  12. Repeat Steps 9-11 for the Retract template.
  13. Click OK in the Surface Trajectory dialog box.
    The templates are stored in the specified libraries and available for later use.