Frames

This page describes in detail the usage of the Frames Panel.

Contents

• Contents
• Frames
• Base Frame
• Create a new frame
• Leave Children in Place
• Preserve Transform

Frames

The frame panel displays all frames created and their associations as well as allows the creation of new frames based on the position of the active endpoint. See frames for detailed description of using frames.

A way to orient the world in which you're working. A frame is a point in 3D space, with x, y, and z coordinates as well as x, y, and z rotation information. Its purpose is to make other 3D objects relative to it by using its coordinate system. A frame is a container that can also have children, which reference the frame as their 0,0 point. As the frame moves, so do the children that reference it. Frames are rendered in the Intera 3D Viewer as planes.

When you open the Frames Panel in a new task, the base frame is present.

Base Frame

The absolute 0,0 point at the base of the robot. All other frames are relative to the base frame in some way. It is a constant that never moves and is the parent of every item in the task.

Create a new frame

To create a new frame, position the arm so the active toolpoint is in the location where the frame should be located, type the name of the new frame, then click the Add button. Clicking on the name of the frame after it is created brings up some additional options.

Leave Children in Place

Leave Children In Place and Preserve Transform are very similar concepts which determine what happens to the relationship between parent frames and their children when there is a change. The difference is 'Leave Children in Place' applies to the relationship with the children of the frame when updating the frames location or orientation, and 'Preserve Transform' applies to the relationship with the parent when selecting a different parent frame. In most situations, the default values are best.

Leave Children In Place - When updating the location of the frame, should the children of the frame (endpoints and child frames) remain in the same location relative to the base frame, thus changing their relationship with the parent or should their location in the base frame change, keeping their relationship with the parent?

• True: Maintain the location of children in the base frame and update the relationship to the parent.
• False (default): Update the location of the children in the base frame and keep the relationship to the parent.

Preserve Transform

When changing the parent frame of an existing frame, should the child frame stay in the same location and change the relationship with its parent frame, or should the child frame change location and maintain the relationship with its parent frame?

• True (default): The child frame will keep its location in the base frame, thus changing its relationship with its parent frame.
• False: The child frame will keep its relationship with its parent frame, thus changing its location in the base frame.

Here is an example of the concept in 2 dimensions: