Robotmaster Quick Start Guide

This guide provides a basic introduction to Robotmaster software. There is a basic overview of the user interface and options. Followed by a walkthrough of a programming a job for work cell with a six-axis robot manipulator.

Contents

1. Setup

   1. Installation

      1. Installation instructions should be available on the KB.

   2. Licensing

      1. For now, this is covered in separate doc for License Expert and in the RM KB. Rita posted this to the KB. We need to work out where that info will ultimately live.

2. Part Programming Guide

   1. Opening Robotmaster

   2. Important options

   3. Device and task windows

   4. 3D navigation

      1. Add CAD, run through the navigation options.

   5. Gnomons

      1. Best to show gnomon with walkthrough, Add cad, enter user coordinate system/frame, show how to move.

   6. Walkthrough

      1. Creating a new task

      2. Importing a CAD file

      3. Creating a contouring operation

      4. Loading a device

      5. Assigning an operation

      6. Calculating

      7. Simulating

Open Robotmaster

• Go to Windows Start > Robotmaster 2025.

Robotmaster main window

When Robotmaster opens for the first time, the main window will be empty with no device or tasks loaded. The main window is divided into several areas:

Main Menu

Access common commands such as New, Open, Save, Export, set global Options, and so on.

Device tab and Task tab

The pane on the left is divided into two tabs: Device and Task. The Device tab is used for robot cell programming. The Task tab is used for adding parts and creating paths and operations.

Scheduler and simulation

The time-based scheduler is used to simulate and schedule operations for the part program in Robotmaster.

Viewport and Viewport menu

The viewport is the main work area in Robotmaster where you will view and interact with 3D models of cells, robots, and workpieces.

Point list, Joint list, and Frame editor

Use this area to view and edit points, robot joint positions, and coordinate frames.

Add a new task

At this point in the walkthrough, let’s add a new task.

• In the Task pane, select [+] New task.

A new task called “Task 1” will be created. Note that Task 1 is now the active tab.

When a task tab is active in Robotmaster, several task-specific panels appear on the left:

• Parts: This is where parts in the task are listed. You can import parts in this area.

• Operations: Operations added in the task are listed here. You can create paths and operations for parts in this area.

• Custom frames: One or more reference frames for the CAD part are listed here.

For now, we’ve created a task. Next, let’s add a part to the task.

Import a part

1. Select the Task 1 tab.

2. In the Parts panel, select [+].

   

3. Browse to the following folder:

   • C:\Users\Public\Documents\Robotmaster 2025\Samples\CAD

4. Select Large_Dome.stp.

5. Click Open.

A part called “Large_Dome” will be added to the task. The CAD for the part will be visible in the viewport.

Now that the part is imported, let’s inspect it in more detail.

Organizing the CAD model for a part

• In the Parts panel, click the expand button next to the part to view CAD model details.

You can explore the CAD for any part in this tree view. Depending on how the part was drawn in the source CAD file and the CAD file format, it might consist of wires, mesh, points, surfaces, and solids.

In this case, the “Large_Dome” CAD model contains two solid bodies. One body is the dome-shaped part, the other body is the work table.

You can see which is which using the show/hide button.

In Robotmaster, there are three available types for parts:

• Workpiece

• Fixture

• Stock

Workpiece is used for the actual part; the material that requires robotic operations performed on it. Fixture is used for CAD that doesn’t require any robotic operations, it may represent an object that holds the workpiece in place or a surface that the workpiece rests on. Stock is typically used for original stock material that will not be part of the finished workpiece.

If you right-click the Large_Dome item in the Parts panel, it shows that the entire part is set to Workpiece.

We will need to separate the two solid bodies into different parts to differentiate the workpiece from the fixture.

1. Right-click Solid#2, then select Move geometry to new part.

   

   A new part called Large_Dome 1 will be created in the Parts panel. This is the work table.

2. Right-click Large_Dome 1 and change the type to Fixture.

   

   The work table solid body is now classified as a Fixture. Note that it now has a fixture icon.

   

3. Double-click the new part and rename it something that will make it easy to identify, like “Base Fixture.”

   

With the part added and CAD correctly organized, let’s take a brief look at using the 3D viewport.

Getting familiar with the viewport

As you interact with a part in the viewport, there are some basic default mouse controls.

Mouse actions		Result
	Mouse wheel up	Zoom out
	Mouse wheel down	Zoom in
	Mouse wheel click and drag	Pan
	CTRL key + Mouse wheel click and drag	Rotate

The Viewport menu contains task-specific viewport controls, including:

• Normal views (Isometric, Top, Right, Bottom, and so on).

• Show/hide workpiece, paths, and fixtures.

• Selection controls

• Snapping controls

• Measurement tool

These are useful tools which can help as you work in Robotmaster.

Try switching between normal views:

1. In the viewport menu, select View settings > Top.

   

   The viewport will show a Top view.

2. Select View settings > Isometric.

   

Change color in RM.

Reference frames in Robotmaster allow coordinate systems to be specified for several different components. Some important frames include:

Transforms, frames

Gnomon

Move origin

Move along axis

Move along plane

Rotate about axis

Align axis with external geometry (click the round ball mid axis, then select point).

Right-click to cancel out

Add a contouring operation

Define paths for the operation

Load a device

In Robotmaster, a robot cell is considered a “device”.

Robotmaster comes pre-loaded with several default work cells, including robots and cell components like tables and fences.

1. Select the Device tab.

2. Select Load a device.

   

3. Set Brand to Robotmaster.

4. Select ROBOTMASTER_2.7 from the list.

   

With the robot device loaded and the Device tab active, a model of the robot cell will appear in the viewport.

In Device mode, device-specific panels will appear on the left:

• Operations: Shows the currently loaded device (cell), setup, and program.

• Unassigned operations: Any operations created in the job that are not yet assigned to a program are listed here.

• Frames: Reference frames appear here.

At this point, we have a device loaded and a task is created. However the task is empty. Next, let’s import a part and add a simple contouring operation for it.

Options

Use Options configure the general behavior of Robotmaster.

To open Robotmaster Options:

• Select the Main Menu button > Options.

Some common options that you may want to adjust:

3D Navigation style

Several styles are available for interacting with the 3D viewport.

Joint moves color and Cartesian moves color

Set the

Frames and using the gnomon

Reference frames in Robotmaster allow coordinate systems to be specified for several different components. Some important frames include:

Base frame: Coordinate system at the base of the robot. Stationary point on which other frames are based.

Tool frame or TCP: defines position and orientation of the tip of the tool, relative to J6.

User frame: Defines the position and orientation of the part. Defined with respect to the base frame.

nents.

Import a part.

Change the user frame.

Use example 3D part, have them change the origin