software simulation

    RoboDK's free version is a pretty good intro. I'd say use that for a while to decide if you want to pay for the licensed version.

    AFAIK, RDK is the cheapest simulator for most robot brands. It's not as fancy or feature-complete as, say, ProcessSimulate, but PS can cost $20000 per user per year, plus I've heard the initial purchase can run as high as $150000. No, that's not a typo.

    The major robot brands have their own in-house simulation software packs, but each one is brand-specific -- Fanuc RoboGuide only works for Fanucs, ABB RobotStudio only works for ABBs, etc. Cheaper than PS, but more limited.

    RoboDk will also provide a trial license if you contact them.

    I was able to test a few of the advanced features out during that time.

    I would suggest to try and think of use cases before starting the trial, so that you can learn with a target goal in mind rather then just playing around.

    For example, i used my trial to test the 'Path Follow' feature to test a dispensing application.

    Just thought I would add especially as you're new please do not expect/assume that all third party vendors can act as 100% substitute for specific OEM product learning.

    Whilst they can successfully be used for a variety of OEM Robots, they may not include specific features and functions that the OEM simulation applications provide which may include teach pendants, built in macros and specific settings and configurations for known applications.

    So I would always look into the OEM offerings, basic training and also OEM simulation training to provide a good grounding of fundamental understanding so that when using third party offerings, how they are producing, generating and implementing programs and coding are more understandable and improve troubleshooting when using in conjunction with the live OEM robot of choice.

    You could end up going down a path directed by the third party offering and missing out on some really useful features already provided by the OEM as default.

    As you can also appreciate, OEM's may steer clear of being able to support you technically if you contact them with issues where third party applications are being used instead and vice versa which leaves you in no mans land like:

    'Oh that is a problem with the xxxx vendor of the application, not our robot.'

    'Oh that is a problem with the robot vendor not our application.'

    Just food for thought, but I do like RoboDK and fully endorse this as good starter for 10.

    Plus you also have the advantage of Jeremy RoboDK being a resident here whom makes fantastic demo's and a dedicated board for RoboDK who's always available for some assistance..... :top:

    I would recommend Visual Components 3D simulation software. It maintains numerous robot brands and offers huge number of educational materials (for free). They offer a 30-day demo license and a relatively flexible policy with licenses for different periods of time and usage.

    Of course, prices are similar to their competitors.

    Good morning everybody,
    We are implementing a 6-axis Kuka robot for teaching and research purposes. When purchasing, we obtained a Kuka.SIM license, but as we don't have much experience, I have doubts as to whether it is sufficient for our demands.
    We intend to develop activities with machining, but also additive manufacturing and pick and place. They are offering us other programs such as Kuka|PRC (free), RobotDK and Robotmaster and SprutCAM. We use several CAD programs such as Rhino3D and Fusion360.
    Now my question is what the Kuka.SIM limit is and whether we really need to buy new programs for our activities. What do other programs offer that we don't have in Kuka.SIM?

    So, the root issue here is that there's a divide between "the best robot simulator", and "the best application simulator."

    Take a machining operation. SprutCAM is probably better at generating cutting paths from the 3D model, but KUKA.Sim is going to be better at simulating how a KUKA robot will behave while executing those cutting paths.

    3rd-party tools like SprutCAM and RoboDK will probably need brand-specific add-ons (postprocessors) to generate executable robot code -- a postprocessor for a Fanuc cannot generate KUKA code, and so on. So getting a fully detailed and complete list of the core software and all required add-ons is necessary to perform an honest cost comparison.

    Frankly, I would recommend starting with the Free version of RoboDK. It's somewhat crippled, but not time-limited, so it'll be a good way to get a handle on some of the issues -- even if, say, SprutCAM turns out to be better for your use case, experience with RoboDK can help you learn what questions to ask. You can also get a 30-day demo license for KUKA.Sim, but you'll have to move quickly to get a handle on its strengths and weaknesses.

    The main thing to remember is: there is no perfect simulation. And the more complex the path, the more you run into "the map is not the territory". Especially for CNC and Additive Manufacturing, which are uses cases that attack robots where they're weakest. There's no magic "push button, get part" experience -- almost every program will require some careful tweaking. Some of the software packages may give you better tools for controlling things like ramp-in, ramp-out, look-ahead flow rate control, etc.

    Quote from SkyeFire

    Frankly, I would recommend starting with the Free version of RoboDK. It's somewhat crippled, but not time-limited, so it'll be a good way to get a handle on some of the issues -- even if, say, SprutCAM turns out to be better for your use case, experience with RoboDK can help you learn what questions to ask. You can also get a 30-day demo license for KUKA.Sim, but you'll have to move quickly to get a handle on its strengths and weaknesses.

    I forgot to mention that we are a university and we already have the Kuka.SIM with educational license. We can also buy SprutCAM for the price of RobotDK (~$4,000).

    Quote from alex_robodk

    If you are a university, RoboDK licenses are only 145 dollars. You can also contact us for classroom options.

    Yes, this price is very good, but in our case, the university is a public service and hardly has constant resources for software. In this case, we are forced to opt for software with a perpetual/permanent license.
    In the current scenario, with many people migrating to annual licenses, this puts us in check because we cannot risk training ourselves in software and its procedures if we are at risk of soon needing to stop production due to the lack of resources to purchase a renewal.

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