simulation of actuators

[Salt]

I am working on a project where I need to simulate the walking of a robot. I
have been working weeks on trying to simulate the actuators to no avail. Is
it possible to import a graphic image (3 actuators) to use as an output that
will animate the actuator when a given set of inputs happen???????
Thank you
E Slater

[Geosphere]

Hello sir,
Does the actuators have to move continuously, or controlled by the program?
I maybe can help you with a small file - a dog running in a LabVIEW window.
PLease E-mail me for the file!

Greetings!

Koen Hoogstoel
Koen.Hoogstoel@ni.com

Salt wrote in message
news:NqTg4.1050$%_6.10631@nnrp2.rcsntx.swbell.net...
> I am working on a project where I need to simulate the walking of a robot.
I
> have been working weeks on trying to simulate the actuators to no avail.
Is
> it possible to import a graphic image (3 actuators) to use as an output
that
> will animate the actuator when a given set of inputs happen???????
> Thank you
> E Slater
>
>

[Tims]

Salt wrote:

> I am working on a project where I need to simulate the walking of a robot. I
> have been working weeks on trying to simulate the actuators to no avail. Is
> it possible to import a graphic image (3 actuators) to use as an output that
> will animate the actuator when a given set of inputs happen???????
> Thank you
> E Slater

Hi Salt

To display different pictures for different data values, I would use 'Picture Rings'.
With picture rings you can import different pictures on each panel and then the picture will change for each numeric value given.
If you don't want to see the borders of the picture ring on your graph the you can colour them transparent.

Hope this helps

Tim

[Greg_McKaskle2]

> > I am working on a project where I need to simulate the walking of a robot. I
> > have been working weeks on trying to simulate the actuators to no avail. Is
> > it possible to import a graphic image (3 actuators) to use as an output that
> > will animate the actuator when a given set of inputs happen???????

These picture ring approaches will work reasonably well if you have
a small number of states that the actuator can be in. The method
is basically the same as making hand animations in a flip book.

If you have a more general animation, then one approach is to use
the picture control toolkit. It allows you to parameterize the
drawing of a system. You end up building subVIs that draw portions
of the system given the parameters that affect them, and the
n they
call a subVI that draws anothe portion of the system until you
have the picture of the entire system drawn. When one of the
input parameters changes, then you call the subVIs again to
rebuild the picture.

There is an example of drawing a robotic arm that comes with the
picture control toolkit. Just to keep this sort of thing realistic,
the pictuer control toolkit is 2D drawing commands; so if you are
doing a 3D or more robot, then you need to do the math to map
them back into 2D; so it can turn out to be a bit of work if you
are doing something complicated.

Another approach is to look for an external package or an ActiveX
control that can parameterize a 3D model. There are quite a few
animation programs out there, and with OpenGL, this stuff is
within reach, but they are still usually more difficult to use
than the typical paint package.

Greg McKaskle