Release Notes for RobotStudio 2023.4
General
The release name is RobotStudio 2023.4 and the build number is 23.4.10603.0. The build date is December 13, 2023.
New Functionality
Exclude occluded geometry when exporting to 2D drawing
Added an option to exclude geometry that is not visible from the selected viewpoint when exporting the station to a 2D drawing in DXF or SVG format.
This can significantly reduce the size of the resulting file and the time to generate it.
Add-Ins Gallery updated
The appearance of the Add-Ins Gallery has been updated.
There are now different tabs for RobotWare (including Add-Ins), RobotStudio Add-Ins and RobotStudio Models. This replaces the functionality for filtering by Tags.
For RobotStudio Models, it is possible to install all or multiple selected packages in one operation.
The Add-Ins browser has also been updated with folders instead of headers for the different package categories.
Dedicated Panel for Collision Free Path results
A dedicated panel has been implemented for displaying all results related to collision-free paths. If a path cannot be created due to a collision at the target or if the target is unreachable, users can easily visualize the error by double-clicking on the error item.
Freehand Move and Rotate combined
The freehand "Move" and "Rotate" modes have been combined into a single "Move and Rotate" mode. Labels have also been added to the items in the Freehand menu.
Before:
After:
When moving or rotating an object the offset from the start position is displayed next to the axis. It is also possible to manually type in an offset.
Select the "Reference" option in the dropdown menu to show the position relative to the selected reference coordinate system, instead of the offset from the start position.
Press the Ctrl key when moving or rotating to snap to increments. Press Ctrl+Shift to snap to fine increments. For linear movement the size of the increments depends on the zoom level. For rotation the increments are 5 degrees and the fine increments are 1 degree.
Use the plane handles to move the object along the selected plane.
Keyboard shortcuts guide
A guide of available keyboard and mouse actions has been added to the 3D graphics view.
By default, the guide shows the keys used for navigating the 3D view. When using freehand manipulation, the guide shows keys for incremental and precision movement.
The guide can be shown and hidden from the Graphics Tools - Settings menu or with the Ctrl+Space keyboard shortcut.
The default visibility of the guide can be set in Options - Graphics - Appearance.
New unified UI for opening local projects
There is now a new view "This PC" under File > Open > Local for viewing and opening local projects.
The "Recent" view under File > Open has also been redesigned with a similar appearance.
New Virtual Controller updated
The user interface for creating a new Virtual Controller has been updated. This is used when creating a new Project or adding a new Virtual Controller.
The robot model is now selected first, then the robot variant. A thumbnail is shown for the robot model.
When creating a Virtual Controller from a backup, it is now possible to remove RobotWare add-ins from the controller.
Note that this might cause the controller to malfunction, for example if there is RAPID code that depends on the add-in.
Nonstandard datatypes in OPC UA Client
The OPC UA smart component now supports some nonstandard datatypes. If the datatype tree on the OPC UA server contains subtypes of the standard types, they will be recognized by the smart component. For example, arrays of the BYTE datatype with ID 3001 (common on Siemens PLCs) can now be used.
Notification Center
Added a popup for showing different kinds of user notifications.
The popup is opened by clicking the Notification icon in the title bar. The icon has a blue dot if there are any new (unread) notifications.
Notifications include updates for RobotStudio and add-ins, new and updated simulation models and license information.
Rename signals and properties
Station and Smart Component signals and properties can now be renamed by right-clicking the signal or property in the Station Logic Design tab and selecting "Properties". Previously the field for the signal name was read-only.
Show virtual network
For RobotWare 7.13 or later, "Virtual" networks are displayed in the controller tree.
Simulation models distributed separately
Simulation models for robots and other equipment are no longer included in the RobotStudio distribution. This means that the distribution is significantly smaller, and models can be added or updated without having to update RobotStudio. The models are distributed as packages that can be installed from the Add-Ins Gallery.
Model packages can also be installed on-demand from the ABB Library menu or when creating a new Virtual Controller. A model that is not installed is indicated by a download symbol.
Smart Component Combine/Split
It is now possible to select multiple Smart Components and combine them into a single component. A Smart Component can also be split it into its components.
Combine:
Split:
Smart Component multi-selection
Smart Components, I/O connections and property bindings can now be multi-selected by keeping the Shift key pressed down while clicking on the objects in the design view. This makes it easier to move or delete multiple objects at once. Moving Smart Components can now be undone with Ctrl+Z, which also works for "Auto Arrange".
Multiple Smart Components can also be selected by clicking on the background and dragging a selection rectangle around the Smart Components. If the SHIFT key is pressed while rectangle selecting, the selected Smart Components are added to the current selection.
Improvements
Connect to Controller: Remember Last Opened Tab
Connect to Controller window will now remember the last opened tab and open that one next time the window is opened.
Safety category in Jobs
It is now possible to select the safety event log category in 'Search Event Logs' and 'Save Event Logs' jobs.
Keep reference coordinate system when switching selection
The reference coordinate system in tool windows is now kept the same when changing the selected object. This applies to "Set Position", "Offset Position", "Rotate", "Place object", "Set Local Origin" and "Duplicate".
Remember settings in Connect to Controller dialog
The check box values in the Connect to Controller window are now remembered between sessions.
Signal Analyzer: Stress Index signals disabled for non-compact gearboxes
Stress Index signals in Signal Setup will now be disabled for joints that do not have compact gearboxes with a tooltip describing the reason.
Sort tools and workobjects
Tools and workobjects in the ribbon are now sorted in alphabetical order.
UX improvements in Modify Installation dialog
A number of improvements have been made in Modify Installation dialog in RobotStudio 2023.4 to make it more user friendly.
Examples of such improvements are the following:
- color coding and icons are used to better visualize changes in the summary
- a custom dialog is now used when creating an Installation Package
- confirmation messages are added when exporting/importing option configuration settings files
- it is possible to view a license contents in the license editor, by positioning mouse pointer on a license file
- latest software versions are displayed first when trying to update and add software
- using name "options" instead of "feature" to better align with official terminology
- customizing software installation order is now accessed via a small button in the Included Software dialog
Information
Calibrate camera and save calibration data to a file
In the procedure of calibrating the camera in RobotStudio, it is possible to save the calibration data to a file on the camera's disk.
From version 2023.4 of RobotStudio, it is necessary to finish the calibration procedure before it is possible to save the calibration data to a file.
Corrections
| PDD | |
|---|---|
| 15104 | Fatal error from graphic card related changes Resolved a critical bug that caused RobotStudio to crash due to graphics card-related errors. These errors could occur in various situations, such as when the graphics card is forcibly disabled or computer entering sleep mode. The update features improved error handling, which allows the software to handle such scenarios more gracefully, preventing crashes and enhancing overall stability. |
| 15188 | Path Editor Exception - "An Item with the same key has already been added" An exception that could occur when opening the Path Editor will no longer do so. |
| Fatal error when moving a window between tab groups Fixed a crash that could occur when moving a document window (for example RAPID editor) between tab groups. | |
| Exception when unpacking Pack&Go with non-English characters Use of non-English characters sometimes caused exceptions when unpacking a Pack&Go. This is now fixed. | |
| IRB 5510 base frame not updated to side of the line Fixed an issue when creating an IRB5510 system 'From Layout' and selecting a side of the line, the base frame was not updated accordingly. | |
| VR: Mouse movement in ApplicationWindowPanel Fixed an issue with simulated mouse movement when using the ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component in VR. | |
| VR: Right-click in ApplicationWindowPanel When using the ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component in VR, mouse right-click can now be simulated by pressing the secondary (grip) trigger on the right-hand VR controller. | |
| VR: IRC5 Virtual FlexPendant popups removed If an ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component was used to display the IRC5 Virtual Flexpendant in VR, popups in the FlexPendant (such as Event Log) would not stay open. This issue has been fixed. | |
| ApplicationWindowPanel scaling issue The ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component now renders correctly in a multi-monitor environment with different scaling settings on the monitors. | |
| ApplicationWindowPanel slows down RobotStudio Fixed an issue with the ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component that could slow down RobotStudio if the specified window was not found. | |
| Physics Cable strange behavior when robot is moved Fixed a bug that could cause a physics cable to become entangled when the object it is attached to is moved a long distance. | |
| Exception when configuring I/O network on E10 controller The functionality to configure the I/O network is now blocked for controllers that do not have an I/O network, such as the E10 controller. | |
| Slow response when using Snap Fixed a performance problem that could cause RobotStudio to become unresponsive when "Selection preview" was enabled and "Snap End" or "Snap Mid" was activated. | |
| System diagnostics from virtual controller It is now possible from RobotWare version 7.6 and onward to create System Diagnostics on virtual controllers. | |
| System from layout - IRB5510 system failure state Fixed an issue where the controller would go into a system failure state if combined with any non-paint robots. This combination is now not allowed. | |
| UCS icon not appearing Fixed an issue where the UCS icon would not appear in Paths & Targets tab when setting UCS. | |
| Issue with SetBrush indicators in Path & Procedures view Fixed a regression introduced in 2023.2 where trigger indicators for SetBrush instructions in the Paths & Procedures browser were missing. They are now displayed as status icons.  | |
| Auto Configuration fails Fixed a an error in Auto Configuration that could occur if a target was very close to the limits of the robot working range. | |
| Fatal Error in the Create Controller from Layout window Fixed a Fatal Error that happened when a specific set of invalid characters ('<', '>', '"' or '|') where typed into the Name or Location text boxes in the Create Controller from Layout window. | |
| Error after closing the project Fixed an error that could occur when interacting with a browser window after the project was closed. | |
| Connect to Controller: RobotWare version In 'Connect to Controller > Virtual Controllers' the RobotWare version will now be displayed, rather than the RobotControl version. | |
| Virtual Controller included in Pack & Go The whole Virtual Controller folder was included when performing Pack & Go, which could make the package unnecessarily large. This has been fixed. | |
| SmartComponent - Graphic Switch + Highlighter not working together Graphic Switch and Highlighter interacted in the wrong way before. Graphic Switch will no longer toggle a part to become invisible if it's already visible because it is highlighted. | |
| Collision geometry regenerated when not needed Previously collision geometries were regenerated even when the shape of objects was unchanged, such as for translations. They will now be regenerated only when necessary. | |
| Crash when installing under drive root Fixed a crash that could occur if RobotStudio was installed directly under the root of a drive, e.g. in C:\RobotStudio. | |
| VR: ApplicationWindowPanel FlexPendant click issue Fixed an issue when using the ApplicationWindowPanel Smart Component to display the virtual FlexPendant in VR. The issue made it hard to click on lines and buttons in the OmniCore code editor, since a mouse drag operation was started in the FlexPendant instead of a click. | |
| Linear TCP acceleration in world is not supported in Signal Analyzer Online The signal Linear TCP Acceleration in World was not available for Signal Analyzer Online. It is now available. | |
| Double popup windows for Output messages Fixed an issue that could cause two popup windows to be shown when double-clicking a message in Output. | |
| Library files installed under ABB Library not visible Library files installed by other products under ABB Library in the RobotStudio installation folder are now displayed in the "Import Library" menu. | |
| Incorrect controller name in Connect to Controller In the Connect to Controller dialog, the system name was incorrectly shown under "Controller Name" for IRC5 controllers. This has been fixed. | |
| Custom installation error If performing a custom installation of RobotStudio with only "RobotStudio Online" selected, the application could not be started. This has been fixed. | |
| Exception when creating Virtual Controller from backup Fixed an error that could occur when creating a new Virtual Controller from a backup of a RobotWare 7.12 controller. | |
| Exception when using non-default Run Mode Settings Fixed an exception that happened when changing the operating mode if the Run Mode Settings did not have default settings. |