Release note Software version 3.6.x.x

For CB-Series only

The first release note is placed at bottom of this and describes the most important improvements from version 3.5.x.x to 3.6.x.x

The latest software version is at the top of this article.

Release Notes 3.6.1 – July 03, 2018

Released Versions

UR Software: 3.6.1.30595
- Joint firmware: 3.11.4
URSim: 3.6.1 (internal version 3.0.595)
URSim Virtual Machine: 3.6.1
Robot Image CB3.0, CB3.1: 3.6.1
Support Log Reader: 3.6.1

New features:

Joint firmware:
- Improved robot position control while shutting power down.

Bug Fixes:

PolyScope GUI & URCap Software Platform:
- Fixed issue where a dialog with a "IllegalStateException: No node currently selected." java exception would appear when the user interacted with the 'Command' tab screen for a URCap program node after loading a program (containing URCap program nodes).

Release Notes 3.6.0 -- June 18, 2018

Released Versions

UR Software: 3.6.0.30507
UR Firmware 3.12.3
Manual: 3.6.0
URSim: 3.6.0
URSim Virtual Machine: 3.6.0
Support Log Reader: 3.6.0
URCap Software Platform:

URCap API: .1.3.0
URCap SDK: 1.3.55

Key Features

Improved feature plane creation
Improved Waypoint linking
Improved search functions and navigation within the program tree
Provided further support for sorting variables in the 'Program' tab and on the 'Run' screen
Made three new languages available for the User Manual and PolyScope GUI: Romanian (RO), Hungarian (HU), and Traditional Chinese (ZT).
URCap API: Provided support for PolyScope installation and program node contributions with Swing-based user interface

PolyScope GUI

Made three new languages available on PolyScope: Romanian (RO), Hungarian (HU), and Traditional Chinese (ZT).
Made the text field in the 'Assignment' program's 'Assignment' dialog automatically ready for typing input and the 'Enter' key accepts the value.
Improved explanation for 'BeforeStart' and 'AfterEnd' program nodes. These can be added in both 'Pallet' and 'Seek' program nodes. Programs containing 'BeforeStart' nodes created in 3.6 cannot be loaded into 3.5 or earlier.
Enabled the 'Freedrive' button to access the 'Backdrive' by pressing the GUI button (located on the Move screen) when the robot is in Idle Mode.
Improved the search function and navigation within the program tree when the program tree panel is expanded.

Improved the layout of the 'Command' tab screen for the Waypoint Program node.
Explicit linking of Fixed and Relative Waypoints: Waypoints are now linked and unlinked using a dedicated button on the 'Command' tab screen for the Waypoint Program Node. In previous software versions, linking of Waypoints was achieved by assigning multiple Waypoints the same name, while unlinking occurred when a linked Waypoint was given a new unique name.

Improved mapping of TCP position and orientation to robot movement in Move Tab. Axis labels and coloring are shown when "Show axes" are enabled in the installation.

Safe Handling of Installation Files: Ensured that when programs are saved, they contain the safety checksum so users cannot unwillingly run a program with modified safety settings. The following work flows have changed:

When loading a program, the installation is automatically loaded. Now, there is no longer a pop-up.
If the safety settings in the installation does not match the one in the program, a program can only be loaded in "Programmer Mode" until it is verified to be safe.
When applying a new safety configuration or loading an installation with a safety configuration different from the active one (i.e., a configuration with a different safety checksum), a "Safety settings have changed" tooltip is now displayed under the safety checksum in the PolyScope header.

Adjusted our interface to show when a program node becomes undefined. A program node with an expression (e.g., an 'If' node) using an installation entity, such as an installation variable or a feature, now becomes undefined when that entity is deleted or missing in the installation. To identify if the program node is undefined, the expression text field is highlighted with a yellow border and the actual expression is shown in italics.

Improved feature plane creation. Created steps for users to correctly orient the y-axis of planes.

Adjusted the wording of the default TCP selection for a new 'Move' node to 'Use Active TCP' instead of 'Use Tool Flange'.
Made variables sortable in the Run -, Program - and Installation screen.
Improved and simplified the text in the "Set Installation for Program?" dialog box that appears when loading an installation that differs from the installation used by the current program. This dialog prompt asks the user if they want to update the current program. If the user selects "yes," the current program becomes associated with the new installation which ensures the installation will be loaded simultaneously when loading the program in the future. The text now includes the name of the installation being loaded, as well as the program's active installation.

Controller

Added script function get_tcp_offset() which returns the active TCP offset.
Extended get_forward_kin() with optional arguments for specifying joint angles and TCP.
Extended get_inverse_kin() with optional argument for specifying TCP.
Reset revolution counter for UR3 Wrist 3 when the joint position limit switches from "unrestricted" to "restricted."
Provided more detailed information regarding the current state of kinematics calibration in both the Controller and PolyScope logs.

URCap Software Platform

Disclaimer when updating to PolyScope 3.6:

There might be crucial updates to any URCaps in your application, that are designed for this release.

Please consult your Universal Robots+ partner for their latest URCaps software.

Internal process: UR Software first, then URCap

URCap API:
- See new API interfaces 'SwingInstallationNodeService' and 'SwingInstallationNodeView' in the new 'contribution.installation' Java package.
- See new API interfaces 'SwingProgramNodeService' and 'SwingProgramNodeView' in the new 'contribution.program' Java package.
- Provided support for PolyScope undo/redo functionality for program node contributions. All functionality is in the new 'domain.undoredo' Java package. This functionality is only relevant for URCap program nodes with Swing-based user interfaces.
- Provided support for showing a virtual keyboard (for text fields) and validating user input. See the new 'userinteraction.keyboard' and 'userinteraction.inputvalidation' domain Java packages.
- Divided the 'URCapAPI' interface into separate application/functional API interfaces:
- See new "URCap Software Development Tutorial Swing" document in the URCap SDK for more details

Provided more support for PolyScope installation and program node contributions with Swing-based user interface (as opposed to HTML-based):

URCap SDK
- User Input: Demonstrates the new API features for requesting user input using the virtual keyboard as well user input validation. The sample uses different types of virtual keyboards.
  - Hello World Swing
  - My Daemon Swing
  - Script Function Swing
  - Pick or Place Swing
  - Ellipse Swing
  - Cycle Counter Swing
  - Idle Time Swing
  - Localization Swing
- The name displayed in the 'URCaps' section in the 'Setup Robot' screen when installing the URCap
- The name of the URCap in the section "10: URCap examples overview" of the URCap tutorial
- The name of the button in the 'Structure' corresponding to the URCap program node contribution type
- The title of the custom 'Command' tab screen for the URCap program contribution
- The title of the custom screen for the URCap installation contribution
- Added a new document, "URCap Software Development Tutorial Swing," that explains how to develop a URCap with Swing-based user interface (urcap_tutorial_swing.pdf file)
- Added a new document, "URCap Converting to Swing," that describes how to convert an existing HTML-based URCap to a Swing-based URCap (converting_to_swing.pdf file)

Added new sample URCaps demonstrating new API support for installation and program node contributions with a Swing-based user interface (see section "10: URCap examples overview" of the URCap tutorial for more details):
Aligned the names for each URCap sample (both HTML- and Swing-based) in the following places:
Improved user interface layouts and word choices on the URCap sample screens (both HTML- and Swing-based)
Documents:

Provided a detailed error description if an error occurs in the binding of HTML widgets to Java backend components in a URCap. When a URCap screen with a binding error is entered, the user interface provided by the URCap is replaced by a screen displaying information about the error.

Manual

Made three new User Manual languages available: Romanian (RO), Hungarian (HU), and Traditional Chinese (ZT).

Support Log Reader (SLR)

Made log entries display with world time and date.

BuG fixes

Controller

Fixed the issue of the controller reporting to PolyScope that the robot is in Normal Mode when it was in Recovery or Reduced Mode.
Fixed an issue with MoveJ when moving to the robot’s current pose. In some cases, this could cause the robot to move to a different joint configuration with the same pose.
Improved detection of compile errors when the script language statements 'continue' and 'break' are not declared within a loop.

PolyScope GUI

Fixed program save indicator to not show unsaved changes when declining to load installation.
Fixed behavior of the 'Save' button in the Script Editor. The button is now only enabled if there are unsaved changes. On a newly created script, you must click 'Save As' first.
Fixed validation error message to include upper limit on 'Pattern' node.
Discontinued the ability to paste an 'Elseif' node under an 'Else' node in the program tree.
Fixed issue that appears when the 'Program Template' shows error popup in Russian.
Fixed issue that occurs when the disabled 'Home' button on the 'Move Tab' becomes enabled after returning from the pose editor.
Corrected the value for Imperial units on the 'Speed max' label in the 'Advanced Safety Configuration Tab.'
Corrected limits in error message for Imperial units for the 'Tool Speed' limit field.
Adjusted the non-ASCII characters in the installation variable name to prevent errors from occurring in a program.
Adjusted the 'suppressed assignment' node to remove a variable after undoing creation of the Assignment node.
Modified the blend radius to update after changing a Waypoint node type.
Changed the button in the Structure Tab and the node title in the program tree to English for the Conveyor Tracking Program node when there is a non-English system language and the 'English programming' option is selected in the language settings in the 'Setup Robot' screen.
Fixed a bug where switching the type of Script node would not be reflected in the program tree.
Fixed Restart in language and time setup screens to only become enabled when there are changes.
Adjusted the Set Waypoint button to display 'The Robot Cannot Proceed with Normal Operation' in a popup dialog box when the robot is in Power Off Mode.
Fixed a bug where a program could not run if saved using special characters in the filename.
Fixed multiple Event nodes so that the code generation order is no longer incorrect.
Adjusted the installation to be marked as having unsaved changes when a URCap removes a key from its data model.
Modified the 'programState' to correctly return the result for long-named programs when running a program through the DashBoard Server.
Adjusted the effects of calling "quit" on the DashBoard Server to return the expected response string.
Fixed the issue with the navigation arrows within the Online Help.
Adjusted the screen to remain on the Installation Tab instead of switching to the Welcome screen when resolving safety errors.
Fixed the issue of the missing robot shadow when returning from the Pose Editor.
Resolved the issue of the Protective Stop not allowing the process to continue while performing Dual Arm Calibration.
Resolved the issue where a program variable is missing from the installation causes an error dialog.
Ensured the search field properly clears a search when a new program is loaded.
Increased robustness for missing Serial Number when loading PolyScope.
Ensured the order of Event nodes is correctly represented in the script.
Ensured Program nodes update when analog inputs/outputs change.
Restricted the linking of non-matching waypoint types to only be able to link with the same types.
Restricted the threads from being defined within subprograms.
Resolved the issues that occur when loading a program with installations where installation variables are used.
Fixed the issue where a Java exception could occur when saving a program with a subprogram containing URCap Program nodes.
Corrected the indentation of the content list on the Online Help.

URCap Software Platform

Fixed a bug that prohibited a Waypoint node added to a MoveL with a selected variable to update when the feature changed.
Fixed a bug in the Ellipse Sample in the URCap SDK that demonstrated caching a value from the data model.
Fixed a bug where the URCap API instance was not available immediately (in the activator) when a URCap starts.
Fixed the issue where a Java exception could occur when saving a program with a subprogram containing URCap program nodes.
Modified the installation to be marked as having unsaved changes when a URCap removes a key from its data model.

Manuals

Fixed the incorrect return value description for 'pose_dist()' script function in the Script Manual.