Detailed process of generating URDF file from SW model

• explain ： As an electronic control player , I thought I wouldn't touch it solidworks, Especially from sw Model to urdf This extremely tedious process . But when I found that the salted fish needed a conversion 50-70 block , I decided to do the work myself .
• I met a lot bug, I hope it will be helpful for those who need to do this work . Players with relevant questions are welcome to contact me ：[email protected]

1. Common shortcut keys

1. Hold down the middle mouse button —— Rotating model
2. Tab(Shift+Tab)—— hide ( Show ) The part where the mouse is located
3. Space —— Select View
4. Right click the engineering head on the right , choice Display with dependencies , All parts can be displayed , Include hidden parts

2. Operation process

（1） Determine the reference axis , Coordinate system

i. First select the datum axis , And select a corresponding point （ Used to generate the coordinate system ）, The reference axis is the rotation of each joint / Moving axis
ii. Choose a coordinate system , Generally, it only needs Determine the origin and z Axis direction that will do , Be careful z Positive and negative of the axis direction , In some cases, this will affect the display of the model .（ such as base_link Of z If the shaft is reversed , The whole model is rviz Will be realized as inversion ）
Be careful ！！
1. When selecting the datum axis, it is necessary to flexibly use part concealment , To find the most appropriate position for the rotation axis , When selecting, you can locate the axis as long as you select the face centered on the axis .
2. When generating the coordinate system , Make sure that the coordinate system is successfully generated , Because sometimes the point and axis may not be set correctly , Generating the coordinate system will fail , This will affect the files generated later .

（2） Generate joint and link

i. Tools --> File --> Export as URDF, Enter plug-in
ii. from base_link To end_link, Select each in turn link Corresponding joint, Model and reference coordinate system .
Be careful ： When selecting a model, you must first determine when an axis rotates or moves , Which parts correspond to link Solidly connected .

（3） Select configuration parameters

When the second step is finished , Press down Preview and Export, Enter the parameter configuration interface . Simply enter the following parameters into each joint The configuration of ,link There is no need to change the parameters of .

（4） Generate the file

Press down Finish, Input file name , It can generate urdf Package , It also contains routines .
Be careful ！ The file name is recommended as the robot name , Because this will affect the name of relevant parameters in the generated file .

3. summary

In fact, as long as we carefully analyze each link The relationship between , And follow the steps step by step , For less complex models ,20 The whole operation can be completed in about minutes . I hope everyone can sw The model was successfully converted to urdf Model , Then play happily in the simulation environment ！！