3DExperience Add-in in RobotStudio

Use the best of two worlds. 3DExperience is the natural place to maintain the digital twin. If you are working with ABB Robotics and you have access to RobotStudio, it can be usefull to keep the robot program syntax in RAPID intact. Connect RobotStudio to 3DExperience and run the program in RobotStudio, but use the digital twin of the factory to evaluate the program execution.

Prodtex introduce the 3DExperience Add-in for RobotStudio

The 3DExperience Add-in for RobotStudio provided by Prodtex enables seamless integration between RobotStudio and 3DExperience, allowing for advanced robot simulation and control.

Realistic Robot Simulation with VRC & RRS

With Virtual Robot Control (VRC), you can achieve Realistic Robot System (RRS)—sometimes referred to as Realistic Controller Simulation (RCS)—inside 3DExperience. The 3DExperience Add-in allows ABB controllers in RobotStudio to execute simulations within 3DExperience, ensuring highly accurate motion and cycle control for RAPID robot programs.

In this setup:

  • The RAPID program runs in RobotStudio but simulates the robot within 3DExperience.
  • You can execute RAPID programs using either the RobotStudio interface or the robot’s native Teach Pendant.

Why Use RobotStudio for RAPID Execution?

Running your robot program in RobotStudio allows you to execute native RAPID code directly from a robot backup—without any translation.

In contrast, when simulations run inside DELMIA 3DExperience, RAPID programs are translated into a standardized DELMIA language that looks the same across all robot brands. This translation is beneficial in early project phases, as it enables engineers to focus on system-level robot behavior rather than brand-specific coding.

However, as the project progresses towards deployment, robot-specific factors become increasingly important. These include:

  • Process-related commands
  • Equipment-specific interactions within the robot cell
  • I/O signals for PLC programming preparation

At this stage, you need to refine the DELMIA RobotTasks by converting them into RAPID programs for further granular programming. However, rebuilding the digital twin in RobotStudio at this point is inefficient. Instead, the 3DExperience Add-in allows you to continue simulations within 3DExperience, where the digital factory model already exists. This is particularly useful when evaluating frequent product updates within a simulation.

Simplified Logic Programming in 3DExperience

3DExperience provides an intuitive logic programming interface, bridging the gap between concept simulation and PLC programming. It supports:

  • Conditional logic (if, for, while)
  • I/O signal creation for signal evaluation
  • Signal import from a robot backup or CSV files

This functionality is especially useful when multiple robots are simulated and require synchronized execution, such as in Interlocking analysis.

Signal Exchange Between RobotStudio & 3DExperience via OPC UA

The 3DExperience Add-in enables OPC UA-based communication between RobotStudio and 3DExperience.

  • All signals are exported as CSV files to an OPC server and OPC Viewer.
  • Once signals are created in the OPC server, the Add-in keeps signal values updated bi-directionally:
    • Changes in RobotStudio are reflected in the OPC server.
    • Changes in the OPC server (e.g., from a PLC Emulator like PLC SIM ADVANCED or 3DExperience) are updated in RobotStudio.

Since 3DExperience supports OPC connections, this ensures synchronized signal exchange across the entire simulation environment.