Table of Contents > QUARC > Release Notes
QUARC 2.0
These release notes describe the new features and changes introduced in QUARC 2.0. They are divided into the sections enumerated below.
New Software Compatibility
QUARC 2.0 has introduced compatibility with the following third-party software.
New Features
The new features introduced in QUARC 2.0 are mentioned below.
QUARC now provides tools to create and animate 3D visualizations of your simulations or real-time code. Through the use of the Visualization blockset, as well as the included x3d plugins for Autodesk's 3ds Max and the open-source Blender 3D modelling software, you can create and animate your experiments. The blocks support multiple 3D viewer client connections, to local and remote targets including Windows, QNX and Gumstix targets. QUARC even includes a number of different meshes and textures to get you started, along with demonstrations to show you some of the interesting special effects you can achieve. The full set of blocks are enumerated below.
The Visualization blocks may be found in the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/User Interface/Visualization')The Stream blocks now support bus signals. This feature allows mixed data types to be sent or received using a single block, and facilitates transferring complex data structures between a Simulink model and a user application or another model.
Physical systems are often modelled using homogeneous transformations. These matrix representations of rotations, translations and scaling are common in graphics and robotics. QUARC now provides a set of blocks for composing a series of transformations. Starting with an Identity Transformation, the Homogeneous Transformation blocks may be chained together to compute complex transformations, greatly simplifying the computation of the plant kinematics.
The Visualization Set Variables block also directly supports a transformation matrix input to seamlessly tie your visualization to the mathematical basis for your system.
The Homogeneous Transformation blocks may be found in the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Math Operations/Homogeneous Transformations')QUARC now provides tools to interface with unmanned vehicles made by Quanser and other third-party manufacturers. Quanser has developed the Vehicle Abstraction Layer (VAL) as a uniform, high-level mission development environment. Using the rapid controls technology developed for QUARC, the VAL allows mission developers to rapidly create multi-agent vehicle controllers. The VAL is comprised of a series of blocks that provide a set of high-level primitive commands to the mission designer, while underneath the VAL handles communication with the vehicle hardware. This allows operators to focus on high-level mission development rather than low-level vehicle stabilization. The VAL is extensible so that more vehicles and commands can be added. The VAL Initialize block creates a connection to a vehicle target, while the other blocks allow the vehicle to be controlled and monitored. Refer to the full Vehicle Blockset below for more information about this powerful blockset.
The Vehicle blocks may be found under the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Vehicles')Improved Features
Some of the features improved in QUARC 2.0 are enumerated below. There a great many miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements that have not been listed. Only some of the highlights are listed below.
The default sample time for the Windows target has changed to 2ms rather than 1ms. The sample time jitter at 2ms using the system timer is consistently better than at 1ms on all platforms tested. Certain motherboards had poor jitter performance at 1ms when using the system timebase which affected the accuracy of derivatives in the model. The jitter was only an issue for the system timebase. Hardware timebases continue to be the recommended solution for sample times faster than 2ms due to their superior jitter performance over the system timebase.
The QUARC Figure blocks now preserve their position, size and visibility when the model is saved. Like Simulink Scopes, the Figure windows will appear with their previously saved position and size when the model is opened (unless the Figure was closed when the model was saved).
The String Constant block has been enhanced to support evaluation of the string value so that MATLAB workspace variables may be used to specify the constant value. This feature is useful for specifying a URI for communications from the MATLAB workspace. Simply add an external URI input to the Stream block and feed it using a String Constant block that evaluates its string expression.
The "%{expr}" format specifier may now be used in the model arguments entered in the MEX-file arguments in order to evaluate a MATLAB expression and substitute the result into the model arguments. For example, "-t %{qc_get_step_size}" in the model arguments would be replaced with the model sample time, such as "-t 0.002".
New Devices Supported
QUARC 2.0 may now interface to the devices listed below.
GPS devices that support the NMEA-0183 protocol are now supported. The GPS NMEA block reads NMEA sentences from the GPS device and outputs the GPS position, number of visible satellites, and dilution of precision. The communication channel is typically a serial connection to the GPS device, but any protocol supported by the Quanser Stream API can be used and is specified via the URI parameter of the block.
The GPS NMEA block may be found under the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Devices/Third-Party/NMEA/GPS')QUARC now supports and provides a open architecture interface to the KUKA 6-DOF KR 5 sixx R850 robot. Depending on the selected control mode, the KR 5 sixx R850 block sends Cartesian position correction, or Cartesian velocity, or joint position correction, or joint velocity commands to the 6-DOF KUKA KR 5 sixx R850 robot and outputs the robot actual Cartesian positions, joint angles and gear torques for each joint. (In later versions of QUARC, this block was replaced with the KUKA RSI block.)
The KUKA Robotics blocks may be found under the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Devices/Third-Party/KUKA/Robots')NaturalPoint offers complete tracking solutions capable of full body motion capture. These powerful tools are now available in QUARC, with support for reading the 3D position of IR markers, as well as 6-DOF (position and orientation) tracking of multiple objects using the OptiTrack camera system! Refer to the NaturalPoint OptiTrack blocks below for more information.
The OptiTrack blocks may be found in the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Devices/Third-Party/NaturalPoint/OptiTrack')SensAble Phantom devices are now supported by and interfaced to QUARC. The Phantom block can be used to control a variety of Phantom devices provided by SensAble. The block sends Cartesian or joint level commands to the device and outputs the robot actual Cartesian positions, joint angles or encoder values for each joint.
The Phantom blocks may be found under the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Devices/Third-Party/SensAble/Phantom')Ublox is a leading provider of embedded positioning and wireless communications solutions. The power of Ublox technology has now been brought to QUARC with support for Ublox GPS devices. The Ublox blockset may be found in the
MATLAB Command Line
Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:
qc_open_library('quarc_library/Devices/Third-Party/Ublox/GPS')New Demonstrations
The QUARC demonstrations added in QUARC 2.0 are listed below.
New Blocks
New blocks have been added to the QUARC Targets library in QUARC 2.0. The new blocks are listed below.
GPS NMEA Blocks
The GPS NMEA block reads NMEA sentences from any GPS device supporting the NMEA-0183 protocol and outputs the GPS position, number of visible satellites, and dilution of precision. The communication channel is typically a serial connection to the GPS device, but any protocol supported by the Quanser Stream API can be used and is specified via the URI parameter of the block.
Homogeneous Transformations
KUKA Robotics Blocks
The KR 5 sixx R850 block provides an open architecture interface to the KUKA 6-DOF KR 5 sixx R850 robot. Depending on the selected control mode, sends Cartesian position correction, or Cartesian velocity, or joint position correction, or joint velocity commands to the 6-DOF KUKA KR 5 sixx R850 robot and outputs the robot actual Cartesian positions, joint angles and gear torques for each joint. (In later versions of QUARC, this block was replaced with the KUKA RSI block.)
NaturalPoint OptiTrack Blocks
OptiTrack Point Cloud block reads the 3-dimensional position of IR markers detected by the OptiTrack camera system. The OptiTrack system can be used for localization and tracking.
The OptiTrack Trackables block reads the 6 degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) position and orientation of trackable objects defined through the OptiTrack Tracking Tools software. The OptiTrack system can be used for localization and tracking.
Sensable Phantom Blocks
The Phantom block can be used to control a variety of Phantom devices provided by SensAble. The block sends Cartesian or joint level commands to the device and outputs the robot actual Cartesian positions, joint angles or encoder values for each joint.
Ublox (GPS) Blocks
x
(x_utm
),
y
(y_utm
), and z
(altitude) data fields of Ublox GPS data structure at the
specified sampling rate. The values are measured in meters.
Vehicle Abstraction Layer (VAL) Blocks
Virtual Plant Blocks
Visualization Blocks
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