Components
A component is an object that occupies space in the 3D world and has a unique VCID.
Component Structure
The structure of a component is a tree consisting of nodes. Each node contains a set of behaviors and features. The root node contains its own set of properties and is the origin of a component. Each node linked to the root node has its own offset and joint, which defines the range of motion and degrees of freedom for that node. Behaviors in different nodes can be connected to and referenced by one another. Features in nodes form a hierarchy and can be nested with one another to perform operations that manipulate the geometry of a feature and the object itself.
| Name | Description |
| Node | Container and building block of component. Every component has at least one node, its root.
A node attached to another node in a component is also known as a link. Note: A component with movable parts may have multiple nodes linked together to form a kinematic chain, for example the nodes of an articulated robot. Components attached to one another in a layout are linked together by their nodes, for example the root node of an EOAT component attached to a node in a robot. |
| Property | Variable and attribute of component. |
| Behavior | Action or task that can be performed by component. |
| Feature | Visual representation of geometry and other data in component. |
Manipulation
A component is the sum of its parts. Each part can be described as a component or object composing the whole component. The concept of manipulating objects is important to understand when building a layout with components, modeling a component with nodes and features, programming a robot to reach positions based on a tool center point, and designing drawings with views, annotations and dimensions.
Containment
A component can be described as a set of containers for storing objects. The concept of containing objects is important to understand when attaching components to one another in a layout, modeling the nodes of a component to move in relation to one another or evaluating the features of nodes to render geometry, signaling a robot to grasp and release components, and creating a bill of materials based of the items of a drawing.
File Structure
A component is a native archive file of Visual Components Premium 4.9 with a .vcmx file extension. Every component contains at least four files.
- component.rsc contains the data needed by Visual Components Premium 4.9 to generate the component.
- component.dat contains the component's metadata, which includes the component's VCID.
- component_preview_icon.tga is the image displayed when you preview the component in the eCatalog panel.
- component_icon.tga is the icon representing the component in the eCatalog panel.