FAQ

• General
  • Is the package using float or double?
  • Performance
• Windows
  • Compiling error under Visual C++ 6.0
  • Error with roboop.sln file under Visual C++ .NET

General

Is the package using float or double?

The package can use the Real type that can be either float or double for numerical computations. The file include.h in the directory newmat contains the following lines:

#define USING_DOUBLE // elements of type double
//#define USING_FLOAT // elements of type float

that are used to select the floating point type used.

Performance

What is the performance of the package with respect to the time required to evaluate the kinematics, dynamics, etc ?

The program bench.cpp can be used to benchmark some of the functionalities of the package for a 6 dof PUMA robot model. Here's an example obtained from a MacBook Intel 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo (early 2008):

=================================
Benchmarks for serial 6 dof robot
=================================

Begin compute Forward Kinematics
MilliSeconds   0.02
end 
Begin compute Inverse Kinematics
MilliSeconds   0.50
end 
Begin compute Jacobian
MilliSeconds   0.03
end 
Begin compute Torque
MilliSeconds   0.14
end 
Begin acceleration
MilliSeconds   0.67
end 

Windows

Compiling error under Visual C++ 6.0

When compiling the files under Visual C++ 6.0, it results in the following error:

c:\roboop\newmat\newmat.h(1404) : fatal error C1001: INTERNAL COMPILER ERROR
        (compiler file 'msc1.cpp', line 1786)
         Please choose the Technical Support command on the Visual C++ etc ...

You have to apply the latest service pack to Visual C++ 6.0.

Error with roboop.sln file under Visual C++ .NET

If you get an error when opening the roboop.sln file, open the roboop.dsw instead.