Export a Study

Before You Begin

warning

Set up your collision sets before you export. They are baked into the .zip and cannot be changed in Resolver — correcting them later means re-exporting and re-running. See Set Up Collision Rules.

Displayed Objects

Only visible (unhidden) objects and robots at the time of export are included in the .zip.

tip

Hide any unnecessary entities to:

• Speed up the export process
• Avoid unsupported-object export errors

If a robot is visible but has no associated operation, a dummy operation is exported with two targets at the current pose. This helps Resolver correctly place the robot. Otherwise, the robot defaults to its zero-joint position, which may cause planning issues.

warning

A hidden robot used by a sequence you are exporting stops the export with an error. Unhide the robot and export again. Supported in VC Connector 1.23.0 and later; earlier versions exported the study, and the hidden robot's operations arrived in Resolver in a state the web UI could not work with.

Collision Sets

Collision sets defined in Visual Components are exported and become the collision_rules the EngineThe engine (or Resolver Engine) refers to the core algorithm that is running in Resolver that takes a study and a query; generates collision free motion paths, interlocks, and task allocations; and pr... plans against. How the two systems differ, and how a set's Collision Tolerance is interpreted, is covered in Set Up Collision Rules.

warning

Export is blocked while the Collision Detectors editor is open. Close it before exporting.

What Gets Exported?

When a study is exported, a .zip file is generated for use with the Resolver engine. This archive contains the following files and folders:

File / Folder	Description
project.yaml	Defines how the engine builds the workcell. It references all items in the objects and robot_models folders and specifies how objects are positioned and mated. The full specification will be published in a future release.
queries.json	Contains the query generated by the exporter — operations, targets, and precedence constraints. In Resolver Cloud this is editable through the Build Workflow UI; via the API (beta) it is displayed as editable plain text.
metadata.json	Stores performance and study data used to improve the user experience in future versions.
workcell.txt	Describes the joint hierarchy of the robots in the scene.
logs.json	Logs data about the study and export process.
preview.png	A snapshot of the 3D view taken at export time, used as the study thumbnail in Resolver. Absent if the snapshot could not be captured.
cad/	Contains .mf files of robot models, used alongside project.yaml to construct virtual robot models and environmental objects.

Supported Applications

• Spot Welding
• Arc Welding
• Riveting
• Inspection
• Material Handling
• Machine Tending
• Linear Rails

Other applications may be supported upon request. If your use case is not listed, submit a support ticket to consult an RTR Application Engineer.

---

Exporting Sequences

The Connector exports one sequence (operation) per robot, and all sequences are executed in parallel. When selecting a sequence for export, ensure that:

• All sub-sequence calls or additional sequences are included within the main sequence being exported.
• Only the required targets are included (e.g., process points or essential vias).
• You run ⏮️ Reset before exporting — all robots and objects must be in their starting positions.
• The target order is preserved in the results.

The Connector runs several checks before it will export. It will stop and tell you if:

• the Collision Detectors editor is open,
• an object uses a reserved name,
• a target's pose and joint configuration disagree, which usually means the target was moved without the robot being re-taught,
• a sequence you selected uses a hidden robot (VC Connector 1.23.0 and later).

---

Export the Study

In the Visual Components menu, open the Realtime Robotics Connector, then choose your export method.

Which export method should I use?

• Online Export — your simulation PC has internet access. The study is uploaded straight into a Resolver cell.
• Offline Export — your simulation PC does not have internet access. The study is written to a local .zip that you upload to Resolver yourself.

Connector Settings

Both methods use the same settings dialog. Open the menu button (☰) in the top right of the Connector and select Settings....

The General tab controls how the Connector talks to Resolver:

The Export tab controls what goes into the export:

• Dynamic link attachments — export links whose attachment changes during the program.
• Only export visible objects in collision sets — skip hidden objects even when a collision set names them.
• Generic smoothing values — the millimetre radius used for each smoothing level. Fanuc robots use a percentage blend factor instead; all other OEMs use a radius in metres.

Click Save Settings when you are done.

Online Export

1. In Settings → General, turn Automatically connect to the Cloud on. Set the Default output folder as well if you also want a local copy of the .zip. Click Save Settings.

2. On the Resolver tab, enter your Resolver credentials.

   

3. Choose where the study lands in Resolver by selecting a cell. Folders and projects are not valid export targets, so Select stays disabled until a cell is highlighted. You can create folders and cells from the same dialog, and delete the ones you own.

4. Select the sequence you want Resolver to optimize for each robot, then click Export. Monitor the Connector's progress bar — export time varies with cell size, and the bar can be minimised if it covers something you need.

The export succeeded when the progress bar completes without an error and the study appears in the target cell in Resolver.

Offline Export

1. In Settings → General, make sure Automatically connect to the Cloud is turned off. The Connector then exports to a local folder instead of the cloud.

   

2. Enter a Study Name. This is used as the filename for the .zip.

   If a .zip of that name is already in the output folder, the Connector writes a new file with a numbered suffix rather than replacing the one that is there, so exporting twice under the same name leaves you with both. Supported in VC Connector 1.23.0 and later; earlier versions overwrote the existing file. Online exports are unaffected and keep the name you give them.

3. Choose an Output folder.

4. Expand Programs / Subprograms to export and pick the sequence for each robot.

   tip

   Collision Detector highlighting on the same panel shows how objects relate to collision detectors in the 3D view — a quick way to confirm your sets are what you expect before exporting.

5. Click Export, and monitor the progress bar.

The export succeeded when you see a message like:

Created Zip file C:\Path\To\Your\File.zip

---

What Next?

Upload the .zip to Resolver — Global or Europe, depending on your region — then configure and start a run. When the run finishes, come back to Import Results.

If the Export Fails

The Connector stops before exporting if any of the pre-export checks above fail; the message names the cause. In VC Connector 1.24.0 and later, warnings and errors collect in a stacked Messages view instead of separate popups. Most failures are one of:

Message mentions	Fix
The Collision Detectors editor	Close the editor and export again.
A reserved name	Rename the object it names, then export again.
Pose and joint configuration disagree	Re-teach the target on the robot — it was moved without the robot following it.
A hidden robot	Unhide the robot named in the message, then export again. Dropping the sequence from the export works too if you did not mean to plan that robot.
An unsupported object	Hide the object, or submit a support ticket.

If the message is not covered here, take ☰ → Save Logs and attach the logs to a support ticket, along with the Connector version from ☰ → About....