App 3.1.0

What's New in Augmentus Version 3.1.0: April 2026 Update

This release introduces rotary (positioner) scanning for full 360° part capture in a single scan, a dramatically faster path optimisation engine, and adds support for moving an external axis independently alongside the robot. It also adds the new Connector module for joining separate paths into continuous motion, moves path density to direct millimetre spacing for more predictable results, and expands collision checking with a high-performance parallel engine. Alongside these, it resolves a wide range of issues across path generation, calibration, scanning, simulation, and the interface.  

Key Enhancements and New Features

Rotary (Positioner) Scanning

Augmentus now captures a full 360° point cloud and mesh from a single scan module — the positioner rotates the workpiece while the scanner captures continuously, producing a complete, dense mesh without setting up multiple scans from different angles and stitching the results together. Users can pick an Accurate preset for maximum detail or a Fast preset for quicker scans, and a multi-pass mode merges up to three scans from different positions for parts a single angle cannot fully see. A companion Rotary Calibration workflow aligns the positioner before the first scan so the mesh is production-ready. Rotary scanning currently supports ABB robots with a positioner, with other robot brands planned for future releases.

Path Optimizer V2 (Global)

Path optimisation has been rebuilt around a new sampling and solving engine that is significantly faster and more capable than before. It evaluates robot configurations in parallel, checks collisions and joint limits as part of the solve, supports paired two-axis external-axis sampling, and offers an interactive heatmap with zoom and a solution-smoothing control for fine-tuning results. The quick-add menu now routes directly to the new optimiser. The result is faster, more reliable path planning, especially on complex parts and large waypoint sets.

Custom Colliders

The Safety Boundary scene now supports custom collider objects, a significant step up from modelling the cell as a single bounding box. Users can build the boundary from primitive shapes (cube, sphere, cylinder) created in-scene and import CAD files of fixtures, jigs, walls, and enclosures, for much finer control over exactly what the robot should treat as an obstacle. This lets a project represent the real cell layout far more faithfully, so collision checking — and the transit paths from the Connector module and the trajectories from Path Optimizer V2 (Global) — respect the actual working environment rather than a rough boundary. Project cards and safety thumbnails have also been improved for easier identification at a glance.

Independent Axis Motion

Augmentus now supports moving an external axis independently — at the same time as the robot, rather than only in sequence. In the app this is set up through the new Concurrent Positioner module, with dedicated UI and script generation so independent-axis moves export correctly to the robot. Concurrent motion currently supports ABB robots with a positioner; other external-axis types and robot brands are planned for future releases. The positioner's rotation direction can be reversed to match the physical cell layout. Running the robot and positioner together shortens cycle times for parts that previously required the robot to wait between repositioning steps.

Connector Module

Augmentus now lets users join separate paths and modules into a single continuous motion using the new Connector module. The module generates the linking motion automatically, previews it with a ghost robot before anything is committed, and uses a two-step accept flow so the connection can be reviewed and confirmed deliberately. Connector speed is configurable, generated waypoints can be locked to preserve a reviewed result, and the system flags a connection as out of date when an upstream waypoint changes. This is most useful for cells where multiple processing passes need to run back to back without manual repositioning between them.

Additional New Features

AutoSurface Curved Algorithm

AutoSurface adds a new Curved algorithm built for curved geometry — such as pipes, tubes, and trough interiors — where keeping an even step distance along the surface matters. It follows the surface's natural curvature to produce clean, continuous toolpaths with consistent point spacing, avoiding the coverage gaps and artifacts that general-purpose algorithms can leave on these shapes. A manual slicing-direction control lets operators steer the result when the default orientation does not suit the part.

Techman (TM) Robot Support

Augmentus now supports Techman (TM) collaborative robots end to end — path planning, simulation, execution, and scanning — expanding the supported robot line-up alongside the existing brands.

High-Performance Collision Engine

A new parallel collision engine and forward-kinematics path checks collisions across many robot configurations simultaneously, including batch checking for the rebuilt path optimiser. This speeds up collision-heavy planning without sacrificing accuracy.

Custom Tool Import for STEP/STP Files

Augmentus now accepts both .step and .stp extensions when importing a custom tool, so CAD tools exported in either format can be brought in without renaming files first.

Density Defined in Millimetres

Path density is now set as a direct point spacing in millimetres across all automatic path generation modules, replacing the previous percentage-based density control. AutoSurface default spacing is derived from the same baseline, and the AutoPattern Projection prompt has been updated to match. Specifying spacing directly gives a clear, repeatable relationship between the value entered and the points produced, removing the guesswork of percentage tuning. In AutoSurface and AutoPattern, the minimum step distance can now go as low as 0.1 mm for very fine, high-resolution paths such as detailed inspection; entering a sub-millimetre value shows a warning that robot accuracy is not guaranteed at that resolution and that re-rendering may be slower.  

Improvements to Existing Features

• Projects are saved automatically after scanning when moving on to a new project, reducing the risk of losing scan work.
• Added a scanner laser toggle for Scan Frame and AutoScan.
• Added a 3D turntable arrow that shows rotation direction directly in the scene.
• Added shift-click and ctrl-click selection for waypoints in the 3D scene.
• Added keyboard tab navigation through the input fields in automatic path generation modules.
• Replaced the CSV export interface with a faster keyboard shortcut.
• Blending can now be set to Off distinctly from a 0 mm blend, and MoveJ blending is applied during motion generation.
• Extended the gimbal with a center-on-mesh toggle for parts whose origin is off-centre.
• Sped up FANUC program upload by removing a redundant file-existence check, and improved FANUC script generation.
• Renamed all interface references from "iPad" to "Device" for hardware-neutral wording.
• Improved multi-select responsiveness in the tree view.

Bug Fixes

Path Generation & Optimization

• Fixed Path Extension having no effect when used on a new station.
• Fixed the duplicate-point issue on Auto Edge when Align Waypoint post-processing was applied.
• Fixed the path preview range when a return path was present.
• Fixed generated waypoints not showing when the preview toggle was off.
• Fixed Multi-Circular AutoPattern causing a significant drop in frame rate.

AutoEdge & AutoSurface

• Fixed AutoSurface and AutoEdge previews disappearing after returning to the module.
• Fixed missing tooltips and restored the Multi-Circular panel.
• Fixed AutoSurface default spacing not matching the density baseline.

Simulation & Robot Controls

• Fixed robots snapping back to an incorrect position during connector simulation playback.
• Fixed the linear rail snapping to the robot base on load, and corrected the reset button state after applying changes.
• Fixed concurrent positioner script speed not matching the value that was set.
• Fixed the turntable rotation-direction arrow pointing the wrong way.
• Fixed an incorrect robot position when reading live joints in AutoScan properties.

Mesh & Models

• Fixed meshes occasionally appearing in the wrong position.
• Fixed the scaling option being missing for STL files in Project Setup.
• Fixed the file date not updating after a mesh file changed.
• Fixed renaming an unapplied mesh saving it into the project and carrying over the previous scale factor.
• Fixed the Apply Mesh button incorrectly appearing after renaming an applied mesh.
• Fixed mesh previews being reused across different file types that shared the same name.
• Fixed leftover mesh thumbnails by centralising cleanup when a mesh is deleted.
• Fixed double-selection and cloud-list sync when uploading a 3D model.

Calibration & Positioners

• Fixed external axis calibration not enabling the safety boundary after saving.
• Fixed inconsistent positioner calibration values being shown in different formats and units.
• Fixed the Tailstock Setup option appearing for positioners that do not support it in older projects.
• Fixed AutoAlign scan parameters not being applied to the Gocator scanner.

Robot Communication & Script Generation

• Fixed FANUC play program using the wrong upload address.
• Fixed the UR and Nachi Wait-for-pin command.
• Fixed the target directory not updating when switching robot brand.

Projects & Compatibility

• Fixed projects created in older versions of the software failing to open.
• Fixed project load getting stuck at 10% after a previous failed load.
• Fixed custom gantry projects failing to load when Indirect Drive was unchecked.
• Fixed export being reported as failed when the user simply cancelled, and treated import cancellation as a quiet no-op.

Safety Boundary & Collision

• Fixed collision detection for the Translate and Rotate tools.
• Fixed a Safety Boundary CAD import failure not being shown in the interface.
• Fixed typos in the Safety Boundary collider objects panel.

User Interface

• Fixed calibrate buttons playing a click animation without triggering when the window regained focus.
• Fixed tooltip card overflow and tooltip text that was illegible on a light background.
• Fixed tab navigation skipping the tool mass, centre of gravity, and inertia fields.
• Fixed the controller field not appearing on first load in the robot tab.
• Highlighted the affected tree-view row when a throttle warning occurs.

Server-side improvements and fixes — including rotary scanning and calibration, hand-eye calibration updates, and support for wall- and ceiling-mounted KUKA robots — are covered in the accompanying Augmentus Server release notes.

Server 3.1.0

New Features

Rotary Scanning & Calibration

New rotary scanning captures a full part in a single pass by rotating the workpiece on a positioner while the scanner captures continuously. A companion calibration pipeline — agnostic to the scanner and to how it is mounted — aligns the positioner before scanning, using surface-normal estimation with point-to-plane registration and outlier removal for clean, consistent scans, and anchoring the rotary axis at the positioner surface. Rotary scanning and calibration currently support ABB robots with a positioner; support for additional robot brands is planned for a future release.

Wall- and Ceiling-Mounted KUKA Robots

Augmentus now supports scanning and inspection with KUKA robots mounted in non-floor orientations such as wall or ceiling. The perception server applies the robot base frame provided by the application and compensates for the KUKA controller's mounting transform, so point clouds, reconstructed meshes, and inspection results come out correctly aligned in the world frame. The underlying base-frame handling is built to be brand-agnostic, laying the groundwork for additional robot brands in future releases.

Improvements to Existing Features

• Hardened data protection — server data now benefits from atomic writes, change history, and recovery handling for stronger integrity.
• Calibration logs — hand-eye calibration and AutoScan now auto-export CSV logs for easier troubleshooting and record-keeping.
• Clearer calibration and alignment errors — hand-eye calibration and AutoAlign failures now surface specific, actionable messages instead of generic errors.
• Smaller scan files — scans are downsampled on save to keep file sizes manageable.
• Hand-eye calibration forms — cleaner form layouts, an improved FANUC dialog, and keyboard shortcuts.

Bug Fixes

Hand-Eye Calibration

• Fixed missing second-group external axes in the FANUC hand-eye calibration joint query.
• Fixed a reachability pre-check offset that caused calibration to fail on UR robots.
• Fixed reachability incorrectly treating a KUKA turntable axis as a linear-rail offset.
• Fixed calibration timing out while estimating the sphere centre on KUKA and FANUC.
• Fixed ABB not returning a tool centre point pose during calibration by retrying after a program reset.
• Fixed the Validate TCP button overlapping the calibration fields.
• Restored point-to-plane registration in hand-eye calibration validation.

AutoAlign & Inspect

• Fixed stale pose data being kept after a failed AutoAlign registration.
• Fixed an AutoAlign database error that caused registration to fail.
• Fixed inspection reports not reaching the client.

Server Stability & Setup

• Fixed a database error after extended overnight idle.
• Fixed the server window not closing after a timeout error.
• Fixed a freeze that could affect the main server window.
• Fixed reset handling during calibration and estimation.
• Fixed the guidance laser only flashing briefly instead of staying on during alignment.
• Added a support link when a license expires, and the server now launches automatically after installation.

For more information, contact us at support@augmentus.tech