4-659-404-11(1) 4-652-241-11(1) English Edition Tutorial Guide © 2001 Sony Corporation ©2002 Sony Corporation
Table of contents Introduction Before You Start ....................................................................................................... 8 About the Manuals .................................................................................................. 8 About the Online Manuals ................................................................................ 8 Getting prepared ......................................................................................................
Lesson 3 Walk and Bow ........................................................................................ 22 Getting ready .......................................................................................................... 22 Creating a new behavior ....................................................................................... 23 Making action boxes .............................................................................................. 24 Making a “stand” action box .............
Creating Actions! Window Organization ........................................................................................... 70 Lesson 1 Let’s Create an Action Library! .............................................................. 72 Getting prepared .................................................................................................... 73 Creating an action library ..................................................................................... 73 Creating an action ................
Lesson 4 Let’s Create Original Elements! ........................................................... 101 Creating an action file ......................................................................................... 102 Creating a motion ................................................................................................ 102 Creating sounds ................................................................................................... 105 Combining elements ...............................
Introduction Welcome to the Tutorial Guide! In this guide, you will find three courses—Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced—that will teach you how to make programs using AIBO Master Studio.
Before You Start The sections below describe the two manuals that are supplied with AIBO Master Studio and the preparations that are necessary prior to use. About the Manuals Two manuals are supplied with AIBO Master Studio. Tutorial Guide (this manual) The Tutorial Guide gives examples of AIBO Master Studio use. First-time users of AIBO Master Studio should try out all the operations by doing the tutorial in order to get acquainted with AIBO Master Studio.
Organization of the Tutorial Guide This Tutorial Guide is divided into the following two parts. Let’s Create Behaviors! This part teaches you how to create programs with Quick Behavior Arranger and Behavior Arranger. x Beginner’s Course In Lesson 1 and 2, you will use Quick Behavior Arranger to create a program through the use of wizards. In Lesson 3, you’ll learn the basic operations of Behavior Arranger.
x Advanced Course By mastering the advanced techniques, you’ll be able to create programs that allow AIBO to function as a pet or in games! Lesson 6 Executing Several Actions Simultaneously You’ll learn how to program AIBO like a real robot in order to execute several commands at once. You’ll create a program in which AIBO changes its walking direction from forward to backward in response to sensory information.
x Intermediate Course This course introduces you to the creation of elements. Lesson 4 Creating Original Elements You’ll learn how to create elements from scratch. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you will be a proficient AIBO content creator! Lesson 5 Lighting Up LEDs to Music This lesson takes you further by allowing you to synchronize elements. For instance, have fun by synchronizing AIBO’s winks and mouth movements with the sounds that it makes, or its dance movements with music.
Files in the Tutorial All the files you’ll be using are in the “Sample” folder. \AIBO Master Studio installed folder\Sample Please do not overwrite the files used in this tutorial so that they can be used again in the future. For Behavior Arranger Sample\XXX*E TutorialX**.be \Tutorial \Materials folder Lesson materials Folders for Action Composer \LX**_Starter folder Folder for those who start from a later lesson \LX**_Reference folder Completed files Files of Action Composer Before you start the tu
Let’s Create Behaviors! In this section, you will master programming with Quick Behavior Arranger and Behavior Arranger. To help you learn these skills effectively, seven lessons are provided. Lessons 1 to 3 are the beginner’s course, Lessons 4 and 5 are the intermediate course, and Lessons 6 and 7 are the advanced course. Please refer to the “Introduction” for an overview of the contents and start with the lesson that is appropriate for you.
Lesson 1 Beginner’s Course Touch AIBO’s Sensor and AIBO stands up, sits down and lies down GOAL: To learn how to use Quick Behavior Arranger* to create a sequential-execution program Overview of the program: When you touch AIBO’s sensor, AIBO executes specific actions in sequential order.
Lesson 1 2 Select the model name and click Next. Beginner’s Course The (E) indicates that English words are recognized. A window for selecting the type of program appears. Creating a sequential-execution program 1 Select Sequential Execution Type and click Next. You will learn about stimulusdriven execution programs in Lesson 2. A window for selecting the actions appears. 2 Select “SIT” in the first box. In this step, you’ve selected the first action that AIBO does when you touch its sensor.
Lesson 1 3 Select “STAND” in the second box and “LIE” in the third. 4 Click Next. Beginner’s Course In this step, you’ve selected the action that follows the first action set in step 2. “Program creation is complete!” appears. Saving the program to the “Memory Stick”. 1 Insert the supplied “Memory Stick” into the drive and click Write. The “Save with a new name” dialog box appears. 2 Name the file and save it. Type “Lesson1.be” as a new file name and save it to the My Documents folder.
Lesson 1 Beginner’s Course Files saved to the “Memory Stick” cannot be edited with Behavior Arranger. After the copying has finished, the next dialog box appears. 4 Click No. The procedure for creating and saving the program is finished. In this lesson, you will not edit the program with Behavior Arranger, so click No. Running the program on AIBO Let’s run the program you’ve created on AIBO. 1 Insert the “Memory Stick” into AIBO and start up AIBO by pressing the pause button.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Press AIBO’s Head and It Sits; Say ”Start” and It Walks GOAL: To learn how to make a Stimulus-driven Execution program using Quick Behavior Arranger Overview of the program: AIBO performs specific actions according to the sensory input or voice command.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Starting Quick Behavior Arranger Start up Quick Behavior Arranger and select the AIBO model to be used. A window for selecting the program type appears. For details, see Lesson 1 (page 14). Creating a Stimulus-driven Execution program 1 Select Stimulus-Driven Execution Type and click Next. A window for selecting events and actions appears. 2 Select the items below and click Next.
Lesson 2 3 Beginner’s Course Select the items below and click Next. Voice Command Action Go forward WALK:0:500 [walks 50cm] Left leg kick KICK:30:1000 [Left kick] Lie down LIE [Lies] When you say the word indicated in the left box, AIBO performs the action indicated in the right box. In this step, you’ve set the following commands.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Saving the program to the “Memory Stick” Save the program to the “Memory Stick” as in Lesson 1. Save the file with the file name “Lesson2.be”.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Walk and Bow GOAL: To learn the following two things. * Behavior Arranger is a tool for programming AIBO actions by stringing together boxes containing commands. For details, see page 29 of the User’s Guide. • Basic Behavior Arranger* operations and how to create a program that causes AIBO to do a sequence of actions. • Using a wireless LAN Overview of the Program: When AIBO is activated, it stands up, walks 10 cm (4 inches) and bows.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Creating a new behavior In this lesson, you’ll create a new behavior from scratch, and then use the behavior to create a program. 1 Click the Start button in Windows, select Programs-AIBO Master Studio and click Behavior Arranger. Behavior Arranger starts up and an editing window appears. 2 From the menu, select File-New. A window for selecting the AIBO model appears. 3 Select the AIBO model to be used. The START and END terminal boxes* appear in the window.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Making action boxes Commands are entered in action boxes. First you’ll make a “stand” action box, and then a “walk and bow” action box. Making a “stand” action box 1 Click the Action box button 2 Click between the START and END terminal boxes in the window. . To make AIBO walk, it must first be in a standing position. For this reason, you’ll make a “stand” action box. The Action box appears where you clicked.
Lesson 3 4 Beginner’s Course Define a command to play back the supplied “STAND” system action. Sub: ACTION (system action) Main: PLAY (action) 5 System actions are actions that are provided in AIBO Master Studio. Selecting PLAY-ACTION allows you to select a system action. Name: STAND Click Add to enter the command. The “PLAY ACTION STAND” command defined in the previous step appears at the bottom.
Lesson 3 7 Beginner’s Course Click OK. The Action Properties dialog box closes and a STAND action box appears between the START and END terminal boxes in the window. The box name specified in step 4 The STAND action box has now been completed! Making a “walk and bow” action box Let’s make another action box. 1 26 Click the END terminal box and drag it downward. To make more space for another action box between a STAND action box and the END terminal box, move the END terminal box downward.
Lesson 3 2 Beginner’s Course Click , and click between the STAND action box and the END terminal box in the window. The Action Properties dialog box appears. 3 Enter a name and a comment for the action box. Name: WALK_BOW Comment: Walks 10cm and bows. 4 5 6 Define a command for walking straight for 10 cm and click Add. Main Sub Name arg1 arg2 PLAY ACTION WALK 0 100 This commands causes AIBO to walk for 100 mm at the angle of 0° (straight forward). Enter a WAIT command and click Add.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course 9 As in step 5, specify a WAIT command so that AIBO does not execute the next command until it finishes raising its head. 10 Click OK. You have used system actions for lowering and raising AIBO’s head and making AIBO bow. You could have also have made AIBO bow by creating the action and applying it with Action Composer. The “walk for 10 cm and bow” action box has been completed. Both action boxes are completed.
Lesson 3 2 Beginner’s Course Click the START terminal box and drag it toward the STAND action box. The two boxes are connected with a line. 3 Connect the STAND and WALK_BOW boxes, as in step 2. 4 Connect the WALK_BOW and END boxes. All the boxes are now connected and have become a series of consecutive actions. In Lesson 3, you created 2 boxes, but the same program can be made by placing all the commands into one action box.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Saving the program and running it on AIBO Save the program you’ve created to the hard disk and then save it to the “Memory Stick”. Afterwards, run the program on AIBO. 1 Saving the program to the hard disk is convenient since it allows you to use the program again when creating other behaviors. From the menu, select “File- Save As.” Save the file as “Lesson3.be”. 2 Insert the “Memory Stick” into the “Memory Stick” drive.
Lesson 3 2 Beginner’s Course From the menu, select “File-Wireless LAN Connection.” The Wireless LAN Connection dialog box appears. 3 Click Write. The program is saved to the “Memory Stick.” 4 Click Execute. AIBO performs the actions specified in the program. If you checked the box specifying “Trace the Box Name,” the action boxes that have been executed are indicated on the screen. 5 When AIBO stops, click Disconnect.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course The programs you created in this lesson are the same as those in the “Tutorial3.be” file in the “\Sample\model name” folder. Check these programs to verify that they were created correctly or not. Has everything gone well so far? You may have discovered that creating programs with action boxes is easier than you had expected. You have just learned the basics of programming with Behavior Arranger.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course AIBO Bows If Head Is Pressed GOAL: To learn the following things: • How to edit a sample program • How to make a program with branch boxes that define branch conditions • How to get sensory information • How to make a loop in your program Overview of the Program: AIBO stands up, walks forward and bows each time its head is pressed.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Opening the file created in Lesson 3 1 Start up Behavior Arranger. 2 Load the program you created in Lesson 3. Select File-Open from the menu, and then open the “Lesson3.be” file. If you are continuing from Lesson 3, click the Normal mode button. 34 If you are starting with this lesson, make a copy of the “Tutorial3.be” file in the “\Sample\model name” folder (see page 12).
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Making boxes In this lesson, you will make and edit 3 boxes as follows. 1 Add a command to the Stand box for initializing the sensors 2 Make a branch box for the branch condition “if the head was pressed/if the head was not pressed.” 3 Make a box for the “wait for 1 second” command (for obtaining sensory information) 1 Add a command for initializing the sensors Add a command to the Stand action box for initializing the sensors.
Lesson 4 4 Intermediate Course Move the WALK_BOW box and the END boxes downward. To move 2 boxes at the same time, select them by dragging the mouse to enclose them. Then move them by dragging them to make a space between the STAND and WALK_BOW boxes. 2 Setting branch conditions in branch boxes In this lesson, you’ll create a box defining the following branch condition. “If the head was pressed, AIBO bows. If not, the program jumps to another box.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course 3 Create a "Wait 1 second" action box To check if the head was pressed or not at one-second intervals, you’ll need to create an action box that causes AIBO to wait 1 second. 1 Click and place a new action box beside the TOUCH_HEAD? box. 2 Enter a “Wait 1 second” command and close the Properties box. Name: WAIT_1SEC Main Time#[ms] WAIT 1000 Wait 1000 ms (1 second).
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Connecting the boxes to loop the program By connecting the boxes in a loop, you can make the program one continuous motion. 1 Check the head sensor for input every second 1 Set the mouse to link mode, and then connect the STAND and TOUCH_HEAD? boxes. If the mouse is in normal mode, you can also connect the boxes by clicking and dragging the mouse while pressing the shift key.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course In the branch box, you’ve entered “ELSE-JumpTo:-null.” If, however, you open the TOUCH_HEAD? properties box, you’ll find that the “null” has changed to “WAIT_1SEC,” since you connected the empty output terminal of the branch box to the WAIT_1SEC box. 3 Clarifying crossing lines. If you cannot see the flow well because of crossing lines, set the mouse to normal mode and move the lines by dragging them.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course 2 Loop the entire program Loop the program so that after AIBO walks and bows, the program returns to the start and AIBO bows again when you press its head. 1 Disconnect the WALK_BOW and the END boxes. See page 35. 2 Connect the WALK_BOW and STAND boxes. To loop the program, do not connect the End box. Let it stand alone. By returning to the STAND box after AIBO bows, the sensor is initialized and AIBO waits for input to the sensor again.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Saving the program and running it on AIBO Save the program you’ve created with the new file name “Lesson4.be,” save it to the “Memory Stick” and run it on AIBO. When the program is executed, AIBO stands up and waits for its head to be pressed. If you press its head, AIBO walks forward 10 cm and bows. After that, it stands and waits for its head to be pressed again.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course Say “AIBO” and AIBO Bows and Greets You GOAL: To learn the following points: • How to make a group • How to make a program with the voice recognition function • How to embed an action made by Action Composer into a program Overview of the Program: After AIBO stands, it performs different actions depending on the words spoken to it.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course Preparing an action library To use an action library through Behavior Arranger, you will need to save the action library to the “Memory Stick” in advance. In this lesson, you’ll use the supplied action library. 1 Click the Start button in Windows, select “Programs-AIBO Master Studio” and click “Action Composer.
Lesson 5 3 Open “Sample.alb” in the folder with the same model name and behavior. Intermediate Course The action library is stored in the “Sample\model name” folder (see page 12). The model name and language for the behavior and the action library must be the same. When you save an action library to the “Memory Stick,” a copy is saved to a certain directory in the hard disk to allow Behavior Arranger to reference it.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course Collecting boxes together to make a group In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use group boxes.* Put the TOUCH_HEAD? and WAIT_1SEC action boxes together to make a group. Moving the TOUCH_HEAD? and WAIT_1SEC boxes into a Group 1 Click “Group-Create New Group.” 2 Specify “Check_sensor” in the Name box, and click OK. * For details on group boxes, see page 43 of the User’s Guide.
Lesson 5 6 Intermediate Course In the Check_Sensor window, select Edit-Paste. The selected boxes and lines move to the Check_Sensor group. You cannot move the selected boxes or lines by dragging them to other windows. Editing a branch box and an action box Let’s edit the branch box and action box that you moved as indicated below.
Lesson 5 3 Intermediate Course Close the Branch Properties box by clicking OK. 2 Initializing the parameter for voice recognition Before checking whether the voice input has been recognized or not in the VOICE_ID? branch box, let’s make another box that initializes the parameter. 1 Place a new action box above the VOICE_ID? box. 2 Enter a command for initializing the parameter, and then close the Properties box. When a parameter value of “1” has been detected, AIBO maintains the condition (i.e.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course 3 Branching to two terminal boxes, depending on the voice recognition In this lesson, you’ll make an AIBO terminal box and a Hello terminal box. The program jumps to the AIBO terminal box when AIBO hears “AIBO,” and to the Hello terminal box when AIBO hears “Hello.” When AIBO hears another word, the program loops to the top of the group box. 1 Double-click the RETURN box. The Terminal Properties box appears.
Lesson 5 6 Intermediate Course Enter the name and command, and then close the Properties box. Name: AIBO? Type Variable Op Var/Value JumpTo IF ELSE AU_Voice_ID = 1 AIBO null Recognizes “AIBO” t jump to AIBO terminal box “AU_Voice_ID=1” means “word detected by voice recognition=1 (AIBO)” (recognizes the word as “AIBO”). Another word t jump to the undefined box 7 Place a new branch box next to the AIBO? box. 8 Enter the name and command, and then close the Properties box.
Lesson 5 9 Connect the boxes. Connect the boxes as follows: ENTRY t INIT, INIT t VOICE_ID?, the empty terminal of VOICE_ID? t AIBO?, the empty output terminal of AIBO? t Hello? You have now created a group box with the command “if the word “AIBO” or “Hello” is recognized, jump to the AIBO box or Hello box”. 50 Intermediate Course To connect the AIBO? and Hello? boxes, you must connect the empty output terminal of AIBO? to the empty input terminal of Hello?.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course Embedding an action file into a program In this lesson, you’ll learn how to embed an action file into a program using the action library that you previously saved (page 43). By doing so, you will give richer expression to AIBO’s movements. In the following program, you will make AIBO express anger whenever it recognizes a word other than “AIBO” or “Hello.” 1 Place a new action box to the lower right of the Hello? box.
Lesson 5 3 Reconnect the boxes and reorganize the lines. Disconnect the “Hello?” and “INIT” boxes. Then connect the right output terminal of “Hello?” to “UN_RECOG...,” and “UN_RECOG...” to “INIT.” 4 Close the group window. The Check Sensor group has been completed. Intermediate Course ELSE t jump to INIT box Unrecognizable word t execute angry01 t jump to INIT box A group is not erased even after you have closed the window. The group you just created is not displayed in the editing window.
Lesson 5 2 Intermediate Course Enter the name of the group box, select the name for the group that the box invokes, and then close the Properties box. Type “VOICE_RECOG “ in the Name box and select “Check_Sensor” (the name of the group you created) from the list in the Group box. Group box name The “group box name” and “group name” are different. The “group box name” is the name displayed on the box, and the group name is the name of the group that the group box invokes.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course 3 Connect the AIBO terminal of the VOICE_RECOG to the WALK_BOW box. 4 Place a new action box to the right of the WALK_BOW box. You’ve now created a program that causes AIBO to walk and bow when it hears the word “AIBO.” Enter the “greet” action command (which is executed when AIBO hears and recognizes the word “Hello.”). You’ll use the “Greet01” action file in the action library (see page 43) for the greeting by AIBO.
Lesson 5 6 Connect the boxes and reorganize the lines. Connect STAND t VOICE_RECOG, and the “Hello” terminal of VOICE_RECOG t GREETING, and GREETING t STAND. Intermediate Course When AIBO recognizes the word “Hello,” it greets you. The program then returns to the beginning and AIBO stands, waiting for another word input. If the flowchart is hard to follow, rearrange the lines or boxes. Saving the program and running it on AIBO Save the program that you created to the “Memory Stick” as “Lesson5.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Doing Several Actions Simultaneously GOAL: To create a program that does several actions simultaneously. Overview of the program: When AIBO finds an obstacle, it walks backwards for 5 seconds while moving its tail and head. It then walks forward again. Wait 1 sec No Turn on AIBO Stand up to walk Keep moving tail & neck Encountered obstacle while walking forward? Point: There is only one “walk forward” command and it is not included in the loop for detecting obstacles.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Checking the current program In this lesson, you’ll edit the “Tutorial6a.be” file, so make a copy of the file and open it with Behavior Arranger. The “Tutorial6a.be” file is stored in the “Sample\model name” folder (see page 12). In your program, the commands will be executed sequentially (not simultaneously). Makes AIBO stand up. IF Distance < 300 BACK If there is an obstacle within 300 mm, the program jumps to the Back box.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Executing several actions simultaneously Let’s modify the existing program so that several commands are executed simultaneously, such as AIBO searching for obstacles while walking. 1 Open the “GO_AHEAD Action Box” Properties box. 2 Change the walking distance. Change the distance in the PLAY-ACTION-WALK-0-100 command from 100 mm to 10,000 mm. 3 Click WAIT, Delete, and then the OK button. AIBO continues walking since a long distance (10,000 mm) is specified.
Lesson 6 5 Connect the output terminal of the WAIT_1SEC box with the input terminal of OBJECT? Box, and organize the lines. Advanced Course AIBO will now search for obstacles every second while executing the “Go forward” command. The point of this step is to prevent the program from executing “go forward” again while the “OBJECT?” and “WAIT_1SEC” boxes are still being executed in a loop.
Lesson 6 7 Disconnect the BACK and GO_AHEAD boxes, and connect the BACK, WAIT_5SEC and GO_AHEAD boxes in sequential order. Advanced Course Since the WAIT command has been deleted, the WAIT_5SEC box is executed right after the command to go backwards. AIBO thus walks backwards for 5 seconds, and then walks forward afterwards. Now add two more actions: twirling the tail (ERS-210 only) and moving the head sideways.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Saving the program and running it on AIBO Save the program with the name “Lesson6.be” to the “Memory Stick” and run it on AIBO. Let’s check the actions that you’ve altered. When the Back box is executed, AIBO carries out the following four actions simultaneously. • Waits 5 seconds • Walks backwards • Twirls the tail (ERS-210 only) • Inclines the head 50° to the left Do not overwrite the “Tutorial6a.be” file used in this lesson so that you can use it again in the future.
Lesson 6 • To change AIBO from walking forward to walking backwards immediately when AIBO detects an obstruction, delete “WAIT_1SEC” box, and connect the ELSE terminal of the OBJECT? box to the input terminal of the OBJECT? box (looping within the box itself). This will minimize the time required for detecting an obstruction (not at onesecond intervals). • Specifying 0 ms in the WAIT command in the WAIT_1SEC box is the same as a WAIT command with a null parameter.
Lesson 7 Advanced Course Mastering Advanced Techniques This lesson introduces advanced techniques for creating programs with Behavior Arranger. In it, you’ll learn programming methods by studying a description of a “search for and kick the pink ball” program. In this lesson you will not edit the program. Preparing the file Open the “Soccer.be” file with Behavior Arranger. This file is stored in the “\Sample\model name” folder (see page 12).
Lesson 7 Checking the program in the “Ball Searching” group box Starting the search for the ball PLAY ACTION TRACK_HEAD PINK_BALL The above command is included, but there is no WAIT command. Note that the next command will be executed while AIBO is still searching for the pink ball. Determining whether AIBO has lost the ball or not IF Pink_Ball = 1 SIDE? ELSE END_TRACKING The above commands check whether AIBO is still able to see the pink ball or not.
Lesson 7 Advanced Course Changing the direction of the body According to the location of the ball The commands below are specified in the SIDE? action box which the program jumps to when AIBO sees the pink ball. IF Head_Pan > 35 AND Wait = 1 TURN IF Head_Pan < -35 AND Wait = 1 TURN ELSE NEAR? The Head_Pan system parameter indicates the horizontal angle of AIBO’s neck.
Lesson 7 Advanced Course Turn and walk in the direction that AIBO is facing The following command is entered into the TURN box: PLAY ACTION TURN Head_Pan The following command is entered into the WALK box. PLAY ACTION WALK Head_Pan 30 The Head_Pan represents the horizontal angle of AIBO’s neck, i.e., the direction from which AIBO is viewing the ball. Note that there is no “WAIT” command after this command.
Lesson 7 Advanced Course Checking the “Kick” group program Maintaining system parameter values SET pan Head_Pan WAIT 500 “Pan” is a user parameter where the value of the Head_Pan system parameter is temporarily stored. Then, the program waits for 500 ms (0.5 seconds). User parameters that start with a small letter can be defined and used whenever necessary. Confirm that the ball has stopped IF Head_Pan = pan DO_KICK ELSE Continue This program compares the “Head_PAN” value stored 0.
Lesson 7 Advanced Course Rearranging the terminals Let’s now check the terminals of the KICK group box. The KICK group box has two terminals, “Continue” on the left and “KICK_DONE” on the right. However, the Kick group that is invoked by the KICK group box has the KICK_DONE terminal box placed on the left and the Continue terminal box placed on the right. Terminal order is determined by the terminal list. From the menu, choose “Group-Set Order of Terminals,” and confirm the terminal order.
Creating Actions! In this section, you will learn how to create an action library, action files and elements with Action Composer. With Action Composer, you can create files and elements by customizing the sample actions, or create completely new actions on your own. By creating and embedding actions into programs made with Quick Behavior Arranger or Behavior Arranger, you’ll be able to give your AIBO richer and more unique expressions.
Window Organization Action Composer is made up of several windows, as shown below. Each of the lessons below will teach you how the windows are used. Pose Window Motion Viewer* Displays key frames of a motion. Use this function to copy key frames. Lesson 2 Confirming key frames Lesson 6 Copying key frames MIDI Window Main Window Elements and actions are managed in a library.
Pose Window Open this window to edit AIBO’s poses (key frames of a motion). Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Notes * These windows can also be opened by double-clicking the file name in the Main Window. You can also open them from the Start menu. Editing poses Creating elements MIDI Window* Open this window to create MIDI sounds for AIBO to play back. The piano roll interface allows you to visually confirm the movement and length of notes.
Lesson 1 Beginner’s Course Let’s Create an Action Library! GOAL: To learn how to make an action library and an action file In Action Composer*, you can make motions, sounds and LED elements, action files that combine these various materials, and action libraries that contain action files. After creating the action libraries, you can combine them with programs in Behavior Arranger. The number of action libraries used by each behavior is one.
Lesson 1 Beginner’s Course Getting prepared • Prepare a “Memory Stick” containing the system (E) suitable for your AIBO model. • If you are using a wireless LAN, set it up in advance. For details, see page 23 of the User’s Guide. • The files you’ll use in these lessons are stored in the “Materials” folder. Copy the following “Materials” folder to your workspace (e.g., the “My Document” folder) in advance. \\Sample\\Tutorial\Materials For details
Lesson 1 Beginner’s Course 3 Select the AIBO model to be used and click OK. The (E) indicates that English words are recognized. (The model name should correspond with the system on the “Memory Stick” and the behavior and action library.) 4 Type “lesson1.alb” as the file name and save the file in the copy of the Materials folder that you made. In Action Composer, you create a file first, and then create the contents of the file. The Main window appears.
Lesson 1 2 Beginner’s Course Save the file as “dance.act.” The action file is created and the “dance” action file appears in the Main window. 3 Click the “dance” file created in step 2, and add elements from the copied Materials folder. Add a motion file Select Elements-Add Motion, select “sit_dance01.mtn” and click Open. Add a sound file Select Elements-Add Sound, select “dance01.mid” and click Open. Add an LED file The elements are added to the selected action file.
Lesson 1 4 Beginner’s Course Add comments to the action file. With “dance” selected, select [Action]-[Add comment], type “dance”, and then click OK. Comments are displayed here. Adding a supplied action to the library You’ll add supplied action files (in this case, sample files) to the action library. 1 From the menu, select Action-Add Action, select “win.act” in the copy of the Materials folder, and then click Open. The action file is added to the Main window.
Lesson 1 2 Click Beginner’s Course in front of “win”. You can check the elements added to the action file. Click an action file. Detailed information on the action file appears at the bottom of the window. Action files or elements are shown in a tree structure in the Main window. Action Name LED file Name Motion file Name Action file Name Sound file Name Note that in the case of the ERS-210/310, there is a LED file in the win folder.
Lesson 1 2 Click OK. The library is saved to the “Memory Stick” and a dialog box appears when saving has finished. Click OK. Beginner’s Course At the same time, the library is copied to the PC’s hard drive. Quick Behavior Arranger and Behavior Arranger can now refer to the copied files, and the actions in the library can be used in behaviors (see page 51). If you are not using a wireless LAN, then this completes Lesson 1.
Lesson 1 3 Beginner’s Course Click OK. The action library is sent to AIBO. When the transmission finishes, a dialog box appears. Click OK. You cannot make AIBO perform the action simply by saving it to the action library. This is where Action Composer’s role ends and the baton is passed to Behavior Arranger. But in this tutorial, let’s learn a little more about Action Composer. The action library you’ve created is same as the “Tutorial1.alb” file in the L1_Reference folder.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Let‘s Preview a Created Action! GOAL: To learn how to preview an action. Let’s find out how to view with your own eyes an action file that either you’ve created or has been supplied to you. There are two following ways to preview a file: • By viewing it on the PC (page 81) • By having AIBO perform the action (requires a wireless LAN) (see page 85) You will also learn how to preview an action file or elements that are not registered to an action library.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Previewing an action and elements on the PC In this lesson, you will preview motions, sounds and LEDs in the Action Window. 1 In the Main window, select the “dance” action file to open the action library that you used in Lesson 1. 2 Click the Edit Action button If you started this tutorial from Lesson 2, open “Tutorial2.alb” in the L2_Starter folder (see page 12). You won’t edit the above action library, so there is no need to copy it. .
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Preview the motion It’s a little difficult to imagine an action simply by viewing the file names of its key frames, sounds and LEDs, so let’s take a look at the action itself on the PC. 1 Click Replay button in the Action Window. The Preview Window appears and the action starts to play back. In the window, the elements that comprise the action file (motions, sounds and LEDs) are played back together. To play the action again, click in the Preview Window.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Preview the sound In the Preview Window, you can check the sound with your ears, but now let’s check the sound with your eyes. 1 Double-click “dance01” that appears in the sound channel in the Action Window. You can also open windows by double clicking a sound or LED file in the Main window. The MIDI Window appears, showing the arrangement of the MIDI data. 2 Click the Playback button Window. in the MIDI A preview of the sounds begins. 3 Close the window.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Previewing LEDs In the same way that you previewed the sound, let’s check the LED data with your eyes. 1 Double-click “dance01” that appears in the LED channel in the Action Window. The LED Window appears, showing the arrangement of the LED data. 2 Click the Playback button Window. in the LED You can check the LED lighting scheme on AIBO (shown on the left).
Lesson 2 3 Close the window. Close the Action Window. Beginner’s Course If you are not using a wireless LAN, go to page 86, where you’ll learn how to preview elements and actions that are not registered to an action library. Testing an action on AIBO If you are using a wireless LAN, you can check an action by having AIBO perform it. Unlike checking an action through 3D modeling, this test allows you to see how AIBO moves in real life.
Lesson 2 4 Beginner’s Course When AIBO has stopped, click Close to close all the windows. You may be wondering if it is possible to check files that haven’t been registered to the action library. No problem! Just do the following procedure. Checking an action or elements not registered to the action library In this procedure, you will open each window that comprises Action Composer, not from the Main window, but from the Action Composer Tool.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Checking elements Checking a motion As with an action file, you can check a motion from the Action Window by adding it to the window as an element. But in this section, we’ll check it in another window for study purposes. 1 Click the Start button in Windows, select Programs-AIBO Master Studio-Action Composer Tool, and then click Motion Viewer. The Motion Viewer appears. In the Motion Viewer, key frames can only be displayed; they cannot be previewed or edited.
Lesson 2 Beginner’s Course Checking the sound 1 2 Click the Start button in Windows, select Programs-AIBO Master Studio-Action Composer Tool, and then click MIDI Window. If you click “WAVE Window” in the menu, the WAVE Window appears. The MIDI Window appears. The sound format is the same for all three models, so you need not select the model. In other words, you can use the sample files supplied with other models. From the menu, select File-Open, and then open the “dance01.
Lesson 2 3 Beginner’s Course From the menu, select File-Open, and then open the “dance01.led” file used in Lesson 1. Do steps 2 to 3 on page 84. You have now learned how to check an action or elements. Now you can create an action library by combining the supplied elements and actions. Next, you will edit files and elements to create original actions.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Let’s Edit Elements GOAL: Learning how to edit elements In this lesson, you’ll learn how to edit action files by modifying the supplied action files.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Preparing elements 1 Start up Action Composer. 2 Select Open Existing Library in the Navigation dialog box, open “lesson3.alb” in the copy of the Materials folder. If you started this tutorial from Lesson 3, start the lesson after copying the Materials folder (see page 73). If the Navigation dialog box is set not to be displayed, select FileOpen Library in the menu. 3 Select the “greeting” action file.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Editing a motion Let’s create the “raise head fast” motion. Editing a pose 1 Double click the second key frame. In this window, you’ll edit the pose in the key frame. The Pose Window appears. 2 Select the part to be modified from the Parts list, enter the degree in the Current setting box, and then press the Enter key on the keyboard.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Adding a key frame 1 Click “193rd frame (3.10 seconds)” on the Time/ frame channel. The current bar moves and the current position changes. To change the display unit of the Time/frame channel, select the unit in the sec/frame box at the bottom of the Action Window. * The time interval is the interval between the numbers displayed on the Time/frame channel. Set a longer interval to make it easier to enter data or select a frame.
Lesson 3 3 Beginner’s Course Set the pose in the key frame. Do steps 1 to 3 on page 92, making the following settings for each part. ERS-210 Head: Roll 19 deg ERS-220 Head: Yaw 30 deg ERS-310 series Head: Yaw 30 deg You have now modified the motion. From the menu, select Elements-Save Motion As, and then save the file with the name “move_head_2.mtn”. The name of the motion in the motion channel also changes. Editing a sound Editing a sound Let’s delete the silent part in a sound.
Lesson 3 2 Beginner’s Course Click the 0th frame (0 second) and Shift-click the 188th frame (3 seconds). The silent part is selected and highlighted in white. r 188 (Time span: 20 frames) 3 From the menu, select Edit-Cut. The selected part is cut. 4 Selecting Edit-Delete deletes the sound, but leaves the length unchanged. From the menu, select File-Save As and save the file with the name “greet_2.wav”. A sound file without the silent part has been created. Close the window.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Adjusting the starting point of the sound Since you’ve cut out the silent part, the sound has been moved forward. Let’s adjust the starting point of the sound. 1 In Action Window, select Elements-Set Sound Start Point. The Sound Start Point dialog box appears. 2 Enter 188, the number of frames that you’ve deleted, and then click OK. The position of the file moves and the starting point of the sound returns to the original position.
Lesson 3 2 Beginner’s Course Click the right-most Brightness button. This selects the brightest level. 3 Click LED on AIBO. The cursor changes to 4 The mouse is set to the data-input mode. By clicking, you can see the location within the LED channels that corresponds with the selected LED. . Position the LED data as shown below. ERS-210 Add data to “Left eye 2” to make both eyes flash. Enter here ERS-220 Specify the highest brightness for “Face L1” to make the lights flash in sequence.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Making the LEDs flash Let’s learn how to make the LEDs flash and to match the flashing duration to a motion. 1 From the menu, select Setup-Select Mode and select LED data by dragging the mouse. ERS-210 ERS-220 ERS-310 series 2 From the menu, select Edit-Copy. 3 Click the 165th frame (2.56 seconds) on the Time/frame channel. The current bar moves. (Time interval: 1/2 sec) 98 Input mode is used to enter data to a channel.
Lesson 3 4 Beginner’s Course From the menu, select Edit-Paste. The first lighting pattern is copied. ERS-210 ERS-220 ERS-310 Series (Time interval: 1/2 sec) Click to check the flashing. 5 Save the file with the name “flash_2”. 6 Combine the LED file again in Action Window, and then click . See step 5 on page 95. Let’s check the lighting sequence and motion in the Preview Window.
Lesson 3 Beginner’s Course Saving the action file 1 Save the file with File-Save in the Action Window, and then close the window. 2 Save the action library with File-Save Library in the Main window. The files you’ve created are identical to the files in the L3_Reference folder (see page 12). Check to see that the files are correct.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Let’s Create Original Elements! GOAL: Learning how to make elements from scratch. Now that you’ve learned how to create an action library, the next step is to learn how to create original works of your own.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Creating an action file In creating an action, you can start by creating the action library first, then create the action to be contained in the library. Another way, however, is to create the action file first, and then add it to the action library afterwards. 1 Click the Start button in Windows, select Programs-AIBO Master Studio-Action Composer Tool, and then click Action Window. 2 Select the AIBO model to be used.
Lesson 4 2 Specify “sleep” for both standing and ending poses. Intermediate Course The starting and ending poses are changed. Selecting starting and ending poses from the basic poses eliminates the need to specify the intervening poses in the action. This is done automatically by AIBO, from starting pose to ending pose. 3 Right-click the end key frame, and select Set Interpolation Frame. By lengthening the interpolation frame, the entire motion becomes longer. 4 Enter 450 and click OK.
Lesson 4 6 104 Intermediate Course Double-click the key frame and create the following pose in the Pose Window.
Lesson 4 7 Copy the key frame you created in step 6 and paste into the 375th frame (6.00 seconds), overwriting the data there. 8 Create a new key frame at the 230th frame (3.68 seconds) and set the pose below. Intermediate Course (The settings are the same for all models.) Right Front Leg (Vertical) 60deg Left Front Leg (Vertical) 60deg 9 Select “Elements-Save Motion As” to save to the “raise_hands” file, overwriting the current contents. Close the Action Window without saving the action.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course 2 Select File-Open and open “jinglebells.mid”. 3 Click The copied materials are inside the folder. to play the file. It sounds like the Jingle Bells, only a little funny. Add sounds where they are lacking, and make it sound more in tune. 4 Click below. note and add sounds as shown Add sound data where it is lacking. If you put data in the wrong place, drag it to the correct place. 5 Click and select the music data as shown below, and then drag it downward.
Lesson 4 Intermediate Course Combining elements By adding the files that you created into the Action Window, you can combine the elements. 1 Select the AIBO model, start the Action Window, and then add the elements that you created. Motion: raise_hands.mtn Sound: jinglebells_2.mid 2 Save the file as “sing_jinglebells.act” and close all windows. The file that you created in this lesson is identical with the “Tutorial4.alb” file in the L4_Reference folder (page 12).
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course Let’s Light up the LEDs to the Music Goal: Learning how to synchronize motion, sound and LED Now that you can create your own elements, let’s move on to the synchronizing of elements. For instance, you can make AIBO wink and move its mouth in sync with the sounds it emits. Making AIBO dance to the music can also be great fun.
Lesson 5 Intermediate Course The marker function in the action file is convenient for synchronizing elements. In this lesson, you’ll create an action in which AIBO lights up its LEDs to music. 1 In the Action Window, open the “sing_Jinglebells” action file created in Lesson 4. 2 From the menu, select Elements-Add LED, and then select the “sync_sound” file. If you started from Lesson 5, first copy the L5_Starter folder, and then open the “Tutorial5.act” file (see page 12).
Lesson 5 4 Intermediate Course Set markers in the MIDI Window. Press the Alt key and click the marker channel to set markers at the following frames. 5 Make sure that the purple markers set in the MIDI Window are also set in the Action Window and LED window. (These settings are the same for all models.) Frame 62, 125, 187, 250, 312, 375, 437 If you misplace a marker You can delete it with Alt+click. Input the LED data at the markers. For details, see page 96.
Lesson 5 6 Save the LED file as “sync_sound_2”. Overwrite the LED file “sync_sound_2” in the Action Window. Now click to preview the file. 7 Save the action file as “sing_Jinglebells_2”. When you open this action file next time, you'll see the markers set in each window. Intermediate Course For details on inputting data, see page 95. In the same way, setting markers in the LED Window is convenient for aligning the position of key frames and sound data to the LEDs.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Tips for creating actions In this course, we give you hints to help you create more attractive AIBO actions! A thorough knowledge of Action Composer use is naturally essential, but in the end, the key to creating good works will be your knowledge of AIBO’s features and your personal sense of design. General Motions, sounds, and LEDs are the three parts that make up the whole! • A good action uses AIBO’s motions, sounds and LEDs at the same time.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course • In the 3D window, AIBO’s spatial center is located at the center of its body, so the motion in the display will differ somewhat from the real motion. It’s important to take this difference into account. For instance, when you create a motion in which AIBO shakes its body while standing with its paws set on the floor, shoulder and hip joint” should be set at a symmetrical angle to give AIBO a smooth motion like that of a speed skater.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Example: The front leg turns In a movement in which AIBO moves its right front leg all the way to the back from above, if you add no key frames in between the starting and ending poses, AIBO may try to move its leg backward from below. Though AIBO will be able to do this in the 3D window, in real life, the front leg will collide with the floor or another part, causing damage or a malfunction to occur. If it’s usable, reuse it! • Reuse anything that you’ve created.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course • Inserting a key frame just before AIBO’s leg touches the floor will change the speed of the motion, causing the leg to touch down slowly. If you let a part touch down at a fast speed, inertia will add to the force with which the part collides with the floor. Try to create motions that are gentle on AIBO. Be gentle on the neck! • The neck is the most delicate part. Avoid motions that twirl the head excessively.
Lesson 6 Information about Each Model By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your particular model, you will be able to create a world of AIBO motions that is unique in its own special way. ERS-210/220 • It’s relatively easy for AIBO to raise one of its front legs while in the sitting position, but raising both legs may be a little difficult. Suspend and spread the back legs and place its paws on the floor. • On the ERS-210, use the ears and tail to create various expressions.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Sound: WAVE Using the Normalize function • Whenever you feel the sound is small, use the Normalize function. This raises the volume to the highest level without distortion. Sound: MIDI Change the tempo! • Changing the tempo within the same piece of music will produce varied impressions, such as slow and calm or restless. Advanced techniques This course introduces you to advanced techniques for creating MIDI data. The lessons will make use of the two following examples.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course • Example 2: Adding decorative effects in front of a sound to create a different expression Add decorative effects using similar sounds. If you put too many decorative effects, the results may be noisy or active; if too little, the results may be calm. (Materials\Lesson6_2.mid) LEDs Blending colors • Multicolor LEDs are provided on the tail of the ERS-210 or the horn of the ERS-310 series. If you light up several LEDs together, you can produce different colors through blending.
Lesson 6 Advanced Course Adding light to the sound! • Synchronizing the lighting of the LEDs to the sound can be quite effective. Frequent light-up! • Lighting up the LEDs at a high rate can produce a vigorous impression, but it can sometimes be annoying, so be careful! This ends the lessons for Action Composer.
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