In this section, we will discuss how to use URDF robot models with OpenRave. Firstly, we will see how to convert an URDF in a collada file (.dae) format; this file will be then used to generate the IKFast source file. To convert a URDF model into a collada file, we can use a ROS package, called collada_urdf.
We will work with the ABB IRB 6640 robot model, which can be found in the abb_irb6600_support package in the /urdf folder named irb6640.urdf. Alternatively, you can take this file from the ikfast_demo folder released with the book code. Copy this file into your working folder and run the following command for the conversion:
$ roscore && rosrun collada_urdf urdf_to_collada irb6640.urdf ...
