LinkForge Documentation

Welcome to the official LinkForge documentation. LinkForge is the programmable robot description engine - a rigorous Intermediate Representation (IR) and Blender-based platform for building, validating, and deploying robot models with scientific precision.

Architecture: IR-Based Compilation

LinkForge decouples robot definition inputs from physical target configurations using a Frontends → IR → Backends pipeline:

        graph LR
    UI["Blender Visual UI"] -->|Compile| IR("Universal Robot IR")
    API["Python Composer API"] -->|Compile| IR
    CAD["URDF / XACRO Ingest"] -->|Ingest| IR

    IR <--> Val["Physics Validator"]

    IR -->|Export| URDF["URDF / XACRO (ROS 2)"]
    IR -->|Export| SRDF["SRDF (MoveIt 2)"]
    IR -.->|Planned| MJCF["MJCF (MuJoCo)"]
    IR -.->|Planned| USD["OpenUSD (Isaac Sim)"]

    style MJCF stroke-dasharray: 4,stroke:#999
    style USD stroke-dasharray: 4,stroke:#999

Key Features

LinkForge streamlines robotics modeling with the following capabilities:

  • IR-Based Compilation: A decoupled pipeline with multiple frontends (Blender UI, Python API, URDF import), a validated IR, and extensible simulator backends.

  • Dual-Mode Authoring: Visual 3D editing inside Blender or programmatic Python coding.

  • Production-Ready Export: Strictly compliant URDF/XACRO files optimized for ROS/Gazebo.

  • ROS2 Control Support: Automatic hardware interface configuration.

  • Complete Sensor Suite: Integrated support for LiDAR, IMU, Depth Cameras, and more.

  • Automatic Physics: Scientific mass properties and inertia tensor calculation.

  • Modular Robot Assembly: Build and merge robots programmatically with the Composer API.

  • SRDF Generation: Automatic creation of semantic metadata for complex planning systems.

Installation

LinkForge is distributed as two separate, fully integrated packages depending on your workflow:

Blender Extension (Visual UI Editor)

For 3D modelers and roboticists who want to visual-draft digital twins:

  • Prerequisite: Blender 4.2 or later

  1. Open Blender → Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions

  2. Search for “LinkForge”

  3. Click Install

Standalone Python Library (linkforge-core)

For developer pipelines, automated CI, and procedural robot generation:

  • Prerequisite: Python >= 3.11

pip install linkforge-core

Quick Start

Choose your preferred entry point:

Visual Workflow (Blender UI)

  1. Create Links: Select a mesh and click Create Link in the LinkForge panel.

  2. Connect Joints: Select a child link and click Create Joint to specify constraints.

  3. Validate & Export: Run the validator in the UI and click Export URDF/XACRO.

Programmatic Workflow (Python API)

Create, validate, and export a complete kinematic robot description programmatically:

from linkforge.core import RobotBuilder, box, cylinder

# Initialize robot builder
builder = RobotBuilder("my_robot")

# Micro-construct links and joints programmatically
builder.link("base_link").visual(box(0.5, 0.5, 0.1)).mass(5.0).root()
builder.link("arm", parent="base_link") \
    .visual(cylinder(0.05, 0.5)) \
    .mass(2.0) \
    .revolute(axis=(0, 0, 1), limits=(-1.57, 1.57)) \
    .commit()

# Export strictly-compliant URDF
urdf_xml = builder.export_urdf()

Start here if you are new to LinkForge. Step-by-step lessons to build your first robot.

Tutorials
Overview

Practical guides to help you achieve specific goals or solve problems.

How-to Guides
Overview

Deep dives into the architecture, theory, and design of LinkForge.

Explanation
Overview

Technical descriptions, API documentation, and specifications.

Reference
Overview

Note

Physics Accuracy: All inertia calculations use solid-body dynamics formulas to ensure simulation fidelity.

Community & Support