Microsoft Robotics Development Studio 2008
Hello Visitors!
My name is Milan Kubicek. I’m a full-time student at the University of Berne where I study computer science. Since July 2007 I have worked part-time at the Microsoft Switzerland Academic Team. In the future I want to keep you up-to-date about our technologies like Silverlight, Microsoft Robotics Development Studio (MSRDS) and others.
And now some information about the new Microsoft Robotics product and licensing model:
The new Microsoft Robotics Development Studio 2008 was released few weeks ago. It’s a significant update to Microsoft Robotics Studio (1.5). This new version includes support for 64-bit operating systems, new samples showing how to use the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight, a greatly improved documentation, enhanced Project Wizards, runtime optimizations, and many other new features. The simulated robot sumo competition is also included.
The MSRDS 2008 is available in three editions:
· Express Edition (available at no charge)
· Standard Edition
· Academic Edition
The MSRDS 2008 Express Edition targets hobbyists and casual users and has some limitations like limited number of entities you can load in the Visual Simulation Environment (VSE), no C# code generation, and no rights to redistribute the CCR (Concurrency and Coordination Runtime) and DSS (Decentralized Software Services) Runtimes, to name the most important ones.
The MSRDS 2008 Standard and Academic Edition have the same functionality.
Soon you will be able to download the Academic Edition through MSDN AA, presumed your university or school has a MSDN AA subscription (Have a look on this site to check if there is a MSDN AA portal at your university: https://www.microsoft.com/switzerland/education/en/academiczone/students/MSDN.mspx)
Here’s a comparison of the available editions at a glance:
|
Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 Editions | |||
|
Components |
Standard |
Academic |
Express1 |
|
Visual Programming Language (VPL) Drag-and-drop application developmentC# code generationDistributed application design |
YesYesYes |
YesYesYes |
YesNoNo |
|
Visual Simulation Environment (VSE) Loadable entitiesEditor modeFloorplan editorFile format supportApartment environmentCity environmentOutdoor environment |
UnlimitedYesYes.obj, .x, .dae2YesYesYes |
UnlimitedYesYes.obj, .x, .dae2YesYesYes |
64NoNo.obj, .xYesNoNo |
|
DSS Manifest Editor (DSSME) Drag-and-drop application configurationDistributed application design |
YesYes |
YesYes |
YesNo |
|
Compact Framework Support3 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
CCR and DSS4 RuntimeRedistribution rights |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
1 Express Edition includes: VPL Express, VSE Express, DSSME Express, CCR & DSS
2 COLLADA (digital asset exchange) file format
3 Support for Compact Framework 3.5 enables support for Windows CE, Windows Embedded CE & Windows Mobile devices.
Please see Devices and Platforms Supported by the .NET Compact Framework for additional details.
4 CCR = Concurrency & Coordination Runtime; DSS = Decentralized Software Services
For more information please have a look on the MSDN Robotics Developer Center or contact me.
Kind regards,
Milan Kubicek
v-milank(at)microsoft.com
Microsoft Lead Student Partner, Bern