Robotics
RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation
Program and simulate robots offline in RoboDK, then export working programs for real robot controllers of many brands.
RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics. It has 13 modules and takes about 26.1 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 26.1 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: robot programmer, automation engineer, cell integrator and maintenance technician. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- RoboDK (a trial, then a limited mode; education licences are sold separately, so check the current terms on the RoboDK website). Hardware: none required. Any supported robot runs the generated programs.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Build a RoboDK station with a robot, tool, frames and objects
- Create targets and programs and simulate pick and place
- Check collisions, singularities and cycle time
- Generate curve-follow and machining programs
- Script with Python and post-process programs for real controllers
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. No robot brand knowledge needed.
What you need
Software: RoboDK (a trial, then a limited mode; education licences are sold separately, so check the current terms on the RoboDK website).
Hardware: None required. Any supported robot runs the generated programs.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
13 modules in order, at your own pace. 26.1 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1RoboDK and Installation43m
- 2Robots, Tools and Reference Frames, with lab practice: 1h 41m
- 3Movements, Targets and Programs, with lab practice: 41m
- 4Teaching Targets on Surfaces, Subprograms and Circular Motion43m
- 5Station Creation: Library, Objects and Paths from Parts1h 45m
- 6Pick and Place, with lab practice: 1h 28m
- 7Simulation Events, with lab practice: 1h 45m
- 83D Models and Mechanisms3h 0m
Show the other 5 modules
- 9Mechanism Applications and Simulation Tools2h 48m
- 10Advanced Paths: Curve Follow, Machining and 3D Printing2h 32m
- 11Modelling Your Own Robot and Cell1h 18m
- 12Python API, Post Processors and Export51m
- 13Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free trial: 30 days
RoboDK
RoboDK
- Runs on
- Windows 64-bit, macOS and Ubuntu Linux; also RoboDK for Web in a browser
- Account
- Your name and email address on the download form
The free trial gives simulation and offline programming features for 30 days with the full robot library. After 30 days RoboDK keeps basic functionality, with program generation limited to 50 instructions. Education licences for students and teachers are paid and need a university email address.
Steps
- 1.Open robodk.com/download.
- 2.Enter your name and email address and choose Windows, Mac or Ubuntu.
- 3.Run the installer and accept the RoboDK EULA.
- 4.Start RoboDK and open the robot library to load the robot used in your course.
- 5.Right-click the program and choose a post processor for your robot brand to generate code.
- Keep programs under 50 instructions if you continue after the trial.
- RoboDK includes post processors for FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Yaskawa Motoman and Universal Robots.
Official download pagerobodk.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Check what you simulate in RoboDK by jogging, teaching and running a real-feeling arm in the lab, then stack parts with a pattern.
- JogRobotics lab, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Jog
- Teach and runRobotics lab, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Teach and run
- Pick and placeRobotics lab, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Pick and place
- PalletisingRobotics lab, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Palletising
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 16 hours
Deburring cell for aluminium castings: RoboDK station, curve-follow paths from CAD, KUKA post validation and cycle time
Design, program offline, validate and document a KUKA KR 20 R1810 deburring cell for twelve aluminium casting variants on a two-station turntable at a foundry. The job has these parts. The RoboDK station with tools, frames and the turntable mechanism. Parting-line and hole paths generated from the casting CAD. Collision and cycle-time checks. KRL from the KUKA post, validated against the controller. A handshake with the cell PLC. A procedure that moves a program from the laptop to the cell with one frame calibration instead of a day of touch-up. The sample pack shows what an offline-programming integrator hands over.
- 7documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
- Cell layoutDeburring Cell DB-1 Layout and Safeguarding
- Risk registerRisk Assessment Register: Deburring Cell DB-1 (ISO 12100, task-based)
- I/O handshakePLC-Robot I/O Handshake Table: DB1-PLC to KR C5 micro
- SDSSoftware Design Specification: RoboDK Station, Program Generation and the KRL Program Set
- Test reportPost-Processor Validation: Generated KRL Against the KR C5 micro, Variant WPH12
- ReportCycle-Time Report: Deburring Cell DB-1, Simulation Against the Cell and the Manual Baseline
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
PLC Programming
Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Robot programmer
- Automation engineer
- Cell integrator
- Maintenance technician
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: RoboDK. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
RoboDK · RoboDK · RoboDK. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Which robot brands does RoboDK support?
A very large number of robot models from many manufacturers, including FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, UR, Denso and Kawasaki; the same station generates each brand's program through its post processor. Check RoboDK's supported-robots page for your model.
Is RoboDK free?
RoboDK offers a trial and keeps a limited mode after it. It also sells education licences. Terms change, so read the current ones on the RoboDK website before you start.
Do I need to know Python?
Only for the final module; everything before it is done in the interface.
Is the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course take?
Plan on about 26 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the thirteen modules at your own speed.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course cover, module by module?
The RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course has 13 modules. It opens with "RoboDK and Installation", goes through "Robots, Tools and Reference Frames", "Station Creation: Library, Objects and Paths from Parts", "Mechanism Applications and Simulation Tools" and "Python API, Post Processors and Export" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course?
After the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course: Install RoboDK and build stations with robots, tools and frames; Create targets and programs and teach on surfaces; Simulate pick and place with events and mechanisms. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course, and does it cost anything?
For the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course, software: RoboDK (a trial, then a limited mode; education licences are sold separately, so check the current terms on the RoboDK website). Hardware: none required. Any supported robot runs the generated programs. The course itself is free.
Is the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course suitable for me, and what level is it?
RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. No robot brand knowledge needed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics, and takes about 26.1 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course?
Skills from the RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation course (for example: install RoboDK and build stations with robots, tools and frames) are used in roles such as robot programmer, automation engineer, cell integrator and maintenance technician, and in robotics engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
RoboDK Offline Programming and Simulation, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.