Looking to extract position/coordinates from Simulated Starter Kit 2.0

Question

I am new to the Robotics Module of LabView so I wanted to clarify is either of things exist. The simulated DaNI (starter kit 2.0) moves depending on the speeds sent to the DC motors, but how/where is this translated into movement for the simulated DaNI? OR is there any way to put a marker or otherwise monitor the current position of the simulated DaNI in the simulated environment. (hopefully using coordinates or something similar?)
I am only using the basic, nothing complex. Some code has been written to make inputs to the Write Dc Motor Setpoints VI and that is where the motor speed is inputted, but I cannot see where it actually translates into movement for the simulated DaNI.
I don't need anything solved or fixed, would just appreciate a point in the right direction or a clarification.

Answer 1

You may want to take a look at the "Starter Kit 2.0 Dead Reckoning" example to see how to directly access the position of the robot from the simulation environment. (If you don't have LabVIEW 2012 or later you can get the example here.)  In this case, you get a reference to the robot's "Body" object, then call the "Position" property to get the coordinates of the robot's center point within the simulation environment.  As for how the API controls the motors, the robot host interface contains references to the simulated motors, and it is sending position setpoints to the simulator through those references  This comminication is handled within Write DC Motor Setpoints.vi.  Meanwhile the simulator is calculating the friction and collisions between the wheels and the ground to make the robot move.
Chris M