---
title: Reference points
description: "Reference points are little helpers for building robot cells or programming an application. They define the coordinates (location and orientation) of points of interest. Examples are e.g. candidates for Tool-Center-Points (TCPs). Flange points allow you to attach a tool to…"
url: "https://convergent-it.com/tutorial/robot-cells-and-equipment/reference-points/"
updated: "2026-09-08"
category: "Robot cells & equipment - Robot Offline Programming"
tags:
  - CAD Editor
---

# Reference points

Reference points are little helpers for building robot cells or programming an application. They define the coordinates (location and orientation) of points of interest.

Examples are e.g. candidates for Tool-Center-Points (TCPs). Flange points allow you to attach a tool to the robot's flange automatically. Simulation-points define where a process-simulastion starts from a.s.o.

Reference points also define possible locations where to pick or place a part  (pick points and place points). Reference points are also used to align the virtual world with the real one. Measure the position of 3 points of the workpiece with the robot in the real cell. You get 3 points in robot coordiantes. Than mark the same 3 points on the CAD of the workpiece. Later "match" the points in the CAD with the measured ones. As a result you will get the pose of the work-piece in the cell automatically - as will be described in the scene editor.

![](https://convergent-it.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Robot-TCP-1024x576.jpg)

Example of reference points for the case of a painting-tool.

- 1) add a new reference point
- 2) Specify where/how you intend to initially put the new reference point. Options are from snapping to a surface, to an edge, or to a vertex, or freely.
- 3) Select the type of reference points, such as TCPs, flange-points, simulation-points or others.

![](https://convergent-it.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Robot-Simulation-Point-1024x618.jpg)

The image shows the added reference point that can be used as origin of a process-simulation, here paint-simulation.

Reminder: If you want to set a reference point graphically by clicking on a CAD-object, or if you want to modify it by selecting one of it´s coordinate-axes, don´t forget to press "CTRL". As described in the GUI: Without CTRL all mouse actions change the view or move or rotate the object, cell, etc.