Fixing Moses 3D to Cloos Robot Program Export via QTI API

If you work with Moses 3D simulation software and Cloos welding robots, you might encounter an issue where exporting robot programs (.L files) fails silently or throws initialization errors.

Here is a breakdown of why this happens and how to fix it by creating a custom API interceptor wrapper.

The Problem

   1;C:\Moses\Konfiguration\CLOOS\DRASS\ROB\CFG
   2;C:\Moses\MSTEILE\PROGD\Rohr1
   3;DE

Moses then triggers the Cloos command-line tool QTIAPI.exe with a single command:

   QTIAPI.exe /CMD 5 Rohr1

Instead of generating Rohr1.L, the export fails. Checking the official Cloos log at %ProgramData%\Cloos Schweisstechnik\QTI\QTIAPI.log reveals the following error:

   4 /CMD 5 Rohr1  QTI could not be initialized

Root Cause

Before running conversion commands, QTIAPI.exe expects two mandatory setup calls during runtime:

• /cfg 1 "<Robot Configuration Path>" to initialize the system configuration.

• /cfg 2 "<Working Directory Path>" to set where files should be read and written.

Because Moses calls QTIAPI.exe /CMD 5 directly without passing the /cfg flags first, QTIAPI.exe fails to initialize.

The Solution: A C# API Interceptor

When Moses calls QTIAPI.exe /CMD 5 Rohr1, the wrapper intercepts the call and executes the full sequence:

       Moses Export
            │
            ▼
       QTIAPI.exe (Custom Wrapper)
            │
            ├── 1. Intercepts original parameters
            ├── 2. Reads and parses QTIApi.CFG
            ├── 3. Executes: QTIAPI_real.exe /cfg 1 "C:\Moses\Konfiguration\..."
            ├── 4. Executes: QTIAPI_real.exe /cfg 2 "C:\Moses\MSTEILE\..."
            └── 5. Executes: QTIAPI_real.exe /CMD 5 Rohr1
            │
            ▼
       QTIAPI_real.exe  ──► Successfully generates Rohr1.L 

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Rename the Original Binary
Navigate to C:\Cloos\QTI\ and rename QTIAPI.exe to QTIAPI_real.exe.

Step 2: Compile the Wrapper Executable
Open PowerShell on your system and run the following script to compile the wrapper directly into C:\Cloos\QTI\QTIAPI.exe:

$code = @'
using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.IO;

class Program {
    static void Main(string[] args) {
        string logFile = @"C:\Cloos\QTI\execution_trap.log";
        string realExe = @"C:\Cloos\QTI\QTIAPI_real.exe";
        string cfgFile = @"C:\Cloos\QTI\QTIApi.CFG";

        // Step 1: Log intercepted call
        string originalArgs = string.Join(" ", args);
        File.AppendAllText(logFile, "[" + DateTime.Now.ToString() + "] Intercepted call: " + originalArgs + "\r\n");

        if (!File.Exists(realExe)) {
            File.AppendAllText(logFile, "[" + DateTime.Now.ToString() + "] ERROR: QTIAPI_real.exe not found.\r\n");
            return;
        }

        // Step 2: Read and parse QTIApi.CFG
        if (File.Exists(cfgFile)) {
            string[] lines = File.ReadAllLines(cfgFile);
            foreach (string line in lines) {
                if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(line)) continue;

                string[] parts = line.Split(';');
                if (parts.Length >= 2) {
                    string id = parts[0].Trim();
                    string path = parts[1].Trim();

                    // Step 3 & 4: Issue /cfg 1 and /cfg 2 prior to command execution
                    if (id == "1" || id == "2") {
                        string cfgArgs = "/cfg " + id + " \"" + path + "\"";
                        ExecuteRealExe(realExe, cfgArgs, logFile);
                    }
                }
            }
        } else {
            File.AppendAllText(logFile, "[" + DateTime.Now.ToString() + "] WARNING: QTIApi.CFG not found at " + cfgFile + "\r\n");
        }

        // Step 5: Execute original command
        ExecuteRealExe(realExe, originalArgs, logFile);
    }

    static void ExecuteRealExe(string exePath, string arguments, string logFile) {
        File.AppendAllText(logFile, "[" + DateTime.Now.ToString() + "] Executing: QTIAPI_real.exe " + arguments + "\r\n");

        ProcessStartInfo startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo();
        startInfo.FileName = exePath;
        startInfo.Arguments = arguments;
        startInfo.UseShellExecute = false;

        using (Process process = Process.Start(startInfo)) {
            process.WaitForExit();
        }
    }
}
'@

Add-Type -TypeDefinition $code -OutputAssembly "C:\Cloos\QTI\QTIAPI.exe" -OutputType ConsoleApplication

Verification

• Run a program export inside Moses.

• Check C:\Cloos\QTI\execution_trap.log to confirm the sequence:

      [11.09.2026 17:42:58] Intercepted call: /CMD 5 Rohr1
      [11.09.2026 17:42:58] Executing: QTIAPI_real.exe /cfg 1 "C:\Moses\Konfiguration\CLOOS\DRASS\ROB\CFG"
      [11.09.2026 17:43:00] Executing: QTIAPI_real.exe /cfg 2 "C:\Moses\MSTEILE\PROGD\Rohr1"
      [11.09.2026 17:43:01] Executing: QTIAPI_real.exe /CMD 5 Rohr1

• Check %ProgramData%\Cloos Schweisstechnik\QTI\QTIAPI.log to confirm code 0 (Success):

0 /CMD 5 Rohr1

The target .L parameter file will now be successfully created in your project output folder.