Useful Links for learning the use of Matlab for robotics:

From the Home Page of Prof. Peter Corke: Robotic Toolbox for Matlab e Machine Vision Toolbox
The University of Western Australia. Robotics
Simple 3D animation with Matlab

You can use  V-REP   to learn the Inverse Kinematics: http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/helpFiles/en/inverseKinematicsTutorial.htm

3D modeling programs

Processing: open source programming language and environment for people who want to create images, animations, and interactions
Blender: An open source program for 3D modeling, animation and rendering
Sketch: A small, simple system for producing line drawings of two- or three-dimensional solid objects and scenes.
Sketch generates PSTricks code for LaTeX.

Descriptions of Blender and Sketch

BACK

Interesting Stuff

ROS: Robot Operating System http://www.ros.org/wiki/

GAZEBO (simulatore di robot con sensori attuatori etc...) http://gazebosim.org/

ODE: OPEN DYNAMICS ENGINE (simulatore meccanico ad alto livello) http://opende.sourceforge.net/ 
    ODE: presentation SLIDES A ODE: presentation B      MANUALE

DynaMechs: An Object Oriented Software Package for Efficient Dynamic Simulation
http://src.gnu-darwin.org/ports/graphics/dynamechs/work/dynamechs_4.0pre1/docs/
http://src.gnu-darwin.org/ports/graphics/dynamechs/

On YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj_DttBF_as

V-REP :  Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (Create, Compose Simulate any Robot)  http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/ 
                 User Manual       An Example on YouTube      (...and real robots)
	Bubble Robot Tutorial    ExternalControllerTutorial

OpenSceneGraph
http://www.openscenegraph.org/projects/osg

OpenSceneGraph w

http://www.meqtronics.com/

Commercial 3D Animation Tools: Autodesk Maya Autodesk 3DS Max Autodesk Softimage

A pagamento
http://www.robologix.com/

ETHZ Reports
http://students.asl.ethz.ch/upl_pdf/
Student Projects ETHZ
http://leggedrobotics.ethz.ch/doku.php?id=education:studentprojects