diff --git a/collada_urdf/src/ColladaWriter.cpp b/collada_urdf/src/ColladaWriter.cpp
index 1cb70d7..78c3d54 100644
--- a/collada_urdf/src/ColladaWriter.cpp
+++ b/collada_urdf/src/ColladaWriter.cpp
@@ -54,11 +54,11 @@ ColladaWriter::ColladaWriter(std::string const& filename)
 {
     TiXmlDocument xml;
     if (!xml.LoadFile(filename.c_str()))
-        throw ColladaWriterException("Error opening file");
+        throw ColladaWriterException("Error reading XML file");
 
     TiXmlElement* robot_xml = xml.FirstChildElement("robot");
     if (!robot_xml)
-        throw ColladaWriterException("Error parsing URDF model from XML");
+        throw ColladaWriterException("Error parsing URDF model from XML (robot element not found)");
 
     robot_ = shared_ptr<urdf::Model>(new urdf::Model);
     if (!robot_->initXml(robot_xml))
diff --git a/collada_urdf/src/urdf_to_collada.cpp b/collada_urdf/src/urdf_to_collada.cpp
index 939a44e..03b01c1 100644
--- a/collada_urdf/src/urdf_to_collada.cpp
+++ b/collada_urdf/src/urdf_to_collada.cpp
@@ -41,30 +41,16 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
         return -1;
     }
 
-    std::string input_filename(argv[1]);
-    std::string output_filename(argv[2]);
-
-    TiXmlDocument robot_model_xml;
-    if (!robot_model_xml.LoadFile(input_filename.c_str())) {
-        std::cerr << "Error opening file " << argv[1] << std::endl;
-        return -1;
+    try
+    {
+        collada_urdf::ColladaWriter writer(argv[1]);
+        if (!writer.writeDocument(argv[2])) {
+            std::cerr << "Error writing document" << std::endl;
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
-
-    TiXmlElement* robot_xml = robot_model_xml.FirstChildElement("robot");
-    if (!robot_xml) {
-        std::cerr << "Error parsing URDF model from XML" << std::endl;
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    boost::shared_ptr<urdf::Model> robot(new urdf::Model);
-    if (!robot->initXml(robot_xml)) {
-        std::cerr << "Error parsing URDF model from XML" << std::endl;
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    collada_urdf::ColladaWriter writer(robot, input_filename);
-    if (!writer.writeDocument(output_filename)) {
-        std::cerr << "Error writing document" << std::endl;
+    catch (collada_urdf::ColladaWriterException ex) {
+        std::cerr << "Error converting document: " << ex.what() << std::endl;
         return -1;
     }