diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index cc6a4023b..972ef02c1 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ dependencies:
   - jaxlie >= 1.3.0
   - jax-dataclasses >= 1.4.0
   - pptree
-  - rod >= 0.2.0
+  - rod >= 0.3.0
   - typing_extensions # python<3.12
   # ====================================
   # Optional dependencies from setup.cfg
@@ -41,18 +41,15 @@ dependencies:
   - pip
   - sphinx
   - sphinx-autodoc-typehints
+  - sphinx-book-theme
   - sphinx-copybutton
   - sphinx-design
   - sphinx_fontawesome
   - sphinx-jinja2-compat
   - sphinx-multiversion
   - sphinx_rtd_theme
-  - sphinx-book-theme
   - sphinx-toolbox
   # ========================================
   # Other dependencies for GitHub Codespaces
   # ========================================
-  # System dependencies to run the tests
-  - gz-sim7
-  # Other packages
   - ipython
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 887110b8a..0061982ed 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ install_requires =
     jaxlie >= 1.3.0
     jax_dataclasses >= 1.4.0
     pptree
-    rod >= 0.2.0
+    rod >= 0.3.0
     typing_extensions ; python_version < '3.12'
 
 [options.packages.find]
diff --git a/src/jaxsim/parsers/kinematic_graph.py b/src/jaxsim/parsers/kinematic_graph.py
index 3e7c3e2ac..42705f7b4 100644
--- a/src/jaxsim/parsers/kinematic_graph.py
+++ b/src/jaxsim/parsers/kinematic_graph.py
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ def __post_init__(self):
         # Also here, we assume the model is fixed-base, therefore the first frame will
         # have last_link_idx + 1. These frames are not part of the physics model.
         for index, frame in enumerate(self.frames):
-            frame.index = index + len(self.link_names())
+            with frame.mutable_context(mutability=Mutability.MUTABLE_NO_VALIDATION):
+                frame.index = int(index + len(self.link_names()))
 
         # Number joints so that their index matches their child link index
         links_dict = {l.name: l for l in iter(self)}
diff --git a/src/jaxsim/parsers/rod/parser.py b/src/jaxsim/parsers/rod/parser.py
index c2e396d57..376e20506 100644
--- a/src/jaxsim/parsers/rod/parser.py
+++ b/src/jaxsim/parsers/rod/parser.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 import rod
 
+import jaxsim.utils
 from jaxsim import logging
 from jaxsim.math.quaternion import Quaternion
 from jaxsim.parsers import descriptions, kinematic_graph
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ class SDFData(NamedTuple):
 
     link_descriptions: List[descriptions.LinkDescription]
     joint_descriptions: List[descriptions.JointDescription]
+    frame_descriptions: List[descriptions.LinkDescription]
     collision_shapes: List[descriptions.CollisionShape]
 
     sdf_model: rod.Model | None = None
@@ -70,6 +72,8 @@ def extract_model_data(
 
     # Jaxsim supports only models compatible with URDF, i.e. those having all links
     # directly attached to their parent joint without additional roto-translations.
+    # Furthermore, the following switch also post-processes frames such that their
+    # pose is expressed wrt the parent link they are rigidly attached to.
     sdf_model.switch_frame_convention(frame_convention=rod.FrameConvention.Urdf)
 
     # Log type of base link
@@ -113,6 +117,23 @@ def extract_model_data(
     # Create a dictionary to find easily links
     links_dict: Dict[str, descriptions.LinkDescription] = {l.name: l for l in links}
 
+    # ============
+    # Parse frames
+    # ============
+
+    # Parse the frames (unconnected)
+    frames = [
+        descriptions.LinkDescription(
+            name=f.name,
+            mass=jnp.array(0.0, dtype=float),
+            inertia=jnp.zeros(shape=(3, 3)),
+            parent=links_dict[f.attached_to],
+            pose=f.pose.transform() if f.pose is not None else jnp.eye(4),
+        )
+        for f in sdf_model.frames()
+        if f.attached_to in links_dict
+    ]
+
     # =========================
     # Process fixed-base models
     # =========================
@@ -309,6 +330,7 @@ def extract_model_data(
         model_name=sdf_model.name,
         link_descriptions=links,
         joint_descriptions=joints,
+        frame_descriptions=frames,
         collision_shapes=collisions,
         fixed_base=sdf_model.is_fixed_base(),
         base_link_name=sdf_model.get_canonical_link(),
@@ -338,10 +360,14 @@ def build_model_description(
         model_description=model_description, model_name=None, is_urdf=is_urdf
     )
 
-    # Build the model description.
+    # Build the intermediate representation used for building a JaxSim model.
+    # This process, beyond other operations, removes the fixed joints.
     # Note: if the model is fixed-base, the fixed joint between world and the first
     #       link is removed and the pose of the first link is updated.
-    model = descriptions.ModelDescription.build_model_from(
+    #
+    # The whole process is:
+    # URDF/SDF ⟶ rod.Model ⟶ ModelDescription ⟶ JaxSimModel.
+    graph = descriptions.ModelDescription.build_model_from(
         name=sdf_data.model_name,
         links=sdf_data.link_descriptions,
         joints=sdf_data.joint_descriptions,
@@ -356,7 +382,47 @@ def build_model_description(
         ],
     )
 
+    # Depending on how the model is reduced due to the removal of fixed joints,
+    # there might be frames that are no longer attached to existing links.
+    # We need to change the link to which they are attached to, and update their pose.
+    frames_with_no_parent_link = (
+        f for f in sdf_data.frame_descriptions if f.parent.name not in graph
+    )
+
+    # Build the object to compute forward kinematics.
+    fk = kinematic_graph.KinematicGraphTransforms(graph=graph)
+
+    for frame in frames_with_no_parent_link:
+        # Get the original data of the frame.
+        original_pose = frame.pose
+        original_parent_link = frame.parent.name
+
+        # The parent link, that has been removed, became a frame.
+        assert original_parent_link in graph.frames_dict, (frame, original_parent_link)
+
+        # Get the new parent of the frame corresponding to the removed parent link.
+        new_parent_link = graph.frames_dict[original_parent_link].parent.name
+        logging.debug(f"Frame '{frame.name}' is now attached to '{new_parent_link}'")
+
+        # Get the transform from the new parent link to the original parent link.
+        # The original pose is expressed wrt the original parent link.
+        F_H_P = fk.relative_transform(
+            relative_to=new_parent_link, name=original_parent_link
+        )
+
+        # Update the frame with the updated data.
+        with frame.mutable_context(
+            mutability=jaxsim.utils.Mutability.MUTABLE_NO_VALIDATION
+        ):
+            frame.parent = graph.links_dict[new_parent_link]
+            frame.pose = np.array(F_H_P @ original_pose)
+
+    # Include the SDF frames originally stored in the SDF.
+    graph = dataclasses.replace(
+        graph, frames=sdf_data.frame_descriptions + graph.frames
+    )
+
     # Store the parsed SDF tree as extra info
-    model = dataclasses.replace(model, extra_info={"sdf_model": sdf_data.sdf_model})
+    graph = dataclasses.replace(graph, extra_info={"sdf_model": sdf_data.sdf_model})
 
-    return model
+    return graph