Mechanism Modeling - SmartSketch - Help

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9.0(2015)

You can use mechanism modeling to check for clearances on moving parts. Mechanism modeling is a set of elements that are related to each other so that one group of geometry moves relative to another when the dimensions change. You can use any kind of elements for mechanism modeling, but symbols are the easiest elements to use.

Symbols are easy to use because they act as one piece of geometry when you want to reposition them. For example, if you draw four lines that form a rectangle, you might want to connect the lines so that the rectangle has predictable behavior when rotated by a dimensional change. To do this, you must connect every line. The length of each line, the connections of the end points, and the angle between each line and its adjacent line must be defined as shown in the picture.

If the same four lines were constructed and made into a symbol, the orientation and length of each line would always remain constant regardless of the orientation of the symbol. No relationships or dimensions for the geometry making up the symbol would be necessary as shown in the picture. If you change the angle from 90 degrees to 45 degrees, the geometry stays together with the symbol as a rigid body.

The easiest way to create a mechanism is to use rigid body symbols and constrain the symbols to move like you want. Symbols can have two behaviors: rotating and non-rotating. The default behavior, non-rotating, means that the symbol cannot be rotated. The other behavior, rotating, allows rotation by relationships. This allows the symbol to rotate.

Example

The field pump mechanism serves as a good example of a kinematics animation. The mechanism is made up of five symbols and only one dimension to control the mechanism movement. If you select the dimension and change the value of the dimension from 12 degree to 60 degrees, all the geometry moves together. The other symbols that are connected to each other move to their proper position based on the angle applied and relationships to the symbols and the behavior applied to each symbol.

See Also

Create a Symbol
Rotate a Symbol
Attach a Symbol to Another Symbol with Drop Points
Associate a Symbol with an Element
Creating a Kinematics Animation