Getting Started Tutorials - MechDesigner > The User Interface

Feedback-Area

The Feedback-Area is below the graphic-area.

Notes: To make the Feedback-Area look like the image below, you may need to do Visibility toolbar > Hide MotionDesigner to hide MotionDesigner.

Feedback Area [Hide MotionDesigner if the Area has 'word'wrapped'.

Short and Extended Hints :

The hint for each command shows in this box as you hover above each command icon.

Drag the bar to the right to see all of the hint.

To turn hints off, clear the check-box in:

Message Window :

The most recent message is at the top of the list.

Please read the message if you cannot complete a command.

To clear all messages:

1.Right-Click, with your pointer in the Message Window area

2.Click Clear Messages

Messages are classified as:

Information; Warnings; Errors (save your work!).

Messages and Sounds:

You can hear a sound with each message.

To turn sound on, click the check-box in:

Master-Machine-Angle (MMA) :

Master Machine Angle

The MMA a range of 0 – 360, It is one(1) Machine Cycle.

•Arrowhead - below the scale - is the approximate value of the MMA

•Digital-Readout - to the right of the scale - is the exact value of the MMA.

•Revs - to the left of the scale - is the number of times the MMA has completed a machine-cycle.

Move the MMA to a machine angle:

•Use Run toolbar > Cycle, Step Forward, Step Backwards, Home

•Move Exactly: Enter a value with your keyboard in the Digital-Readout box, or use the Spin-Box tool. You can use the Spin-Box with tiny increments.

•Move Approximately: Drag, to the left or right, with your mouse-pointer inside the MMA scale.

Jog, or micro-jog, the MMA:

1.Edit the Spin-Increment in the Digital-Readout to a small step-size - e.g. 0.1, or 0.01

2.Press you mouse-button down on the Spin-Arrow to increase or decrease the MMA by the Spin-Increment.

Vector Scales :

Buttons to Scale Vectors

Vectors show in the graphic-area when you show:

•Velocity(V) and Acceleration(A) Kinematic Vectors - see Point Properties dialog-box

•Force(F) and Torque(Τ) Vectors - see Forces toolbar > Display Force Vectors.

Use the up and down buttons to increase or decrease the length of the vectors,

Animation Speed Slider :

Slider to change Animation-Speed

Increase or decrease the animation-speed

•Drag, to the left or right, with your mouse-pointer inside the Animation Speed Slider scale.