MechDesigner Reference & User Interface > How to... and FAQs > Mechanism Editor: How to... and FAQs > FAQs > What is a Part-Outline and why different colors?

The Part-Outline is the symbol for a Part. You can not edit the shape of Part-Outlines.

You select Part-Outlines:

•to edit a Part with the Part-Editor

•to add a more complex element, e.g. a Pulley.

An added Part:

Added Part: Part-Outline, and elements

An “Oval” Part-Outline: the symbol of a Part you have added to the model.

The other elements and symbols in a Part you add to the model are:

start-Point and end-Point of the Part

CAD-Line from the start-Point to the end-Point

X-axis and Y-axes: at the start-Point (origin)

The Base-Part:

Base-Part - Part Outline

“Rectangular” Part-Outline : the symbol and shape of the Base-Part.

X-axis and Y-axes at the origin of the Base-Part.

You can edit the colors of Part-Outlines for those Parts that are kinematically-defined and not kinematically-defined.

In the Application Settings dialog, we use these terms:

•“Part Solved” for a Part that is kinematically-defined

•“Part Not Solved” for a Part that is not kinematically-defined

When you display Forces, we automatically change the colors of all Part-Outlines to have different colors.

Free (1) / Completely-Free(3)

Blue Part-Outlines - or approximately Blue.

The Part is NOT kinematically-defined.

Blue Parts are:

•Completely-Free - without a Joint

•Free - with a Joint, but not kinematically-defined

•Part Not Solved

2 Parts kinematically-defined

Green Part-Outlines - or approximately Green

The Part is kinematically-defined.

Other names for Green Parts are:

•kinematically-defined

•Part Solved

Note: The Base-Part is always kinematically-defined and. therefore, Green.

Part-Outlines : Forces Vectors

Multi-colored Part-Outlines

Each Part has a random color when, in the Forces Toolbar, you:

and

The color of the Part-Outline is the same as the color of the Force-Vector that acts-on the Part.