What are Part-Outlines and their colors?

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  MechDesigner Reference & User Interface > How to... and FAQs > Mechanism Editor:  How to... and FAQs > FAQs >

What are Part-Outlines and their colors?

What are Part-Outlines?

A Part-Outline is the symbol for a Part. You can change the size of the Part-Outline in the Edit menu > Application Settings | Accessibility tab.

You cannot edit a Part-Outline.

Double-click a Part-Outline to edit the Part in the Part-Editor.

The color of the Part-Outline helps you identify if the Part is kinematically-defined.

Why do Part-Outlines have different colors?

You can edit the colors of the Parts that are kinematically-defined and not kinematically-defined in the

Edit menu > Application-Settings > Graphic tab > Display Colors > Part Solved / Part Not Solved.

Free (1) / Completely-Free(3)

Free (1) / Completely-Free(3)

Blue Part-Outlines - or near to Blue.

The Part is NOT kinematically-defined.

Other names for Blue Parts are:

Completely-FreeRed-14-3 - without a Joint

FreeRed-14-1 - with a Joint, but not kinematically-defined

Part Not Solved

2 Parts kinematically-defined

2 Parts kinematically-defined

Green Part-Outlines - or near to Green

The Part is kinematically-defined.

Other names for Green Parts are:

kinematically-definedRed-14-1bRed-14-2

Part SolvedRed-14-1bRed-14-2

Note: The Base-Part is always a Part that is kinematically-defined, and therefore near to Green.

Part-Outlines : Forces Vectors

Part-Outlines : Forces Vectors

Multi-colored Part-Outlines

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

Enable Calculate Forces

and

Display Force-Vectors

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