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Function-Block | Point-Data

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Why use a Point-Data Function-Block?

The Point FB measures the position and motion of a Point with respect to the Mechanism Plane.

Its three output-connectors give the Point's:

•	X–axis motion-values

•	Y–axis motion-values

•	Magnitude of the Point's motion-values

The magnitude is:

o	√(X2 + Y2) with X and Y equal to the position, velocity or acceleration.

Motion-values are the Point's Position, Velocity, and Acceleration.

The Point must be a child to a kinematically-defined Part.

Point-Data FB

Kinematics FB toolbar > Point-Data FB [right of Graphic-Area >>]

Menu:

Add menu > Add Point-Data FB

Dialog-Box:

Point-Data FB dialog-Box [see also 'below']

How to Add:

STEP 1: Add the Point-Data Function-Block to the graphic-area

1.	Click Kinematics FB Toolbar > Point-Data FB

2.	Click again in the graphic-area

The Point-Data FB is now in the graphic-area.

How to Edit:

STEP 2: Open the Point-Data FB dialog-box:

1.	Double-click a Point-Data FB in the graphic-area

- or -

1.	See How to Open a Dialog-Box

Point-Data FB - Open

STEP 3: Add a Point to the selection-box

1.	Click a Point in the graphic-area.

The Point element should now be in the selection-box

To change the Point in the selection-box, then:

1.	Click a different Point in the graphic-area

STEP 4: Close the Point-Data FB

1.	Click the to close Point-Data FB

The motion-values of the Point are now available at the output-connector of the Point-Data FB.

Point-Data FB - Point in selection-box

How to Use:

You can use the motion-values at the output-connector of a Point-Data FB in three ways:

1.	To plot the Position, Velocity and Acceleration of the Point with a Graph FB - see Note 1, below

2.	The motion-values at the input-connector of a Motion FB. The motion-values from the Point-Data FB become the independent variable, rather than, more typically, the output of a Linear-Motion FB. - see Note 2, below

3.	As motion-values directly at the input-connector of a Motion-Dimension FB. The Motion-Part will have the motion as given by the Point-Data FB.

Note 1:

•	To plot the Position, Velocity and Acceleration of the Point in the same graph.

1.	Drag a wire from the same output-connector of the Point-Data FB three times to three different input-connectors on a Graph FB,

2.	Use the Y–axis display options in the Graph dialog-box to display all motion derivatives.

Note 2:

2 & 3: will give a message in the Feedback-Area: '1 Mechanism dependencies detected'.

You should rebuild the model when the number of dependencies becomes more than 1 if the data is critical, before you use the data for a Cam, for example.