MechDesigner Reference & User Interface

Feedback-Area

The Feedback-Area is below the graphics-area.

It has five areas.

Extended Hints AND Element Properties

Extended Hints:

When you move your mouse above a command in a toolbar, or many of the Function-Blocks in the graphics-area, a tool-tip shows in the Extended Hints box .

Element-Properties:

When you move your mouse above an element in the graphics-area, it shows the element's kinematic-properties and/or kinetostatic-properties.

Notes:

You do not need to enable Hints and Tool-Tips to see the Extended Hints.

To see all of the Extended Hint and/or Element-Properties, you may need to drag the separator-bars upwards and/or to the right a short distance.

Messages

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

Message information:

Count :	The message number.
Topic :	Importance Level: – Information; – Warning; – Error - save your work now!
Message :	The message that you should read!
Time :	When the message was displayed.

To clear the messages:

1.Right-Click, with your mouse-pointer in the Messages area

2.Click Clear Messages in the shortcut menu

Message sounds:

If you enable sounds (Application Options | Accessibility tab), you hear a honk with each new message.

Master-Machine-Angle (MMA): Scale, Digital Angle Indicator, and Revs

Master-Machine-Angle (MMA):

The value of the MMA is the independent input to all kinematic-chains in your model.

The MMA increases at a constant-rate from 0 to 360, again and again, when you cycle/run the model - see the Run menu. One machine-cycle is one cycle of the MMA, from 0 to 360.

You can read and edit the MMA in two ways:

Arrowhead + MMA Scale - Read / “Write” (Drag)

Approximate Master Machine Angle.

The orange triangle (▲) below the scale indicates, approximately, the MMA on the scale.

To edit the MMA approximately:

Mouse-button-down and move you mouse to the left or right, with your mouse-pointer INSIDE the Master Machine Angle Slider to change the machine angle.

The orange triangle (▲) below the scale moves with your mouse-pointer.

Digital MMA indicator - Read / Write

Exact Master Machine Angle

The value in the Digital MMA Indicator box is the exact MMA.

To edit the MMA exactly:

To an exact MMA angle:	Enter a value for the MMA, from 0 to 360.
To Inch	Click the Spin-Box one time to increase or decrease the MMA by one Spin-Increment.
To Jog	Press and Hold the Spin-Box to continuously increase or decrease the MMA.

Revs - Read only

Number of machine-cycles since you reset the model to zero with Run menu > Home

Vector Scale buttons

Click the up / down arrow buttons to increase or decrease the length of the Velocity, Acceleration, Force, and Torque vectors that you can show in the graphics-area.

Velocity (V) and Acceleration (A) Vector buttons

Click the up /down arrow-buttons to the right of:

•V - - to increase or decrease the length of Velocity vectors

•A - - to increase or decrease the length of Acceleration vectors

See Point Properties dialog to show the Velocity Vector and Acceleration Vector of a moving Point.

Force (F) and Torque () Vector buttons

Click the up /down arrow-buttons to the right of:

•F - - to increase or decrease the length of Force vectors

• - - to increase or decrease the length of Torque vectors

See Force-Vectors: Calculate and Force-Vectors: Display to show Force vectors and Torque/Moment vectors.

See Configure Power Source to make sure the Power flows through the model correctly.

Animation-Speed Slider

Use the Animation Speed Slider to speed-up or slow-down the Animation Speed of the model.

Mouse-button-down and move you mouse to the left or right, with your mouse-pointer INSIDE the Animation-Speed Slider to change the animation speed.

The Animation-Speed does not change the kinematic or force analysis, or motion synchronization between kinematic-chains.

To edit the Simulation Speed or machine-speed: see Edit menu > Machine-Settings > Cycling Parameters.