Tutorial: Planes and Mechanism-Editors

Hierarchy of Planes and Mechanism-Editors

When you add a Mechanism-Editor to a Plane, the new Mechanism-Editor and the Plane are coplanar. Thus, we use the name 'Mechanism-Plane' for the Plane we select for the Mechanism-Editor.

The 'Front-View' of the active Mechanism-Editor looks perpendicular[⊥] to the 'Mechanism-Plane'.

The kinematic-elements that you add to the Mechanism-Editor are co-planar with the active Mechanism-Plane. The Ball-Joint is one exception.

New Planes:

Planes and Mechanism-Editors

Add Planes that are offset from existing Planes in the Model-Editor,

Add Planes to Lines in any Mechanism-Editor. Add Planes to Planes that have been added in a Mechanism-Editor. These Planes becomes a child to the Line or the Plane that is in active Mechanism-Editor.

To edit the Plane, you must make active Editor.

Planes and moving elements

If you add a Plane to an element that moves - for example, a Line in a moving Part - then the motions of the Plane and the Part are the identical.

If you add a Mechanism-Editor to the Plane that moves, then the motion of all three elements are the identical - the Mechanism-Editor, the Plane and the Part.

Add a new Plane to these elements:

You can add a Plane to a:

After you add a Mechanism-Editor to a Plane, it is difficult to transfer the Mechanism-Editor to a different Plane. You must save the Model as a Library File, then open the Mechanism-Editor as a Library File. [See File toolbar > Open | File-type :LXL Library File]

Examples of 'Add Plane to different Elements'

Add Plane to a Plane The Model-Editor is Active: Add a new Plane to an existing Plane • The reference Plane in the Model-Editor, for example Plane2 • The new Plane is along the Z-axis of Plane2, the reference Plane . • The new Plane becomes a child to Plane2, the reference Plane A Mechanism-Editor is Active: Add a new Plane to an existing Plane that is a child to the active Mechanism-Editor. [Note: to see Planes in the Mechanism-Editor, you must use Tools menu [toolbar] > 'Show Model in Mechanism'. You cannot reference a Plane that is not a child to the active Mechanism-Editor. • The reference Plane itself is a child to a Part. • The new Plane is offset along th Z-axis of the reference Plane . • The new Plane is a child to Plane in the Part Add Plane to a CAD-Line or Line In the Mechanism-Editor Reference a CAD-Line • The CAD-Line is the reference element. • The new Plane is at a fixed rotation about the X-axis of the CAD-Line • The Angle to the new Plane is set in the Add Plane dialog-box. • The new Plane is a child to the Part. • The new Plane's Origin is the same as the reference CAD-Line. • The new Plane's +X-axis is the same as the X-axis of the CAD-Line - from its start-Point to its end-Point. In the Mechanism-Editor Reference a Line • The Line is the reference element. • The X-axis of the new Plane is the same X-axis of the Line - from its start-Point to its end-Point. • The new Plane is rotated about the X-axis of the CAD-Line in the Add Plane dialog The new Plane's 0,0,0 is at the Line's start-Point. The new Plane's +X-axis is the same as the +X-axis of the Line - from its start-Point to its end-Point. • The new Plane is a child to the Part Add Plane to the X-axis or Y-axis of a Part In the Mechanism-Editor X-axis of a Base-Part [Note: The +X-axis and CAD-Line of an Added-Part give the same result] • The X-axis is the reference element • The X-axis and 0,0,0 Origin of the new Plane is the same as that of the reference X-axis • The new Plane is rotated about the X-axis reference element • The new Plane is a child to the Part or Base-Part. In the Mechanism-Editor Y-axis of a Part or Base-Part • The Y-axis is the reference element • The X-axis and 0,0,0 Origin of the new Plane is the same as that of the Y-axis • The new Plane is rotated about the Y-axis element • The new Plane is a child to the Part or Base-Part.

Planes in the Assembly-Tree