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Step 3.1: New Plane, Mechanism, Part, Motion-Dimension

Contents

Objective of this one Step

To do, again, many of the commands in Tutorial 1.

Add a new Plane...(new)

...add a new Mechanism to the new Plane...(Tutorial 1)

...add a new Part to the new Mechanism...(Tutorial 1)

...edit the Length of the Part...and the Base-Part to add a Line...(Tutorial 1)

...add a Pin-Joint between the two Parts and then add a Motion-Dimension FB ...(Tutorial 1)

Add a New Plane

To add a new Plane to the Model-Editor, you must select a Plane. Then, the new Plane is offset from ( |+>| (parallel to)) the Plane that you select.

Model Toolbar

STEP 1:

Begin this tutorial in the Model-Editor

1.	Click the Model name-tab

STEP 2:

Add a new Plane to the Model

1.	Click Model Toolbar > Add Plane

Add Plane dialog-box

The Plane dialog-box opens.

For information only:

This dialog-box shows:

The name of the new Plane at the top of the dialog (Plane6) .

The default Plane Definition is Offset from Plane.

When the Plane definition is Offset from Plane, the parameter name and default value is Distance to New Plane (100mm).

The Element box shows the Plane you select from which you will offset (Front Plane)

Select a Plane in the graphic-area

STEP 3:

Explore the Assembly-Tree to find and select the Right Plane as the Element

1.	Expand Model in the Assembly-Tree

2.	Click the Plane named Right in the Assembly-Tree.

When you click the Right Plane, it will show as the Element in the Element box of the Plane dialog-box and also the Selection-Window.

New Plane in Add Plane dialog-box

OR...

1.	Click a Plane in the graphic-area.

If you select more than one Plane, then they also show in the Selection-Window.

In the Selection-Window, click the Plane you want to select.

Again, make sure the correct Plane (Right in this example) is in the Element box of the Add Plane dialog

You can preview the new Plane in the graphic-area of the Model-Editor

You may need to View toolbar > Zoom-out (or use your Scroll-wheel on your mouse) see below graphic-area

STEP 4:

Edit the Distance to the New Plane.

In the Add-Plane dialog-box:

1.	Use the spin-box tool

- or -

1.	Use your keyboard to enter a new value in the Distance to New Plane data-box

2.	Press the ENTER key on your keyboard.

STEP 5:

Click

to close the Add Plane dialog-box

New Plane in graphic-area

Add a New Mechanism-Editor to the New Plane

Model toolbar

CM-AddMechanismEditor-PLane-Full

STEP 1:

Add a new Mechanism-Editor

1.	Click Model toolbar > Add Mechanism (see left)

The Command-Manager shows you need to select a Plane.

You can click the Plane in the:

•	Assembly-Tree (see image below)

- or -

•	graphic-area

2.	Click the new Plane

3.	The Plane shows in the selection box in the Command-Manager.

Oh Dear! I want to select a different Plane.

TO SELECT A DIFFERENT PLANE.

When there is a Plane in the Command-Manager selection-box:

1.	Click in the selection-box

This clears (removes) the active element from the selection-box

2.	Click a different Plane in the Assembly-Tree or graphic-area.

NewMechanism

Assembly-Tree with Mechanism and Base-Part

When the correct Plane is in the Command-Manager.

STEP 3:

Click

in the Command-Manager

You jump to the new Mechanism-Editor which has a new Mechanism name-tab.

In the Graphic-Area:

Mechanism1 name-tab shows next to Mechanism name-tab

In the Assembly-Tree

Mechanism1 element is a child to Plane4, which is the Plane we selected to add the new Mechanism.

To rename any Mechanism:

1.	Right-Click the Mechanism element in the Assembly-Tree

2.	Select Rename element in the contextual-menu

3.	Use the Rename dialog-box to give a new name.

Add a New Part to the New Mechanism

STEP 1:

If needed, click the Mechanism1 name-tab.

STEP 2:

Click Kinematic-elements toolbar > Add Part (toolbar is to the left of the graphic-area.
- or -
Use Add Menu > Mechanism sub-menu > Add Part.
- or -
SHORTCUT: Press the INSERT key on your keyboard.

GA-AddPart-2

The Add Part command becomes active. The Add Part mouse-pointer is active.

STEP 3:

Drag a Line in the graphic-area.

When you release you mouse-button, the new Part shows in the graphic-area.

In the graphic-area, the Part has an:

Oval Part-Outline

CAD-Line along the centre of the Part

Origin, X-axis and Y-axis at the start-Point of the CAD-Line,

The Point at each end of the CAD-Line is its

o	start-Point at the Origin of the Part, and its

o	end-Point.

GA-NewPart

Edit the Length of the Part

GA-EditPart-DoubleClick

To edit the length of a Part, you must edit the Part in the Part-Editor

To edit the Part, it is frequently easiest to:

STEP 1:

Double-Click the Part-Outline of the Part

The Part-Editor Opens.

Ga-EditDimenison-Length

Note:

The X-axis and Y-axis are at the same angle in the graphic-area as they are in the Mechanism-Editor.

Optionally, Click View menu (or View toolbar) > View Align if you want to make the X-axis horizontal.

To edit a dimension, or, the length of the Part:

STEP 2:

Double-Click the arrowhead of the dimension to open Dimension dialog-box

Dialog-Dimension-Edit-131.409

STEP 3:

Enter a new dimension in the Dimension dialog-box

•	Enter a new value with your keyboard

Press the Enter key to confirm the new value before you close the Dimension dialog-box.

- or -

•	Use the spin-box tool

Optionally: Right-click the Dimension Value and select Round

The Dimension changes to the nearest value that is exactly divisible by the Spin-Increment.

In this example, the new dimension will become '130'.

STEP 4:

Close the Dimension dialog-box

STEP 5:

Close the Part-Editor

There are many ways to close the Part-Editor. For example:

1.	Double-click the Y-axis in the graphic-area

Dialog-Dimension-Round-131.409

Add a Motion Dimension FB to 'Kinematically Define the Part'

See Tutorial 1.1 to 1.4

Do this before STEP 1

Edit the Base-Part, add a Line, dimensions & constraints, close the Part-Editor.

Add a Pin-Joint between the sketch-element in the Base-Part and the new Part.

STEP 1:

Kinematic-FB toolbar > Add Motion-Dimension

GA-Rotating-Part

The Command-Manager needs you to select three elements from the graphic-area.

Click in turn: a Slide or Pin-Joint, a Green Line or Point, and a Blue Line of Point.

In this model, we select Pin-Joint as the first element - it is the only Joint in the model.

You must click the elements in the order of the selection-boxes. Do not click in the selection-box.

Command-Manager: Add Motion-Dimension

1.	Click, in order, in the graphic-area, the:

a.	Pin-Joint. See Step 1.4

b.	Line in the Base-Part. See Step 1.3.

c.	CAD-Line along the center of the Added-Part. See Step 1.2

Important Notes:

Line12 in the Base-Part is a Solved Line as the Base-Part is kinematically-defined.

CAD-Line17 in the Added-Part, is not a solved Part.

Line12 and CAD-Line17 radiate from Pin-Joint

2.	Click in the Command-Manager

- or -

2.	Right-click , and the Motion-Dimension FB will be near to your pointer.

The Motion-Dimension FB in the Graphic-Area.

GA-MotionDimensionFB

Each Motion-Dimension has two symbols in the graphic-area:

Motion-Dimension: the dimension with arrowheads, between the Lines in the Base-Part and the Added-Part.
CTRL + Drag the FB move the Motion-Dimension towards or away from the Pin-Joint.

Motion-Dimension FB icon:
You can drag the Motion-Dimension FB icon anywhere.

Notes:

The Part-Outline is now Green to indicate it is now kinematically-defined.

The icon-design of the Motion-Dimension FB helps you see it is an Angle.

Tutorials and Reference Help Files for MechDesigner and MotionDesigner 14.2 + © Machine, Cam, Mechanism, and Motion Design Software by PSMotion Ltd