Getting Started Tutorials - MechDesigner > Tutorial 3: Add a Sketch-Loop to a Part > Step 3.1: New Plane, Mechanism, Part, Motion-Dimension

To add a new Plane in the Model-Editor, you select a different Plane.

STEP 1: Begin this tutorial in the Model-Editor

1.Click the Model name-tab

2.Click Model Toolbar > Add Plane

The Plane dialog opens.

Add Plane dialog-box

The default Plane dialog:

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

The default Plane Definition, which is Offset from Plane.

The default parameter name is Distance to New Plane. The default value is 100mm.

The default Plane element in the Element box is the Front Plane, from which the new Plane (Plane6) is offset.

Select a Plane in the graphic-area

STEP 2: Select the Plane in the Assembly-Tree or the graphics-area.

1.Expand the Model element at the top of the Assembly-Tree

2.Click the Right Plane in the Assembly-Tree

OR

2.Click a Plane in the graphics-area.

If you select more than one Plane in the graphics-area they all show in the Selection-Window.

In the Selection-Window,

3.Click the Plane you want to select.

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

STEP 3: Edit the Distance to the New Plane.

1.Use the Spin-box tool at the right of the Distance to the new Plane parameter box

or

1.Use your keyboard to enter a new value in the Distance to the new Plane parameter box

2.Press the ENTER key on your keyboard.

STEP 4: Complete the Command

1.Click to close the Plane dialog

RIGHT Plane in Add Plane dialog-box

New Plane in graphic-area

You can see the new Plane in the graphics-area.

Model toolbar

STEP 1: Add a new Mechanism-Editor

1.Click Model toolbar > Add Mechanism

The Command-Manager has one selection-box

STEP 2: Select a Plane

Click the Plane in the:

•Assembly-Tree

or

•graphics-area

Plane4 is now in the selection box in the Command-Manager.

If you need to select a different Plane:

1.Click in the selection-box.

We clear the element from the selection-box.

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

CM-AddMechanismEditor-PLane-Full

Mechanism name-tabs

Assembly-Tree with Mechanism and Base-Part

STEP 3: Complete the Command

1.Click to close the Command-Manager.

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

At the top of the graphics-area there are two Mechanism name-tabs.

Mechanism1 name-tab is to the right of Mechanism name-tab

In the Assembly-Tree

Mechanism1 element is a child to Plane4 element.

To rename a Mechanism:

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

2.Select Rename element in the shortcut-menu

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

STEP 1: Start the Add Part command

1.Expand the Kinematic-elements toolbar to the left of the graphics-area.

2.Click Add Part

OR

1.Keyboard Shortcut: Click the INSERT key on your keyboard

STEP 2: Add the Part.

1.Drag in the graphics-area

When you release you mouse-button, the new Part is in the graphics-area.

In the graphics-area, the Part has an:

an Oval Part-Outline

a CAD-Line along the center of the Part

The CAD-Line has a:

•start-Point

•end-Point

an X-axis and a Y-axis at the start-Point of the CAD-Line

GA-AddPart-2

New Part in graphic-area

Double-click Part-Outline to edit a Part

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

STEP 1: Edit the new Part

To start the Part-Editor, it is frequently easiest to:

1.Double-Click the Part-Outline of the Part

The Part-Editor is now open.

Double-click Dimension arrowhead

Note: to rotate the X-axis of the Part so that the X-axis is horizontal:

Click View menu (or View toolbar) > View Align

STEP 2: Edit the length dimension of the Part:

1.Double-Click the arrowhead of the dimension to open Dimension dialog

The Dimension dialog is now open

Dimension dialog

STEP 3: Enter a new dimension in the Dimension dialog

1.Enter a new value with your keyboard

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

or

1.Use the spin-box tool

Or

1.Right-click the Dimension parameter value

In the Zero, Round, Copy, Paste shortcut menu

2.Click Round

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

In this example, the new dimension will be 130mm after you click Round

STEP 4: Complete the Command

1.Click to close the Dimension dialog

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 graphics-area

Round dimenson

GST-3-102

STEP 1: Edit the Base-Part

1.Double-Click the rectangle that is the Part-Outline of the Base-Part

The Part-Editor is now open.

GST-3-103

STEP 2: Add a Line

1.Expand the Geometry toolbar to the LEFT of the graphics-area

2.Click Geometry toolbar > Add Line

Your pointer changes to the Add Line pointer.

a.Drag in the graphics-area

The Line is now in the graphics-area

STEP 3: Add a Constraints and Dimensions

1.Click Constraints toolbar > Add Vertical

a.Click the Line

2.Click Constraints toolbar > Add Coincident

a.Click the start-Point of the Line

b.Click the X-axis

3.Click Geometry toolbar > Add Dimension

Add Dimensions to fully define the Line.

The Line is now Fully Constrained

GST-3-104

GST-3-105

STEP 4: Exit the Part-Editor

1.Double-click the Y-axis or the Line to exit the Part-Editor

The Line and the Part in the Mechanism-Editor.

STEP 5: Add a Pin-Joint

1.Click the start-Point of the CAD-Line in the new Part

2.Click the end-Point of the new Line that is in the Base-Part

The Pin-Joint is now between the new Part and the Base-Part.

Pin-Joint between Part and Base-Part

GST-3-107

STEP 1: Start the Add Motion-Dimension FB command

1.Click Kinematic-FB toolbar > Add Motion-Dimension

There are three selection-boxes in the Command-Manager.

Click in turn (see the image below)

Joint: Pin-Joint

Line - solved (Green) - a Line in a Part that is kinematically-defined

Line - free (Blue) - a Line in a Part that is not kinematically-defined

GST-3-109

STEP 2: Select the three elements

Click in turn:

Pin-Joint

Line in the Base-Part - it is solved Line - the Base-Part is kinematically-defined.

CAD-Line in the new Part - it is not a solved Line - the Part is not kinematically-defined.

Important Notes

Line12 and CAD-Line17 radiate from Pin-Joint12

STEP 3: Complete the Command

1.Click in the Command-Manager

OR

2.Right-click in the graphics-area

The Motion-Dimension FB is now in the graphics-area.

Command-Manager: Add Motion-Dimension

The Motion-Dimension FB in the graphics-area.

GST-3-110

Symbols of a Motion-Dimension in the graphics-area:

Motion-Dimension: the dimension with arrowheads

Motion-Dimension FB icon.

The icon-design should help you see that it controls the angle of a Part.

CTRL + Drag the FB icon to move the Motion-Dimension with arrowheads.

Drag the FB icon to move FB icon

Notes on the new Part:

The Part is a Motion-Part.

It is a Rocker, as it is also a rotating-Part.

The Part-Outline of the new Part is green because the Part is kinematically-defined.

	Add a new Plane... (a new command)
	... add a new Mechanism-Editor to the new Plane ...(Tutorial 1)
	... add a new Part to the new Mechanism-Editor ...(Tutorial 1)
	... edit the length of the Part... edit the Base-Part to add a Line ...(Tutorial 1)
	... add a Pin-Joint between a Point in the Part and a Point in the Base-Part ... add a Motion-Dimension FB ...(see Tutorial 1).

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

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

Objective of this one Step