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

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 BasePart to add a Line...[Tutorial 1]

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

To add a Plane in the Model-Editor, you must select a different Plane in the Model-Editor. Then, the new Plane is offset from [parallel to] the Plane that you select.

The Add Plane dialog-box opens.

The dialog-box shows:

Select a Plane in the Assembly-Tree:

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

You can edit the 'Distance to the New Plane'.

- or -

You must use the 'Enter' key to confirm new numbers in the dialog-box.

OR...

Select a Plane in the graphic-area:

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

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

You can preview the new Plane in the Model graphic-area.

Make sure the correct Plane is in the Element box of the Add Plane dialog

Planes are semi-transparent.

Mechanism1 name-tab shows next to the other Mechanism name-tab.

The Assembly-Tree shows the new Mechanism1 element as a child to Plane4, which you selected to add the new Mechanism.

To rename any Mechanism:

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

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 [from the start-Point to the end-Point]

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

There is a Point at each end of the CAD-Line - its start-Point and its end-Point.

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:

The Part-Editor Opens.

Note: the X-axis and Y-axis are at the same position 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:

The Edit Dimension dialog-box opens.

You can:

You can enter a new value directly, or an equation.

If you use your keyboard, you must use the 'Enter' key to confirm the new value before you close the dialog-box.

- or -

- or -

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'.

- or -

You can enter a new value with your keyboard. If you do this, remember to press the 'Enter' key after you enter the new value.

To close the Part-Editor:

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

See Tutorial 1.1 to 1.4

Do this before STEP 1

Edit the Base-Part, Add a Line, Dimensions and Constraints, Close the Part-Editor.

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

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

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

When you select a Pin-Joint as the first element, you must select Lines as the second and third elements that radiate ('are rays') from the Pin-Joint.

Line - as the second element - must be a 'Solved' Line.  Line - as the third element - must be a 'Free' Line.

IMPORTANT: When you need to click an element in the graphic-area - you must hover above only the element you want to select.

You must click the elements in the order of the selection-boxes. You do not need to click in the selection-box in the Command-Manager.

a.	Pin-Joint. See Step 1.4

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

The Line12 in the Base-Part is a 'Solved Line', and Green, because the Base-Part is always a kinematically-defined Part.

Line radiates (is a 'ray') from the Pin-Joint.

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

The CAD-Line17 along the center of the Added-Part is a child to a Free Part.

Line also radiates (is a 'ray') from the Pin-Joint.

STEP 3:

Click

The Motion-Dimension FB in the Graphic-Area.

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

•	Motion-Dimension: this is the dimension with arrowheads, between the Lines in the Base-Part and the Added-Part. You must use CTRL + Drag the arrow-head or dimension-line to 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 Green [the same as the Base-Part]. This informs you the two Parts are a kinematically-defined Part.

The design of the Motion-Dimension FB icon. The design of the icon is to help you identify that it specifies the 'Angle' of a Part.