What is 'Auto-Profiles'?

Add Auto-Profiles is a tool to automatically add new sketch-loops and solids to each Part and Joint in the Mechanism-Editor.

In each Part, you can edit the dimensions of the sketch-loops that specify their shape, but you cannot add or delete sketch-elements to change their general shape.

Notes:

Use: Visibility toolbar > Show Model in Mechanism to see Extrusions

Icon-AutoProfiles

Toolbar:

Solids toolbar > Auto-Profiles [above graphic-area

 

Menu:

Add menu > Mechanism sub-menu > Solids sub-menu > Add Auto-Profiles

What to do:

 
1.Click Solids Toolbar > Add Auto-Profiles
2.Wait, especially if there are many Parts and kinematic-chains in the Mechanism-Editor.

This command toggles to add or delete Auto-Profiles.

Result:

This command adds, or deletes, Auto-Profiles.

The Rule to add or delete the Auto-Profiles is:

If ≤ 50% of the Parts have Auto-Profiles, then:

•Sketch-loops are added to Parts and Joints in all kinematic-chains
•Auto-Profiles and Extrusions are added to the sketch-loops

else

if > 50% of the Parts have Auto-Profiles, then:

•Auto-Profiles and Extrusions Elements are removed
•Sketch-loops, that were for the Auto-Profiles, are also removed

Notes:

The properties of the sketch-elements that specify the shape of each Auto-Profile are different :

1.The sketch-elements are grey in the Part-Editor. This is to help you identify them as different to other sketch-elements
2.You cannot select or delete the sketch-elements in the Part-Editor
3.You must do Add Auto-Profiles or do Add Auto-Profile to the Part to remove the Auto-Profile and the sketch-element from the Part.
4.You cannot delete any constraints
5.You can change the dimensions to edit the size of the sketch-loop
6.You cannot add Pin-Joints, Slide-Joints, Ball-Joints or Planes to a sketch-element that is is the source sketch-loop for an Auto-Profile

Video:

'Expand' then 'Play'

How to...

Add Auto-Profiles to the complete Mechanism

 

tog_minus        What does Auto-Profiles do?

AddAutoProfiles1-2a

It is best to experiment.

Add Auto-Profiles adds:

1.Sketch-loops around:
a.Each Point and Line in each Pin-Joint1s-red2s and Slide-Joint
b.Each Part3s4s
2. An Auto-Profile to each sketch-loop

AddAutoProfiles1-4

Spin the view with your arrow keys tool to see the Auto-Profile contours. The sketch-elements may hide the Primary contour.

AddAutoProfiles1-3

In this image, you can now see all four extrusions. I have edited the offsets of each Auto-Profile in the Extrusion dialog-box.

You can:

•Set the default diameter of the sketch-loops around the Joints, and the Extrusion Depth, in the Application Settings dialog-box
•Edit the dimensions of the sketch-loops in the Part-Editor
•Edit the Extrusion in the Extrusion dialog-box

AddAutoProfile5

The sketch-elements that give the shape to the Auto-Profile are grey when you open the Part-Editor.

You can only edit the dimensions.

That is, you can edit the length of a Part, the radius of each Arc and the diameter of a circle.

Note:

If the default size of the circle sketch-loop around a Pin-Joint is large compared with the length of the Part, there may be inconsistent results.

Tutorial and Reference Help Files for MechDesigner and MotionDesigner 13.2 + © Machine, Mechanism, Motion and Cam Design Software by PSMotion Ltd