Associating Objects with Reference Object Moved by the Mechanism

You can associate objects to a reference object to move them with the selected part of the mechanism manipulated in the kinematic Track.

A reference object is directly moved by the mechanism of the kinematic Track. It acts as a reference to position the object (associated object) that is not directly moved by the mechanism.

An associated object is not directly manipulated by the mechanism. It is positioned according to the reference object position during the kinematic Track simulation.

Before you begin: Open data that contains at least one kinematic mechanism that is part of a manufacturing simulation.
See Also
Creating a Kinematic Track
Kinematic Mechanisms and Tracks
  1. From the Simulation section of the action bar, click New Kinematic Track .
    If there is more than one possible mechanism to select, the Kinematic Track: Mechanism Selection dialog box appears. If there is only one possible mechanism, it is selected automatically and the Kinematic Track: Track Authoring dialog box appears directly.
  2. Select the mechanism.
    The Kinematic Track: Mechanism Selection dialog box is updated.
  3. Click Next.
    The Kinematic Track: Track Authoring dialog box appears. The Track Properties tab is clicked in the authoring options. The Track Authoring context toolbar and Experience Player also appear.
  4. Click Associate Objects command.
    The Associate Objects dialog box appears and the Kinematic Track: Track Authoring dialog box and its context toolbar are hidden.
    Important: The first T-Point of the kinematic Track is applied. Changes made to the Command that are not recorded with a T-Point are lost.
  5. Click Add Reference Object to create a new association.
    1. From the tree view or the main 3D, select a reference object.

      Notes:
      • Any object moved by the mechanism or any children of that object can be a reference object. Objects that are part of the mechanism but are fixed objects are not valid.
      • Once you have selected a valid object, you cannot change this selection. If you misclicked, right-click the object and from the context menu, click Replace and select another reference object.

      The Reference Objects List is updated and the reference object is highlighted in the tree view and the main 3D. The Add Reference Object command is disabled.
    2. From the tree view or the main 3D, select one or more objects to associate with the previously selected reference object.

      Notes:
      • The selection of an associated object is only possible after the selection of the reference object.
      • The criteria for a valid associated object depend on the context of the kinematic Track.
        • For excitation Track and Track under organizational resource:
          • Any product, resource, and resource part in the session can be associated if it does not contain the mechanism and is not part of it.
          • It cannot be associated with another reference object: It can only be associated once.
          • It cannot be part of the genealogy of an object already associated with a reference object.
        • For Track under operation:
          • Any operation and system in the current product build-up, as well as any subcomponent of the current operation can be associated if they are not part of the mechanism or does not implement products containing the mechanism.
          • Any resource assigned to the current operation and their respective subresources can be associated if they do not contain the mechanism and are not part of it, and if they are not used as a reference to define the active position for the current operation.
          • It cannot be associated with another reference object: It can only be associated once.
          • It cannot be part of the genealogy of an object already associated with a reference object.
      • Once you have selected a valid object, you cannot change this selection. If you misclicked, right-click the object and from the context menu, click Remove and select another object to associate.

      The Associated Objects List is updated and the associated object is highlighted in the tree view and the main 3D. The Add Reference Object command is available again.

    Tip: If there is an issue with the association, the icon of the associated or reference object changes to a warning icon. Hover over this icon to get more information.

    The association is done.
  6. Optional: Repeat step 5 as many time as required.
  7. Optional: From the Reference Objects List, select an object, and click Moving Object to view the associated object in the 3D view of the Moving Objects panel. Click Close or the cross to close the panel and return to the Associate Objects dialog box.

    Note: The Moving Objects command is only available when selecting a reference object and the panel display depends on the Track context. It behaves in the same way as the Moving Object panel of fitting tracks.

  8. Click OK to validate the changes.
    The Associate Objects dialog box closes and the Kinematic Track: Track Authoring dialog box reappears. Validating the New Kinematic Track command saves all changes, including the associations.

    If the modification of a Command in the Kinematic Track: Track Authoring dialog box moves the reference object, then the associated object is also moved. It behaves the same when simulating a kinematic Track or selecting T-Points.

Tips:

  • Right-click a row to access the following commands:
    • Reframe On: Reframes the main 3D on the selected objects.
    • Center Tree: Centers the tree on the selected object. It is only available when selecting a single row.
    • Remove:
      • From the context menu of a reference object, removes the selected reference objects and their associations.
      • From the context menu of an associated object, removes the association between the selected associated objects and the reference object.
    • Remove All:
      • From the context menu of a reference object, removes all the reference objects and their associations.
      • From the context menu of an associated object, removes the association between all the associated objects and the reference object.
    • Replace: Replaces the selected reference object with the selection of another valid reference object from the tree or the main 3D. It is only available when selecting a single row.
  • Copying and pasting a Track with associations also copies the associations. However, the objects associated with the pasted Track depend on the context of the paste.