About the Mechanism Manager

Mechanism Manager allows you to define a mechanism by specifying the joints to be used during the simulation.

Note: Open Quality Rules Reuse to access Knowledge methods and to run quality checks on a mechanism. For more information, see Knowledge Packages.

See Also
About Engineering Connections
Defining a Mechanism
Defining an Assembly of Mechanisms
About Mechanism Assemblies

To access the Mechanism Manager, click from the Mechanical Systems Design section of the action bar, or double-click an existing mechanism.

To configure a mechanism, specify which engineering connections from the associated product are enforced in the mechanism. You can then determine how the product components move with respect to each other. Enforced engineering connections appear under the Joints node in the mechanism representation.

The Mechanism Manager allows you to activate specific engineering connections in a mechanism, as well as to define the commands that drive the mechanism.

The Mechanism Manager also tracks the degrees of freedom (DOF) in a mechanism and indicates:

  • The number of unconstrained degrees of freedom
  • The number of unconstrained degrees of freedom with the assigned commands
  • Whether or not the mechanism can be simulated

You can run a simulation when all degrees of freedom are accounted for by either engineering connection constraints or commands. In some cases, a single command can account for multiple linked DOF.

Important: For compound engineering connections, roll curve connections, and screw connections, you can control multiple degrees of freedom (DOF). The commands are linked (changing one command value automatically updates the other command value) and cannot be run simultaneously.

The Mechanism Manager dialog box comprises two tabs and an information area:

  • The Joints tab that allows you to specify which joints are enforced in the mechanism.
  • The Assembly tab that allows you to specify which mechanisms are to be assembled.
  • The Status area that gives the current DOF information, the number of commands, and specifies if interdependent commands exist for the mechanism. The color-coded status icon turns green when the mechanism can be simulated. The icons indicate the following situations:

Status Icon Meaning

The mechanism is fully defined and can be simulated.

The mechanism is partially defined and can be simulated.
  • The mechanism is underconstrained: some degrees of freedom are not controlled by commands. Consequently, these degrees of freedom are unconstrained during the simulation.
  • A Fix engineering connection is missing: you must fix a part to fully constrain all degrees of freedom.

  • The mechanism includes interdependent commands. Some commands are interdependent and cannot be run simultaneously during the simulation.

  • The mechanism is under-constrained and includes interdependent commands.

The mechanism cannot be simulated: no command is defined.

The mechanism cannot be simulated: it is overconstrained.

Note: When a mechanism includes nonopened engineering connections, the component relation exists but is unresolved and you cannot play the mechanism. Nonopened engineering connections are missing joints or assembled mechanisms that are not visible in the tree or in the Mechanism Manager dialog box.

To configure a mechanism, use the Duplicate Mechanism command to manage the relations and to reconnect the components manually and to retrieve the mechanism object. Thus, you can keep one set of mechanism per configuration filter. See Duplicating Mechanical Representations.

The Joints tab includes the following:

  • Joint List: Lists all available joints in the mechanism. You can filter the list content by:
    • Name of a joint or part of it using the Filter.
    • Only included joints or All existing joints in the mechanism.
      Note: You can combine the Filter with Only included or All.

The Joint List table provides details for each joint:

  • Included: Indicates whether the joint is enforced in the mechanism. Joints can be included or excluded. To do so, click Joint Management at the bottom of the dialog box. You can also select or clear the check boxes in the first left column ( and ).
  • : Indicates that the joint is included indirectly (this status applies to a dressup joint).
  • Name: Gives the name of the joint.
  • Type: Gives the type of joint.
  • Command 1/Command 2: For joints with controlled constraints, indicates whether commands have been defined for these variable DOF. The following messages are available:
    • Length: A length-based command is assigned to the DOF.
    • Angle: An angle-based command is assigned to the DOF.
    • No: No command is assigned to the DOF.
    • Not Drivable: A controlled constraint has not been created for this joint.
    Commands are assigned using the Command Management options at the bottom of the dialog box. For more information, see Creating Engineering Connections for Mechanisms.

The Assembly tab includes the following:

  • Mechanism List: Lists all available mechanisms below the parent product for the mechanism that is being set up. You can filter the list content. See the Joints tab for more information.

The Mechanism List table provides details for each mechanism:

  • Included: Indicates whether the mechanism is assembled. To include or exclude mechanisms, click the corresponding options at the bottom of the dialog box or select/clear the check boxes from the first left column.
  • : Indicates that the mechanism is indirectly included by another mechanism (for example, a macro mechanism reference another macro mechanism).
  • : Indicates that the mechanism cannot be included because it would create cyclicity situations. For more information, see About Mechanism Assemblies.
  • Name: Gives the name of the mechanism.
  • Status: Displays the color-coded status icon for the mechanism.
  • DOF with commands: Gives the current DOF information for the mechanism.
  • Context: Provides the location of the mechanism within the product structure.