Opening Mechanisms and Simulation Elements in Different Apps

You can upgrade specific motion elements such as mechanisms or simulation elements to visualize or edit them in a higher-level app included in the role.

Note: A higher-level app is an app included in the role and that provides advanced modeling or simulation features compared to the current app.

Important: If you edit a mechanism or a simulation element in a higher-level app, you cannot edit it anymore in a lower-level app and must create a new mechanism.

This task shows you how to:

Open a Mechanism in a Higher-Level App
Open a Simulation in a Higher-Level App

Open a Mechanism in a Higher-Level App

You can open a mechanism in a higher-level app to edit it, either by duplicating it or by upgrading it.

If you open an upgraded mechanism in a lower-level app (Kinematics Design or Motion Design), the mechanism appears as incompatible in the tree, and you must create a new mechanism in the lower-level app.

Open the mechanism in a higher-level app.
For example, open a mechanism created in Motion Design or xMotion Design in Motion Analysis.
Note: If you create a mechanism in xDesign or x3D Design and open it in xMotion Design, the mechanism is considered as incompatible. In this case, a new mechanism is automatically created and set as current in xMotion Design.

From the Upgrade/Duplicate Mechanism dialog box, select the method to use to open the mechanism in the higher-level app.

Option	Description
Duplicate Mechanism	Creates a copy of the existing mechanism in the new app. The new mechanism appears in the tree, under the active product. You can edit the mechanism in the new app and in lower-level apps.
Upgrade Mechanism	Upgrades the analysis case to let you visualize and edit the mechanism and the associated simulation results. The mechanism is updated in the tree. Note: If you upgrade the mechanism, you cannot edit it anymore in a lower-level app.

If you create a mechanism in xDesign or x3D Design and open it in xMotion Design, the mechanism is considered as incompatible. In this case, a new mechanism is automatically created and set as current in xMotion Design.

Tip: To duplicate a mechanism in the current app (Kinematics Design, Motion Design, or Motion Analysis), right-click the mechanism in the tree and select Duplicate.

In the tree:

The mechanism is compatible with the current app and is defined as active.
The other incompatible mechanisms associated with the product (if any) appear as upgradable .

Important: You can only edit mechanisms compatible in the current app.

Open a Simulation in a Higher-Level App

You can open a model including one or several analysis cases in a higher-level app to edit them or visualize their simulation results.

Note: If you open a simulation in a lower-level app, you can only visualize the results of the simulation and not edit the analysis case. For more information, see Using a 2D Plot.

Open a mechanism including one or several analysis cases in a higher-level app.
For example, open a model created in Motion Design or xMotion Design in Motion Analysis.

From the Open Simulation dialog box, select the method to use to open the simulation in the higher-level app.

Option

Description

Result view only

Opens all the analysis cases available in the simulation and lets you visualize their simulation results using the 2DPlot command.

Note: The analysis cases from the simulation are incompatible with the current app. You cannot edit or delete them, or create new analysis cases under the mechanism.

Upgrade simulation

Upgrades the simulation elements to let you edit the analysis cases and visualize the associated simulation results.

Note: By default, the first analysis case is defined as active.

Important: You cannot edit an upgraded mechanism or simulation element in a lower-level app anymore.

In the tree, the first analysis case associated with a compatible mechanism is defined as active.

If the mechanism associated with the simulation element is incompatible (created or edited for the last time in a lower-level app), you must upgrade it or duplicate it in the higher-level app.

To do so, define the mechanism as active or edit it to display the Duplicate/Upgrade Mechanism dialog box. For more information, see Open a Mechanism in a Higher-Level App.