A constant velocity joint is a two degree-of-freedom constraint. It constrains the
rotation of a body (Body 1) about a specified axis to be equal to the rotation of the other
body (Body 2) connected by the joint. The axis of rotation is the Z axes of the markers
defined on the connecting user-defined bodies. Constant velocity joints are widely used in
drive shafts of vehicles with independent suspension.
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If the Joints panel is not currently displayed, select the desired joint by
clicking on it in the Project Browser or in the modeling window.
The Joints panel is automatically displayed.
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From the Connectivity tab, click Body
1 and pick a body from the modeling window, or double-click Body 1 to open the Model Tree (from which the desired body can be
selected).
Note: If the selected joint is a pair entity, first distinguish between the
Left and Right tabs in the
panel, and then edit the properties. When defining a pair joint, use pair
entities for Body, Origin, etc.
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Similarly, click Body 2 and
select the desired body from the modeling window (or use
the Model Tree).
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Click the Point
collector (under Origin) and select a point from the modeling window, or double click the
Point collector to open the Model Tree (from which the desired point can be selected).
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Specify each axis.
- Point - Select a point which lies along the shaft
axis in the modeling window or double-click the
Point button and choose a point from the Model Tree.
- Vector - Select a vector which defines the
direction of orientation of the shaft axis. If the alignment axis for the
joint is along any of the global axes, then the global x, y, or z axis can
be selected by clicking on the desired axis in the modeling window (or by double-clicking the
Vector button and browsing through the Model Tree).
If editing a compliant joint, see Edit Compliant Joints or Bushings. To edit user-defined
properties, see Edit User-Defined Joints.