Edit a System

Clicking on the System in the Project Browser opens a panel, where you can make edits to the selections.

  1. Each system and assembly has a list of attachments that connect it to other systems or assemblies. These are listed on the Attachments tab. You can modify an attachment by highlighting it in the Attachments list and using the entity collector to the right of the list.
    1. Select the Attachments tab.
    2. Click Add.
    3. In the dialog, specify a label and variable name.
    4. Select the attachment entity from the drop-down menu.
    5. Select Single only or Pair or single for Type.
      Note: Certain entities cannot be modeled in pairs so these options may be disabled.
    6. Enter any notes.
  2. Click the Options tab.
    A list of the options belonging to the current system is displayed. An option is used to customize some type of modeling behavior. Options can perform operations such as turning entities on or off, or converting systems from compliant to non-compliant.
  3. Each system has a Compliant option by default. This option can be used to toggle the state of joints within the system. Specify whether to make the system compliant or non-compliant from the drop-down menu.
    Selecting Yes makes all the compliant joints in the system compliant while selecting No makes all compliant joints non-compliant.
  4. Select the Initial Conditions tab.
    1. Enter values in the x, y, and z directions to set the initial translational and rotational velocity of all bodies in the system.
      Note: Initial conditions can be applied to any system in the model. The initial conditions applied to a system are automatically applied to its subsystems. If the initial conditions of a subsystem are set separately, the settings override those of the system above it. Each initial setting that is overridden by a subsystem is listed on the right side of the parent system’s Initial Conditions tab.
  5. Select the System Translation tab.
    If symmetry is on, system symmetry is maintained. If symmetry is off, the entire system moves in the specified direction.
    1. Define a translation direction.
    2. Enter the distance to move the system along the coordinates in the Translation distance text box.
  6. Click the Import/Export tab.
    Note: Systems can be individually imported or exported from/to an .mdl file. You can export the entire system, including the topology information to the file, or you can export only the model properties for reading into another model.
    1. Select the Export radio button.
    2. Browse to select a path and file name and click Save.
    Tip:
    • You can re-export to the same file without opening the browser by clicking Quick Export.
    • Use the Export topology as drop-down menu to specify entity definition statements and definition blocks (that define systems, datasets, templates, etc.).
    • The Property Data options refers to *Set statements that assign values to the entity.

In addition to converting compliant joints, MotionView can turn other entities on or off in a system according to predefined system settings. For example, MotionView can turn off specific entities such as springs or stabilizer bars when the system is made non-compliant.

Note:
  • The Compliant option is applied to all subsystems beneath the current system.
  • The Compliant option can be overridden for individual joints in the Joints panel.
  • Not all joints can be compliant. The rules for converting joints from compliant to non-compliant are built into each model using the MDL language.
  • See *Option() in the MDL Language Reference for more information on creating options.