Ground

Use the Ground tool to define which parts are considered to be ground and therefore immovable.

Location: Motion ribbon, Connections group


Click the satellite icon that appears when you hover over the Ground tool to view a list of all ground parts in your model. All ground parts are shown with an icon in the Model Browser.

Define Ground Parts

To ground a part, select the Ground tool then select the part.

  1. Select the Ground tool.


  2. Click a part in the modeling window to ground it.
    Ground parts are shown in red. Any parts that were selected prior to clicking the Ground tool will become grounded automatically.
  3. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
Tip:
  • The Ground tool is helpful when debugging a motion model because it allows you to temporarily prevent parts from moving.
  • There are other ways to ground a part. For example, you could use the Supports tool to apply a support to a face and restrict translation and rotation in all directions. However, parts that are grounded using alternative methods will not appear red when using the Ground tool, and will not be listed in the Ground Parts table.
  • You can only use the Ground tool to ground parts, not connections. If you want to ground a fastener or a joint, change its type in the microdialog or Property Editor to a grounded version (i.e. grounded bolt, grounded screw, or grounded pin).

Ground Parts Table

The Ground Parts table lists all of the parts in your model and whether they are ground or not.

Location: Ground tool, satellite icon



Figure 1. Ground Parts Table
To Do this
Rename the part Select the cell in the table and then click again to make the field editable.
Change the ground state Select or deselect the check box next to the part.
Sort the column Click the column header. Click repeatedly to toggle between ascending and descending order.
Add or remove columns Right-click on a column header to change what result types are shown, and to sort the order of the columns.

Shortcuts

To Do this
Unground a part Left-click a selected (red) feature.
Ground multiple parts Box select in the modeling window.
Unground multiple parts Press Shift + box select in the modeling window.
Exit the tool Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.