Virtual Connector Pin

Connect an arbitrary number of coaxial cylindrical faces.

Virtual pins act like hinges between connected parts. Three different pin types are supported:
  • Rotating: Rotating pins can rotate around the axis of the cylindrical faces (sliding in circumferential direction) but cannot slide along the axis. It acts like a hinge about the axis of cylindrical faces between the connected parts.
  • Bonded: Bonded Virtual Pins are glued into the support faces.
  • Sliding: Sliding pins can rotate around the axis of the cylindrical faces (sliding in circumferential direction) and slide along the axis.

Virtual connectors create perfectly rigid boundaries, stresses along the boundary faces can have local concentrations.

  1. On the Project Tree, click on the Connections workbench
  2. On the Connections workbench, select > Pin.
  3. In the Virtual connector dialog, use the radio buttons to specify the Pin type.
  4. On the modeling window, click to select specific parts on the model.
    Your selections will appear in the Virtual connector dialog.
    Note: For a Virtual Pin, you must select a cylindrical face.
  5. Click OK.
    The connector will appear in the Connections branch. If selected, it will be visually represented in the modeling window.