Simulation question
Simulation question
(OP)
I'm designing a wheeled robot and I'm just wondering what add-ins and products from SolidWorks would be useful. The websites tout a lot about their abilities but not much about their limitations so I was hoping to get some input from someone who had done something similar in the past.
-Sam Boyce
Asst. Mechanical Engineer
www.AppleAid.com






RE: Simulation question
The second component is the Simulation aspect of the SW program. This works pretty well, but you have limited options (rotary motor, linear motor, etc.). Also you don't have control over the animation output.
The last (I think) aspect to animation in SolidWorks is COSMOS Motion. This is a fairly powerful add-in that will allow you to perform complicated analyses on motions within your assembly. The problem with Motion is that you have limited control over the animated output: no rendering, no cameras, etc. COSMOS Motion has bailed me out a couple of times.
These are the limitations within the sofware as I see them. There are ways to get around most of these little snags, and we all have sneaky tricks stuffed up our sleeves that allow us to skirt around them. You just have to hold your tongue right.
Hope that helps.
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
RE: Simulation question
RE: Simulation question
1. Make two configurations at extreme positions.
2. Insert design table and fill the mate distances for regular intervals. E.g. for every 5°
3. Open SWX Animator-Screen Capture-Turn On SC and click each configuration.
4. I received a macro from this forum to run the configuration automatically one after the other and if you wish to have it please let me know.
RE: Simulation question
Configurations can be used to set up mates that limit various aspects of motion. You can select a tab to change configurations with different sets of mates active/inactive to try out differing ranges of motion live in SolidWorks (by dragging an arm to a position, for instance). So in that case, you wouldn't need any add-ins/modules. But if you need to do analysis, that's a different story, leading you toward Simulator or Cosmos, etc. (see Eltron's post).
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.
RE: Simulation question
http://quick.dropfiles.net/902020