INGRESOS DE LA PROPIEDAD NOTA N° 46

Change to the DMU Fitting Simulation workbench, if not already there. This can be done by either selecting the change workbench icon in the top right of the toolbar or by selecting Start, Digital Mockup, and DMU Fitting.

Creating a shuttle

Select the shuttle icon. This will bring up two different windows. One window will be the preview window, similar to the preview windows seen in the DMU Space Analysis section. The second window needs a bit more attention.

Name Defines a descriptive name for the shuttle. A good name should always be given to the shuttle so it can be identified easily.

Selection Defines what is included in the shuttle.

Reference Denotes a reference to the shuttle. If a reference is defined and then the reference is moved, the shuttle will move accordingly. If no reference is defined, the shuttle will always remain at the same location.

Move This will move either the entire shuttle or just the shuttle axis. This will be covered later.

Validation This option would be very useful to simulate the motion of a fluid’s container. Since you would not want the container to rotate and roll all around, you can use the validation option to keep it from moving past a specified angle. This will be covered later.

Make sure the Selection area is highlighted and select the Pulley. This can be selected from either the tree or from the screen. Take notice that the compass attaches itself to the pulley. Using the compass will be very important to creating a simulation.

Change the Name field to Pulley Shuttle. This will allow you to identify the shuttle in the tree.

Select OK. This creates a shuttle that contains the pulley. The pulley is now ready to be simulated. You can see the Pulley Shuttle in the tree under Applications, Shuttle.

Note the small hand and axis that is at the center of the pulley. This is the shuttle symbol.

If it is a nuisance, it can be hidden just as any other symbol. Leave it showing for the time being. As you saw above shuttles are stored in the Shuttle branch. Other branches such as Simulation and Replay branches will also be added.

There are two drain plugs on the side of the compressor. Put both of them into a shuttle.

Select the shuttle icon. This time both drain plugs will be inserted.

Change the Name to Drain Plugs. This will more clearly describe the shuttle rather than Shuttle.2.

Select both Drain Plugs. This can be accomplished by either selecting them from the screen or by selecting them from the tree.

Notice both drain plugs are displayed in the preview window. This shows that they are included in the shuttle. Also take note to the position of the shuttle axis. The axis stays with the first selected plug. If both plugs were selected before the shuttle icon was selected, the axis would display in the geometrical center of the plugs and not on the first plug

selected.

Since the plugs are dependant on where the base of the compressor is located, it should be made a reference.

Select the Reference field and then select the dark green base of the compressor.

Compressor Base.1 is inserted into the Reference field but is not shown in the Preview window. This is because the compressor base is only a reference and will not be simulated with the shuttle.

Select OK. This completes the second shuttle. Next, a simulation will be made.

Creating a simulation

Select the simulation icon. A Select window will display showing the available shuttles in the assembly. You may have to scroll down in order to see the two shuttles.

Select the Pulley Shuttle and then OK. This will again bring up two windows. One window will be the preview window showing what is going to be moved. The second window is the Edit Simulation window. The compass is also located at the center of the shuttle.

Name Defines a name for the simulation. Each simulation should be given a unique and descriptive name for future reference.

Arrow 1 The loop mode icon. Selecting this icon will change the loop mode between single loop, forward and reverse, or continuous forward.

Arrow 2 The time step indicator. Each motion placed in the simulation indicates a time step and is displayed in the box.

Arrow 3 The replay interpolation step. In general, it controls the speed of the replay.

Animate viewpoint Allows the viewpoint position to be recorded with the simulation.

This would be useful if a certain area needs special attention while a component is being removed. This option will be used more in the DMU Navigator section.

Insert, Modify, Delete, Skip Allows the user to insert steps manually, modify the position at a desired step, delete a step or skip over a step during replay.

Automatic insert Allows the positions to be automatically inserted. This is not a good option to have on when first starting.

Compass

It is important to understand the compass so it can be used effectively.

The compass, usually green when attached to geometry, has three main direction vectors, U, V, and W, as shown by the arrows below. Selecting one of the vectors will move the attached object only in the direction of the vector. Normally, the compass will be in the upper right corner of the workspace, labeled X, Y, and Z. When the compass is attached to an object, it is re-labeled to U, V, and W. If one of the vectors is along the same direction as one of the primary axes then there will be a pipe ( | ) symbol and the primary axis is also stated. This can be seen below, circled.

The compass also has the three principle planes as noted by arrows below. Selecting one of these planes will allow the attached object move along the plane of the selected plane. The rotation arcs, located along the outside of the planes, work the same. Selecting an arc will rotate the object about one of the given axes.

Select the U axis vector and hold. Move the pulley away from the part. The U axis vector is noted as U|X, meaning it is in the same direction as the X axis. Moving the cursor to the vector, it will highlight, and then just select and hold it while moving the mouse away from the compressor body. Since you selected the U axis, the pulley will only move in the U axis direction. The pulley should look something like the following picture.

Now the position needs to inserted into the simulation.

Select Insert in the Edit Simulation window. This will draw a line from the original position of the pulley to the new position. This line is the simulation path. Any where that the shuttle moves and a position is inserted a line is generated.

Select the UV rotation axis on the compass and rotate it 90 degrees clockwise. It does not need to be exactly 90 degrees, anywhere close will do.

Select Insert in the Edit Simulation window. This will make the number of simulation steps two. You will now move the pulley one more time and then call it good.

Move the pulley a considerable amount in the U direction. Move it about twice as far as the pulley was moved from the compressor.

Select Insert again. This will insert the final step. Before selecting OK on the Edit Simulation window, replay the simulation to be sure it is right.

Set the replay interpolation step to 0.04 and the replay mode to forward and

reverse . This will show the simulation both ways and slow it down so it does not flash by. Remember the replay interpolation step is set in the input field where 1 is currently.

The forward and reverse option is changed by using the icon to the left of the input field with 3.00 in it.

Select the play forward icon. The pulley will begin to move, following the path that you defined.

When done viewing the replay, select the pause icon. This will stop the simulation.

Feel free to try adjusting the speed of the replay as well as try the other play control icons.

Before moving onto the next step, make sure the simulation is paused.

Change the name of the simulation to Pulley Removal and select OK. The pulley will snap back to the original position but the shuttle icon and the replay path will remain.

Congratulations on your first simulation. Now would be a good point to save your model.

Notice that in the Applications branch you now have a Simulation branch. Now that you have a simulation, it needs to be made into a replay so that it can be viewed at any time.

This means that the simulation will have to be compiled into a replay.

Compiling a simulation

Select the compile simulation icon. This will bring up the Compile Simulation window.

There are two main options when compiling a simulation. First, a replay can be generated.

The replay can only be viewed from within CATIA V5. Second, an animation file can be generated. There are two different animation file types that can be created. The first type is a Microsoft AVI file. This will create a single video file that can be viewed from any computer. Be warned, the animation files created will be very large, even for a simple animation. The second file type is that of still images. A series of JPEG images, or frames, will be generated and then through the use of animation software, they can be viewed. The definition area allows you to change what simulation will be compiled, the time step that it will be compiled at (same as the replay interpolation setting from the Edit Simulation window) and if the viewpoint is going to be compiled into the animation.

Change the name of the replay to Pulley Removal and set the time step to 0.04. This will generate a replay at the same speed that was first viewed in the simulation replay.

Select OK. The slider along the bottom will begin to move across. This will indicate the amount of the replay compilation that is completed. The compilation of the replay will only take a brief second.

At the bottom of the tree, a replay branch will be added. With the replay compiled, the shuttle and simulation can be deleted. The replay holds all the information that the shuttle and simulation does but does not give the flexibility of modifying the simulation.

Replaying a compiled simulation

Double select the Pulley Removal replay. This will display the Replay window. This window is very similar to the Edit Simulation window. This is the same window that will appear if you select the replay icon. Therefore you do not have to select the replay from the specification tree.

Most of the icons are the same as on the Edit Simulation window. The one exception is the replay time step interpolation list is now a replay speed. If the simulation was compiled at too slow a speed, it can be sped up using this dialog.

Replay the simulation at various speed. Close the window when done. This will complete the process of compiling a simulation and viewing the replay.

Here is a review of the process to generate a simple animation.

First, a shuttle needs to be made The shuttle contains any geometry that is going to be simulated.

Next, a simulation is made The simulation is a series of motions that you apply to a shuttle to move it about the workspace.

Compile the simulation into a replay or animation file.

Replays can be viewed from within CATIA, other animation files have to be viewed with external software.

Next, create a simulation to show the drain plugs being removed.

Select the simulation icon and then select the Drain Plugs shuttle. Remember, the drain plugs were put into a shuttle earlier. Since both drain plugs are part of the shuttle, they will move at the same time.

Change the name of the simulation to Drain Plug Removal. Remember, you should always give everything a descriptive name. Otherwise, complex assemblies will be cluttered with meaningless names.

Move the drain plugs along the V direction. They should be out about as far as the pulley was moved. You may have moved the pulley the opposite way, if you did that is okay.

Select Insert. This is a vital step, be sure to insert the simulation step.

Replay the simulation from within the simulation editor. Select OK when done. This will help to insure that it is right before you complete the simulation. This also gives you a chance to determine what speed the animation needs to be replayed at. A speed of 1 is way too fast, but a speed closer to 0.04 or 0.02 is more acceptable.

Select the compile simulation icon. Remember, the simulation must be compiled to view it as a replay.

Notice the simulation name is set on Pulley Removal. This is because that is the first simulation created. This will always be the default simulation name. It is necessary to make sure it is changed to the right simulation each time.

Change the Simulation name to Drain Plug Removal. Also, change the Time step to 0.04. One last thing needs to be changed before selecting OK. The name needs to be more unique than Replay.2.

Change the Name to Removal of the Drain Plugs. Select OK when done. The name of the replay can be any length desired, so feel free to give as long of a descriptive name as necessary.

Replay the Removal of the Drain Plugs replay. This makes sure that everything came out right.

Congratulations, this completes your second full simulation. Now would be a good time to save your document. You will now start working with more complex simulations.