Debugging Your Model Before You Run a Simulation
Adams View provides you with several ways to view the connections in your model and verify your model's correctness before running a
Simulation.
View the Construction of Your Model
To view your model, you can:
■Use the Model Topology command to look at your model's topology - As you build your model, you can display information about its topology, display how its parts are connected to each other, and display detailed information about each object in the model, such as its parts, constraints, and forces. For more information, see
Viewing Model Topology Map Through Information Window.
■Use the Table Editor to look at all objects in your model - The
Table Editor provides a spreadsheet-like overview of the objects that are in your model. It is a convenient way to inspect or modify models, particularly large ones.
Check Your Model Using Model Verify
You can use the
Model Verify tool to check for errors in your model, such as misaligned joints, unconstrained parts, or massless parts in dynamic models. The Model Verify tool calculates the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) in your model, as well as reports any redundant constraints. It is a good tool to use periodically as you add detail to or refine your model. Learn about
Verifying Your Model.
Visually Inspect Your Model
Adams View uses broken screen icons to indicate joints or forces that are incorrectly defined. Therefore, you can simply look at your model on the screen to see how it is constructed.
Check Your Function Expressions
The following are helpful tips for ways to debug your function when building function expressions:
■Verify a function - When working in the Function Builder in run-time mode, you can do a cursory check of your function expression to determine if its syntax is correct. If the function syntax is incorrect, Adams View gives you an error message pointing out the problem area. For more information on the Function Builder, see
Adams View Function Builder online help.
■Plot a function - The Adams View Function Builder gives you the option to preview a plot of your function. You can use the plotting feature whenever your function evaluates to multiple values. You can plot all design-time functions and the run-time functions that are in the math category and can be interpreted as design-time functions. For more information on the Function Builder, see
Adams View Function Builder online help.
■Create a measure of your entire function or key elements of it - In addition, you may find it helpful to build measures of your entire function or key elements of it and view strip charts of the measures as your simulation progresses.
For example, if you create a function that defines the force of a spring-damper, you can create an object measure that tracks the force of the spring-damper over time. In addition, if you create a function that defines an impact force, you can create a function measure of either the displacement or velocity term in the impact function. Learn
About Measures.