Measuring Distance Between Positions
You can quickly have Adams View calculate the relative distance and orientation between positions in your model defined as
Markers or
Points. You can also calculate the distance from a position and ground. It's a quick way to check the relationship between two positions without creating a
measure or
request. You will find it helpful to check, for example, if two markers in your model are at the proper distance or orientation.
Adams View calculates the following distance information:
■Magnitude
■x, y, and z component
■Angular displacement
You can also select that Adams View calculate the results relative to a
reference marker. When you select a reference marker, Adams View calculates the distance information in the coordinate system of the reference marker. If you do not specify a reference marker, Adams View calculates the distance relative to the ground part.
You can select to measure the distance at the model’s initial configuration (how you built it) or at particular
Simulation step. You can specify a time, frame number, or a configuration of the model. For the model configuration, you can select:
■Model input - The model configuration that was input to Adams Solver, the analysis engine, before it ran a simulation.
■Initial conditions - The model configuration after initial conditions were met.
■Equilibrium - The configuration after an equilibrium simulation.
■Forward - One frame forward from the currently displayed frame.
■Backward - One frame backward from the currently displayed frame.
You can view the results in an information window or have Adams View store the results in a file.
To calculate the distance between markers or points:
1. From the Tools menu, select Measure Distance.
The
Measure Distance dialog box appears.
2. Enter the marker or points whose distance you want to calculate in the first three text boxes:
■First Position - Enter the marker or point from which you want to measure the distance.
■Second Position - Enter the marker or point to which you want measure the distance.
■Ref Position - Enter the marker or point defining the coordinate system in which to represent distance information. Leave blank to represent distance information in global coordinate system. Using a point as the reference position is the same as using a marker whose orientation is identical to the global orientation.
3. In the Write Result to File Name text box, enter the name of the file in which you want to save the distance information. If you want the information written to a directory other than the one from which you are running Adams View, include the path.
4. Select either:
■Model Name if you want to calculate the distance based on the current configuration of a model.
■Analysis Name if you’d like to calculate the distance based on a configuration, frame, or
Simulation time from a particular simulation.
5. The elements in the dialog box change depending on your selection.
6. Enter the options in the dialog box as explained in the table below and select OK. As you set options, remember that you can use the shortcut menu that appears when you hold down the right mouse button in a text box to select an object from the screen or a list.
If you selected: | Do the following: |
|---|
Model Name | In the Model Name text box, enter the name of the model. If you want to measure distances in the current model, you do not need to enter a model name. |
Analysis Name | 1. Enter the name of a simulation. 2. Select to use a particular time, frame, or configuration stored in the selected simulation. |