Lab Session 1: Interface Lab

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Lab 1: Interface Lab

The first lab session begins with a blank Motion document.

Objective
The objective of this lab session is to present the Virtual.Lab Motion program to new
users. The user is stepped through the process of opening a new document, interacting
with the interface, and saving the model file. Primary focus is placed on presenting the
basic menu functionality and workbench concepts to provide a basis for detailed model
construction and analysis in later lab sessions.
In this first lab session we will be working with a blank Motion document. An image of
the default document is shown below.

Lab 1 Agenda
1. Starting Virtual.Lab Motion.
2. Introducing the Interface.
3. Activating the Product Workbench.
4. Activating the Part Design Workbench.
Switch to the Wireframe and Surface Workbench.
5. Activating the Mechanism Design Workbench.
6. Saving a Model.

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Lab Session Documentation Conventions

Meaning of Fonts:
Discussions about features and functions are in normal Arial font.
Workbench or Menu action button selections to be carried out are in Bold Arial font,
with a pointing arrow proceeding the action:
Dialog box field entries are indicated by Courier New font.
Text indicating the label to a dialog box field or tab will be Italicized.
Select is equivalent to a single left-click of the mouse.

Starting Virtual.Lab Motion

Starting up the Virtual.Lab Motion software
To start Virtual.Lab Motion:
1. Double-click on the VirtualLab Icon on your desktop.

Opening a new Virtual.Lab Motion Model

1. Select Start Motion Mechanism Design from the Start menu.
An image of the Virtual.Lab Motion Interface is shown below.

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Introducing the Interface

This lab will focus on introducing the six main areas of the interface: The Main Menu
Bar, the Virtual.Lab Specification Tree, the Model Display, the Standard Toolbar, the
Navigation Toolbar, and the Mechanism Design Workbench.

Virtual.Lab Main Menu Bar

This menu bar is made available to the user at the top of the modeling interface. There
are numerous operative commands within the Virtual.Lab interface that can be
accessed through the Main Menu Bar. These commands can also be accessed at
alternative locations within the interface. These locations will be explained later within
this lab.

Start Menu
This menu is provided as a navigation tool,
it provides a convenient means for the user
to toggle between different Virtual.Lab
functional workbenches.
Contents of this menu vary according to the
configurations and/or products installed.

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File Menu
This menu is the starting point for opening
all new and existing files of any type.
It is also the starting point for opening all
old DADS definition files.
The File menu provides all save options for
the files associated with a current
Virtual.Lab Session.
Models should always be saved to a
specified project folder.

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View Menu
This menu controls the layout of the
interface.
Selecting the Toolbars Option from the
View menu can turn on any buttons not
displayed on the Virtual.Lab Workbench
areas by default.
Manual View controls such as Zoom,
Pan, and Rotate are also available.
Dynamic methods of utilizing these
commands will be explained later.
Geometry Display can be modified
through the Render Style Button.
Options for displaying model geometry
includes solid, wireframe, and
transparent. The Apply Customized
View option can be selected to display
model geometry according the type of
material that has been assigned to a
specific part.
There are two view spaces within the
Virtual.Lab environment. These are the
Show and No Show spaces. To swap
between these two displays the View
menu has the Swap Visible Space
button. Two visible design spaces gives
the user the option of only showing those
aspects of the model important for
understanding, other icons and/or
features can be hidden using the
Hide/Show menu option.

As stated previously many of these View menu options can be accessed readily
from other areas of the interface, Hide/Show is just one of those options.

Help Menu
This will provide users with a convenient way to access the Virtual.Lab Online
Documentation.

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Virtual.Lab Specification Tree

The Specification Area is split into
two main branches, the Links
Manager, and the Analysis Model.
The Links Manager provides a
reference to any external files being
utilized in the current Virtual.Lab
session.
All Virtual.Lab Motion elements are
recorded under the Analysis Model
branch of the Specification Tree.

Model Display
The open space in the interface used for displaying the model geometry, and
icons associated with model elements.
Animation of the model solution will be displayed in this field.
Selection of elements can be done from the Specification Tree or the Model
Display. Selected items will highlight orange in both areas of the interface.

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Standard Toolbar

This toolbar can be found in the bottom left corner of the interface. It includes
many of the same commands as outlined under the description of the Main Start
Menu, but in a convenient button format. Selecting on each button will execute
commands such as Start New Document, Open Existing File, Save Document, or
Print.
Document Revision Tools available include Cut, Paste, Undo, and Redo buttons.

Navigation Toolbar

This toolbar is also found at the bottom of the interface. It includes many of the
same commands as outlined under the description of the Main View Menu, but in
the same easy access button form as the Standard Toolbar.
Each button has an associated name, these names can be viewed by placing the
mouse cursor over each button.

Selecting these buttons make it possible to execute commands such as Fit All In
(this brings all geometry and icons into the Model Display for viewing), Pan,
Rotate, and Zoom.
There are also buttons on this toolbar with multiple option settings. All options for
a multiple option command can be viewed by selecting on the black arrow to the
right of the button.

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Mechanism Design Workbench

When the user first starts up a Virtual.Lab
Motion Session this is the first workbench
that will appear in the Workbench Area to the
right of the screen.
Bodies, Joints, Forces, and Constraints are
created from this area.
The black down arrows indicate further
options for a particular workbench selection
are hidden from view.
A new analysis is executed by selecting on
the Compute Solution button.
A previously existing binary result file from
DADS can be imported using the Binary
Import button.
Analysis results can be reviewed by selecting
on the animation or graphing icons.

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There are additional workbenches available within the Virtual.Lab

environment.
The command buttons displayed on each workbench change based
on the type of document selected from the Virtual.Lab Specification
Tree. The operations provided correspond to each document type.

Activate the Motion Product Design

Workbench
Virtual.Lab is a tool that allows the user to do multi-attribute engineering. It
contains access to Motion, Durability, and Noise & Vibration technologies.
During this Motion training we will focus on three workbenches. These are the
Mechanism Design Workbench, the Motion Product Design Workbench, and the
Part Design Workbench.
Here are the steps to switch between workbenches:

To activate the Product Workbench:

Double-Click the branch of the Specification Tree labeled Product1_ROOT.
Notice that the Icon shown to the left of this branch of the Specification Tree has
two gears. This icon always identifies a Product document, and can be used to
activate the Product Structure Workbench.

Product Document Icon

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Once this icon has been selected the Product Structure Workbench should

appear with the Product Structure Icon:

Additional functionality has been added to this Product Workbench. This
functionality includes the ability to move a part included in a mechanism relative
to constraints. A new workbench was developed to administer this functionality.
This workbench is called the Motion Product Design Workbench. To replace the
old Product Structure Workbench with the new Motion Product Design
Workbench, Select Start Motion Motion Product Design. This new

workbench is represented by the following icon:

This workbench swap will be stored to the Virtual.Lab Motion Environment files,
such that the Motion Product Design workbench will be activated each time a
Product Document branch is selected from the model Specification tree.

Activating the Part Workbench

Double-Click any branch of the tree showing the Part Document Icon.

This will activate the Part Workbench. Indicated by the Solid Modeling Icon:

Features created using the Part Workbench will be added to the chosen
document. To add solid or wireframe features to the GlobalFixedToGroundPart
Part Document, Double-Click this Branch of the tree:

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Switching to the Surface and Wireframe Design Workbench:

Part Documents require two Workbenches to store all available geometry
creation tools. To activate the second workbench of tools for designing
wireframe parts select Start -> Mechanical Design -> Wireframe and Surface
Design.
This should activate the Wireframe Workbench indicated by the Open Surface
Icon:

Activating the Mechanism Design

Workbench
Mechanism Design Elements such as Joints and Forces can only be added to
the CATAnalysis document when the Mechanism Design Workbench is
activated.
To activate the Mechanism Design Workbench, Double-Click the Blue Triangle

Icon:

The Moving Globe Icon indicates the Mechanism Design Workbench:

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Saving a Model
The easiest way to insure that all changes to your model and any external files
that are being referenced are saved is to select the Main File Menu and Save
Management. The resulting Save Management window will request a file name
for the CATAnalysis Document that you are currently modifying. All linked
CATProduct and CATShape documents will be named and saved automatically.
This completes Lab Session 1.

Virtual.Lab Motion Basic Training