Creating kinematic mechanisms of CATIA assemblies can be a useful tool for many reasons, including determining clash, range of motion, and tracking measurements. By default, kinematic commands are independent of each other. As you move modify the command value of one component, any other commands in the mechanism are not modified. Including another command in the mechanism to move at the correct rate relative to another can be tedious.
Laws can be used to have more fine-tuned control of a command. The parameter KINTime can be utilized to relate one command relative to another. As one command is modified, another command changes and the respective rate that was used in conjunction with KINTime.
With an assembly of a clock face, with have three components (second, minute, and hour hands) that have commands applied to them. The commands are independent of each other, but that is not realistic or precise. Applying a relation of KINTime to each command in the mechanism allows the motion of the components to be applied realistically and modified easily.
This video shows that by using KINTime, designers will be able to incorporate commands that relate to one another, instead of being independent and arbitrary. Using KINTime will allow for a more realistic motion that represents the real-life assembly, which will be more appealing to managers and reviewers. These tools are also included with the DMU Kinematic workbench, so no other third-party software is necessary to perform realistic motion analysis. KINTime allows for realistic simulation of components with minimal effort.
For more information on this topic, check out the Rand 3D training class, DMU Kinematics. www.Rand3D.com
