Configuring SimMechanics Link Settings in SolidWorks

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About the SimMechanics Link Settings Dialog Box

Reviewing, Changing, and Applying Export Settings

About the SimMechanics Link Settings Dialog Box

You can access the export settings from your SolidWorks menu bar. To open thesettings dialog box, select Settings in the SimMechanics Link menu.

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Reviewing, Changing, and Applying Export Settings

The settings dialog box contains several active areas. The Message box is inactive.

Save, Close, and Help Buttons

Click... To...

Save your settings and close the settings dialog box

Close the settings dialog box without saving yoursettings

Open online SimMechanics Link help

Subassemblies Menu Box

The Solve Subassemblies Using menu allows you to choose how to export

The Solve Subassemblies Using menu allows you to choose how to exportsubassemblies.

Configuring Subassemblies in SolidWorks. In SolidWorks, assemblies can havesubassemblies, which can have subsubassemblies, and so on.

A rigid subassembly is like a single rigid part, constrained to move as a singlebody.

A flexible subassembly has dynamic children (parts and mates within thesubassembly), capable of moving relative to one another according to their mates.

When you select a subassembly in the SolidWorks feature tree:

Rightclick the subassembly and select the Component menu, then Properties.An option appears that allows you to make the component Flexible or Rigid.

1.

Select Rigid (the default) if you are not interested in the motion of the partswithin the subassembly.

2.

Select Flexible if you are interested in the motion of the parts within thesubassembly.

3.

Configuring Subassemblies for Export.

If you select Component properties (the default) in the subassemblies menu,then the exporter respects the internal SolidWorks settings; that is, Rigid or Flexible , according to how each subassembly is configured.

If you choose Flexible settings in the subassemblies menu, then the exportersassumes that all subassemblies are flexible regardless of the SolidWorks setting.

Selecting this option does not change the properties of subassemblies in theCAD assembly file.

Assembly Tolerances Subdialog Box

The Assembly Tolerances subdialog box allows you to specify export tolerances.

When the exporter creates joints from SolidWorks mates, it checks for geometricspacing and alignment, as well as relative roundoff. Instead of comparing spacing,alignment, and relative numerical errors with zero, the exporter compares them with thetolerances that you specify in the tolerance settings.

Field Purpose Default Unit

Linear tolerance Smallest significant lengthdifference

1e5 meter(m)

Angular tolerance Smallest significant angle difference 1e5 radian(rad)

Relative roundofftolerance

Smallest significant relativenumerical difference

1e12

Export Coordinate Systems Subdialog Box

The Export Coordinate Systems subdialog box allows you to choose whether and howto export reference coordinate systems in your assembly. These reference coordinatesystems are independent of mates between parts in the assembly.

If you select Do not export coordinate systems (the default), the exporter

If you select Do not export coordinate systems (the default), the exporterignores any reference coordinate systems, and they do not appear in theexported XML file.

If you select Export only CSs with this prefix , some or all of the referencecoordinate systems are exported to the XML file. The exported coordinatesystems are selected by the name prefix specified in the field below this radiobutton.

If a is specified, only those reference coordinate systems whose

names begin with the are exported. The default is

If no prefix is specified and the field is blank, all reference coordinatesystems are exported.

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Supported SolidWorks Mates and TheirCorresponding Joints

Exporting Assemblies to PhysicalModeling XML Format

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