You can access or create a motion study from a Motion Study tab at the lower portion of the graphics

area. If the Motion Study tab is not visible, click View, MotionManager. There are two types of tabs you can use when working with parts or assemblies:

Model. Selected by default when you open a model. Use this tab to edit the model. Motion Study <n>. Animations are listed on their own tab numbered 1 through <n>. Motion Study 1 is the default name for the first animation. There are no key frames for a new study.

To rename a Motion Study tab: 1. Right-click the tab and select Rename. 2. Type the new name. You cannot rename the Model tab. To create a new Motion Studies tab: Do one of the following:

Click Insert, New Motion Study. Right-click the name of an existing motion study from the motion studies tabs below the graphics area, and select New.

To duplicate an existing Motion Studies tab: Right-click an existing Motion Study tab and select Duplicate. You can use duplicate studies to run a series of similar simulations. To create or edit a motion study for a model: Click a Motion Study tab at the lower portion of the graphics window. The graphics area splits horizontally:
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The upper area displays the model. The lower area splits into three sections: The MotionManager toolbar across the top The MotionManager design tree on the left The timeline with the key points and the time bar on the right

You can select from three interpolation methods when you provide a data set to define force, torque, or motor profiles: Akima Spline, Cubic Spline, or Linear. The interpolation method you select is used to define the profile function between data points.

Akima Spline
The Akima spline interpolation method performs a local fit. This method requires information about points in the vicinity of the interpolation interval in order to define the coefficients of the cubic polynomial. Consequently, each data point in an Akima spline affects only the nearby portion of the curve. Because it uses local methods, an Akima interpolation is calculated very quickly. The Akima method produces good results for the value of the approximated function. This method also returns good estimates for the first derivative of the approximated function when the data points are evenly spaced. In instances where the data points are unevenly spaced, the estimate of the first derivative may be in error. The second derivative of the approximated function is unreliable with this method.

Cubic Spline
The cubic spline interpolation method performs a global fit. Global methods use all the given points to calculate the coefficients for all interpolation intervals simultaneously. Therefore, each data point affects the entire cubic spline. If you move one point the whole curve changes accordingly, making a cubic spline rougher and harder to force into a desired shape. This is especially noticeable for functions with linear portions, or that have sharp changes in the curve. In these cases, a cubic spline is almost always rougher than an Akima spline.

Linear
The linear interpolation method performs a local fit by defining a piecewise continuous linear function between adjacent data points.

General Considerations
Both global and local methods work well on smoothly-curving functions. The cubic spline interpolation method, though not as fast as Akima spline interpolation, produces good results for the value of the approximated function, as well as its first and second derivatives. The data points do not have to be evenly spaced. The solution process often requires

estimates of derivatives of the functions being defined. The smoother a derivative is, the easier it is for the solution process to converge. The linear interpolation method converges faster than the other two methods. The resulting function is a piecewise continuous linear function that has a discontinuous derivative at the data points you provide. The second derivative is zero, except at the provided data points, where it is infinite. Smooth (continuous) second derivatives are important if you use the spline to define motion. The second derivative is the acceleration associated with the motion, which defines the reaction force required to drive the motion. A discontinuity in the second derivative implies a discontinuity in the acceleration and in the reaction force. This can cause poor performance or even failure to converge at the point of discontinuity. To prevent motion solver failure, it is recommended that you define motor profiles only from Akima spline or cubic spline interpolated profiles. Parent topic: Motion Analysis

You can select advanced integration options in this dialog box. To access the Advanced Motion Analysis Options dialog box, click Properties (MotionManager toolbar), and under Motion Analysis, click Advanced Options. Integrator Type There are three types of integration methods you can select for interpolation using the SolidWorks Motion solver:

GSTIFF (default) SI2_GSTIFF WSTIFF

Maximum Iterations Initial Integrator Step Size Minimum Integrator Step Size Maximum Integrator

(Default value is 25.) Specify the maximum number of times the numeric integrator iterates in the search for a solution for a given time step. If the program exceeds this limit, a convergence failure is recorded. Enter the first integration step size used by the variable step integrator. The initial integrator step size controls the speed at which the integration method starts, and its initial accuracy. You can run the simulation more quickly in subsequent runs by increasing this value. Enter the lower bound of the integration time step. You can decrease the simulation time by increasing this value. Enter the upper bound of the integration time step. This is important if the integration method does not detect short-lived events such as impacts. Set this

Step Size Jacobian Reevaluation

value to be of the same order as the short-lived events. If you set this value too large, some events can be ignored by the simulation. Drag the slider to select how frequently the matrix is re-evaluated. More frequent re-evaluation gives better the simulation accuracy at the cost of simulation time. If the model does not change significantly over time, you can use a smaller Jacobian re-evaluation option.

Parent topic: Motion Analysis

Check components for interference as they move. Learn more about Detecting Interference.

Parts and Frames tab

Select Parts to test. Select the components to check for interferences. Every selected component pair is checked unless the components belong to the same mechanism part. Start Frame. Specify the first frame of the simulation to begin interference checking. End Frame. Specify the last frame of the simulation for interference checking. Increment. Specify the frame increment for interference checking.

Find Now. Start the interference check. Stop. Stop the interference check. New Search. Clear the selected parts and start over.

Interference Output
Lists each intersection and shows its frame, time, part components, and volume. Selecting an intersection causes its frame to be displayed along with the intersection geometry and bounding box. Details. Select an interference from the output list, and click to show volume, area, and bounding box values for the selected intersection. Zoom to Selection . Zooms in on the selected interference's geometry.

You can use Motion Studies to check for interference in your design as the parts move. You can check any of the components in your SolidWorks assembly model, regardless of whether a component participates in the motion model. Using the interference detection capability, you can find the following:

Interferences that occur between the selected components as the assemblies move through a specified range of motion. The place where the first interference occurs between the selected components. The assembly is moved to the position where the interference occurred.

To initiate an interference check between components: 1. Right-click the assembly in the MotionManager design tree and select Check Interference. The Find Interferences Over Time dialog box appears. 2. Click in the graphics screen and select two or more components to appear under In Parts and Frames. 3. Set Start Frame to the motion frame to use as the starting position for the interference check. 4. Set End Frame to the motion frame to use as the final position for the interference check. 5. Increment sets the increment between frames checked. For example, setting the increment to 2 checks every other frame, starting at the frame set in Start Frame. 6. Select Find Now to start the interference check. The list at the bottom displays detected interferences. The frame, simulation time, parts that cause the interference, and the volume of the interference detected are listed. Selecting the Index number for an interference enables the Details and Zoom to Selection

buttons:

Click Details to display more information about the interference. Click to zoom in on the location of the interference.

7. If necessary, click Stop to stop the check. 8. To clear all selections and select new components to check, click New Search.