A multibody system study generally involves the following broad steps. The following sections give a brief introduction
on using MotionView and the related HyperWorks products to conduct such a study:
MotionView supports and encourages a modular model building approach. Different entities can be aggregated into containers, thereby
arranging a model into a collection of different assemblies or sub-systems.
The expression builder allows you to enter expressions in text boxes without extensive typing and memorization. It
can be used to construct mathematical expressions that are a function of the model parameters.
MotionView contains an implicit variable called SolverMode. In MDL, SolverMode can be used in an "if" context to define topology (include Templex templates). MotionView retains the "if" result for both cases so that when you toggle the solver type, the associated text becomes
active within the user interface.
Batch mode allows you to generate a solver input model file from an MDL model file and run the solver job without starting
the MotionView user interface.
A collector is a yellow button on a panel that enables you to select an entity type
either graphically or from the Select an "Entity" Dialog.
A panel can contain any number of collectors, but only one can be active at a time.
Entities can only be selected from an active collector. A collector is active when it is
enclosed in a blue rectangle, as shown in the image below.
The label on the collector indicates the current entity type. Most collectors also display
the name of the current selected entity in the field next to it. If no entity is selected,
the field will display the label "Unresolved".
Some collectors have a collector switch that allows you to change the entity type from a
combo box. When the combo box is expanded, a list of available entity types is displayed.
Only one type of entity can be selected at a time.