Adaptive spring on a transitional constraint problem

[Anonymous]

I wonder if anyone can advise on where I am going wrong with the attached test assembly. This is the first time I have attached IV files in this discussion group, so please let me know if I am doing it wrong.

I am trying to attach an adaptive spring between one fixed axis and one moving axis that follows a path using a transitional constraint (attached assy). I tested the spring on a simpler (linear) assembly and it adapted without problem. I did get the attached assembly to work when I drive the trigger (Drive Triiger constraint), but when I tried to animate in studio the model fails. Now I can't even drive the assembly.

Thanks

Inventor 2012 64-bit

Windows 7

Nvidia Quadro 4000

[dave.anderson]

Doing that type of adaptive spring would be difficult, at best.

I have an example of a spring (assembly of elbows) that used Pos Reps to display a Free, Compressed and Extended state but it's not adaptive [see attached].

If this is just for a visual, maybe using a cylinder with a material texture to look like a spring would be a sufficient fix?

[Anonymous]

Thanks Dave for your hard work on this. It's funny how thing come to you when you sleep on it. I made the spring length an animation favorite and then animated the parameter, letting the spring drive the trigger (opposite to real life but looks the same in the animation). See attached

Thanks again for your help