How do I simulate a string being pulled? ("elastic" string with adaptivity?)

[Anonymous]

I tried my best to search for an existing solution, there are some related topics but none have what I'm looking for, so here goes:

See attached assembly file. Working in IV 2011, I am trying to simulate a string being pulled by an eyelet from a string potentiometer. I made the string adaptive, and by DRIVING the "Stroke" constraint of the eyelet, the string appears as if it is being pulled from the string pot. However, I would like to be able to simply click & drag the eyelet manually in the model view and have the string appear as if it was being pulled from the string pot. But the constraint between the string and eyelet will not allow this. If I'm not being clear, delete the string from the assembly and you can move the eyelet within its stroke constraints. This is what I need to be able to do, but with the string being shown.

Can the assembly be constrained in a way to make this possible?

[JDMather]

Not exactly what you are after, but perhaps will be good enough.

[Anonymous]

Thanks JD, that's what I was looking for: the "degree of freedom" to drive a moving part manually by clicking and dragging in the assembly. I didn't think of making an extrude cut feature to remove the "excess" material, but it works.

Is it generally bad practice to leave moving parts with degrees of freedom in this way? Is it better to fully constrain moving parts to their resting postion, then drive the constraint to test it's motion?

[JDMather]

Depends on what your purpose is.
To show someone not familiar with the software a live-drag motion - might do a fudge like I did.
To create an animation I would drive a constraint or parameter in Studio.