Help Aligning / Jointing a Component to a Plane

[howardkinkade]

In the attached model I am trying to align/fix the center plane of a component (scroll) onto the center plane of another component (frame).  Once I have done this a can move the scroll around inside of my frame to do some design aesthetics.  I wanted to create a plane in the center of the scroll and then align that plane / fix that plane to a plane through the center of the frame.  But I can't get a mid-plane in the scroll, as it won't allow me to select the two faces of the scroll.

Any tips / recommendations are appreciated.

[etfrench]

You have all of the necessary objects visibility turned off.

Check all of the boxes and you will be able to create joints between the two components.  After pinning on of the frame components, use a planar joint between the scroll and that component.  You can then freely move the scroll around on the selected plane.

[howardkinkade]

I have activated all the work features.  Then I selected joint and planar motion, but for the life of me I can't figure out what to select from there to get it to work.  Any additional guidance is much appreciated. 

[etfrench]

Sorry, I was thinking of multiple items to arrange by using a planar joint.  A rigid joint is all that's needed:

[howardkinkade]

ETFrench, thanks this is helpful.  Yet, I still haven't been able to achieve my quest.  The goal is to restrain movement of the scroll in my y-axis, preferably at a fixed Y position.  I'd like the scroll to move on an X-Y plane centered on the scroll and an x-y plane centered on the frame.  Maybe a joint isn't the best way to do this, but it seems like this should be doable.

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

If you want the scroll to move along an axis, then use a slider joint.  In this image I used the right side frame and offset the scroll to be in the center.  The scroll is allowed to move up and down using the 'Drive Joint' command.

If you want it to move horizontally, use the bottom frame in the joint.

[howardkinkade]

Currently while in Design I can drag the scroll around in 3D space.  What I need to do is be able to drag it in either direction along the x-z plane (miss spoke in last post about which plane I wanted to move the part in).  The method you suggest above only lets me drag the scroll along a single axis, and locked in the other two axis.

My goal is to be able to freely move the part in the x-z plane of my workspace, while it is locked in the y axis.  Think of the scroll as a hockey puck.  It can freely move on the ice in two directions (x-z plane in my model), but not vertically.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

Use Planar Joint, with Joint limits, but as Contact sets are unreliable, you can set it up to the frame, Might work on this simple model.

Might help….

[etfrench]

Just edit the joint and change it to Planar.

[howardkinkade]

That's not working.  I can not select the face of the scroll and the dialogue box for making a joint won't allow me to make a planer connection (the 'OK' button remains grey).  Perhaps there's something wrong with my model, or me 😕

Has anyone be able to do this with my model?

[etfrench]

I attached the file with a working joint previously.

[howardkinkade]

I'm sorry, I hadn't seen the model you provided (ETFrench).  This is close to what I'm trying to achieve, but I want the scroll to be free to move in two of the three axis (a plane).  I don't see how this is possible, since this joint only allows the choice along a single axis.  Unless there's a way to do it with the custom command?

[howardkinkade]

OK, I got it to work.  I'm not certain exactly how, as the settings for Planar joint seem to indicate motion in only one axis.  Intuitively I'd think it would be the two axis that define the plane of free movement.  I'll have to learn the reasoning of the menu choices, but for now it works.  I've included a screenshot of the settings that worked.

Thanks for everyone's patience and help.