Joint direct input

[Anonymous]

Hi Folks

I see on some joints I can double click on and for example, type an angle in or grab a slider and manipulate the joint directly. I have an assembly that has one grounded component but all other components had joints and it's hard to move one at a time while working on it. My problem is sometimes the joints are impossible to select and I don't see any other way (Like from the tree) to directly input on these joints. I'd like to be able to demonstrate an assembly to someone else and I don't see how I can make an animation if the joints are so hard to move.

[jhackney1972]

It is a pretty easy process to find the joints related to a component using the browser and the right click menu.  Take a look at the screencast.  It is a two way process.  You can select a component and find the related joints or select the joint and find the component.  Also it helps to assign names to key joints that you intend to use to drive your model.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your reply. I Learned how to find the joints but I was looking for a different way to directly enter a variable. it's hard to explain so I made a screencast to demonstrate.  In the video I show where and how I'd like to use this function and after I show where I can't find a way to do the same thing.

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[jhackney1972]

No screencast is attached.

[davebYYPCU]

No screen cast.  I am sure I posted a reply, but it didn’t take, so will wait for your movie.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, my first screencast, so I missed the insert step after I selected it. Hopefully, it shows up now

[davebYYPCU]

Share the link, 

as it is still out there in the black hole.

[Anonymous]

Well that didn't work. thanks for the suggestion 

https://autode.sk/2RYwJsj

[davebYYPCU]

Are we on crossed paths?

To Animate an exploded view of the Assembly - exploding and rebuilding, is done in the Animation Section.

To Set up a Joint, you have many of them, you can move Components to another location, with Edit Joint, and add Offset value/s.  

You video is neither, so it helps to use eyeballs to unclutter, 

Not sure of the question.

[jeff_strater · Accepted solution]

@glenn7RGW2 - you can also edit joint values in the parameter dialog.  Find the joint, and modify the offsets, rotations, etc:

[Anonymous]

That's one solution, I'll have to play with it because it's not clear what happens when I edit that expression column when I edit it, it changed the position of the component in the model but when I try to edit the same thing it doesn't show a new value even though the model component is rotated. . in my video I show being able to edit 2 joints then I show a 3rd joint that I can't select. that's the problem is the one I can't get to inside the model to make changes.

[davebYYPCU]

Right click the joint icon in the timeline, and select edit feature, will bring back the dialogue and the handles.

Might help....

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

You can select any joint, via the graphic symbol, by placing your cursor over it, hold down you left button until the Select Set by Depth appears, the simply left click on it to select.

[Anonymous]

That method which I thought would work actually didn't.  And I found out why. if you have joint visibility turned off globally you can't select the obscured joints even if you make them visible by selecting them. I had to make all joints visible then it works as expected. I turned them off because the views were getting very cluttered.  Thanks for your help.