Components return to their original position, why?

[Anonymous]

I'm making an object that a few parts are duplicated. I follow a tutorial to make a furniture and learn how to create parameters.
Flat-pack furniture

In this video to duplicate the legs, he shows to copy the component and then to paste new, so we can manage the other leg alone. But a few time when I made this function, I rotate my leg or other support and when I modify something on the sketch of the new component, somehow the component returns to its original position. So even if I rotated at 90°, it come back. Same thing for a component that I copy and paste new and that I move vertically, when I change something like for example an hole in the sketch of the new component activated, well it returns back to the top.

It happens also to someone else and he did not understand either why the component react like this. It's become annonying!

You can see my object on the printscreen below. I copy and paste new from the cricular component above and each time I modify something in my middle and bottom one, they returns with the circle on the top. Same thing for the support on the center that I must rotate at 90°.

Hope my English is not to awful.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[Anonymous]

I reply to myself! 🙂

I didn't notice this information on the video, it goes a little bit to fast. And I think it's the solution for my problem. I've always clic on continue, but it seems to be on Capture position that we must clic.

I did not find where I can erase the post. It may help someone else who has the same problem.

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

Using the capture position function works in your design, but is really not a good solution once designs become more complex and have more components.

The tutorial you've linked to uses a top down design method where all the individual components in place, meaning they are designed in their final location and orientation in the design.

However it is missing at least the final step of using a rigid group joint or as-built joints to assemble all these pieces together and avoid them being dragged around by accident in the viewport.

The first thing you should be doing in any assembly is grounding the first component, or a component you consider the stationary component in our design.

Grounding locks the origin of the grounded component to the top level origin.

Then you can continue with your design until you have the need to duplicate a component. To move the duplicated component into place you can use the align and move functions, but then you will be asked if you want to capture the position or continue without capturing the position. The capture position function stores the location and orientation not only of that one component you have moved, but the location and orientation of all components in the design at that point in the timeline. Imagine having hundreds of components in your design. The dataset behind  capture position icons later in the time line  is getting bigger. This can slow down designs quite a bit.

So instead, once you have duplicated a component, you should use one of the joints in the "Assemble" menu. A rigid joint should be fine.

Sometimes you need to deliberately move a component out of place in oder to have access to the geometry you want the joint origin to snap to. Yet again you will be asked whether or not you want to capture the position. Accept it, then create he joint. Afterwards the position capture is not needed anymore and it can be deleted.

Hope this helps ...

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for your explanations.

«Ground» and «joint» are completely new features for me. Since I'm learning by myself, I risk making mistakes and that's what worries me a bit. I do not want to take bad habits.

I did not understand everything precisely, but it is because I don't know where the fucntions are. I must have experienced your explanations to really understand. So I found a tutorial that explain how to create joint.

Since I must add a few user parameters that are missing to my design, I will try to make the modicifations also for de ground and joint.

Thanks again for your answer.

I appreciate it!

[TrippyLighting]

You can always share your design and In can show you in a screencast,

[Anonymous]

That's really nice from you.

I hope my project is well done so you can find everything.

Here my link : http://a360.co/2DCMp9T

I suppose it is the good one to share.

Let me know! Take your time there is no rush!

I appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

Hi Peter,

I think I've managed how to make joints and using the animation within (rigid, planar, slide and else)

http://a360.co/2DCMp9T

Although I don't know if with this link you can download my file. I did not find how it is possible.