3.2 Accessing the Simulation Controls
You access simulation controls using the Simulation tool and the corresponding Simulation container on the Main toolbox or using the tools on the Simulation Control dialog box. The dialog box contains a complete set of simulation controls, while the Simulation container contains only a subset of the most commonly used simulation controls. The Simulation container on the Main toolbox and the Simulation Controls dialog box are shown in figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1 Simulation Controls
To display the Simulation container on the Main toolbox:
On the Main toolbox, select the Simulation tool
.
To display the Simulation Control dialog box, select one of the following:
On the Simulation container on the Main toolbox, select More.
On the Simulate menu, select Interactive Controls.
3.3 Performing an Interactive Simulation
You use interactive simulation controls to quickly run a single simulation and experiment with different simulation parameters and options. Simulating interactively is helpful when you are not sure exactly what your model will do or which options you need.
When you perform an interactive simulation, ADAMS/View submits one or two simple commands to ADAMS/Solver based on the type of simulation, how long the simulation will last, and the frequency with which you want data to be output.
To perform an interactive simulation, you need to tell ADAMS/View the following information:
Type of simulation to be performed.
Time interval over which ADAMS/View should perform the simulation.
How often ADAMS/View should output data and temporarily store it in the modeling database for use with animations and plots. For each output time step, ADAMS/View creates a frame for animation and a data point for plotting and signal processing.
To run an interactive simulation:
1)
On the Main toolbox, select the Simulation tool
.
2) From the Simulation Type option menu, select the type of simulation you want ADAMS/View to perform:
Default - If your model contains zero degrees of freedom (DOF), ADAMS/View performs a kinematic simulation. If your model has one or more DOF, ADAMS/View performs a dynamic simulation.
Dynamic - Request a dynamic simulation.
Kinematic - Request a kinematic simulation.
Static - Request a static simulation.
3) Enter the time interval over which the simulation takes place and set how you want it defined. You can select:
End Time - Specify the absolute point in time at which you want the simulation to stop.
Duration - Specify the amount of time over which you want the simulation to run.
Forever - ADAMS/View continues simulating until you stop the simulation or until it can no longer solve the equations of motion to within your specified tolerance. This option is only available on the Simulation Control dialog box.
4) Set the frequency with which ADAMS/View outputs data during your simulation. You can specify:
Step Size, which represents the amount of time, in current model units, between output steps. The output frequency remains constant even if you change your simulation end time or duration. For example, enter a step size of 0.01 seconds to specify an output period of 0.01 seconds per step, which yields an output frequency of 100 steps/second.
Steps, which represents the total number of times you want ADAMS/View to provide output information over your entire simulation. For example, specify 50 steps over a 1-second simulation interval to define an output period of 0.02 seconds per step, which yields an output frequency of 50 steps/second.
5)
Select the Simulation Start tool
.
To stop a simulation:
Select the Simulation Stop tool
.
ADAMS/Solver stops any further processing, and the modeling objects appear in the positions that ADAMS/Solver last successfully calculated.