Creating Joints and Joint Primitives

To create a joint or joint primitive:

1. Display the Insert User-Defined Joint dialog box using one of the following methods:

• From the Motion menu,  point to Joint and then select the desired joint.

• From the Browser, right-click the Constraints branch, point to Add Constraint and then select the desired joint type.

• From the Browser, right-click the Joints branch, and then select the type of joint to add.

• From the Browser, select one or two moving or ground parts, right-click either of these parts, point to Add Constraint and then select the desired joint type.

2. If not already selected, select the Definition tab.

3. Select the two rigid bodies or components to be connected by the joint. If you selected the components in the Browser before opening the Joint dialog box, the component names appear in the Components text boxes.

4. If the correct origin has not already been defined, select an edge, circular edge, or vertex in your existing model geometry to define the origin of the joint. If you selected a geometry feature on one of the components, you automatically defined the origin.

5. Select an edge, planar face, circular edge, or cylinder to define the joint orientation. If you are creating a universal joint, you must define orientations for the two shaft axes. Hold down Ctrl while selecting the second axis.
   
   You can change the direction of the joint axis by toggling Flip, at the bottom of the Orientation panel.
   
   Once the origin and orientation are defined, the joint icon appears at the joint origin.

6. If you are creating a screw joint, you can also define the pitch of the joint by entering it in the text box at the bottom of the Definitions panel.

7. Optionally, modify the default constraint name by selecting the Properties tab, and then entering a new name in the Name text box.

8. To apply a motion driver to an open degree of freedom on the joint, select the Motion tab and continue to Defining a Motion.
   
   If you do not want to apply a motion driver to the constraint, do one of the following:

• Select Apply to complete the joint creation process and leave the Insert Joint dialog box open.

• Select Cancel to close the dialog box without creating the joint.

9. Optionally, apply a motion or motions to the degrees of freedom of the joint. This is an optional step because you do not need to apply motions to all joints. Learn how to define a motion.

10. Optionally, define joint friction for the joint. Learn how to define joint friction.

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Selecting Parts and Features

You can identify the rigid bodies that a joint connects by either selecting them from the screen or by selecting their names from the mechanism feature tree. You can select the rigid bodies before or after you open the Insert Joint dialog box.

To locate and orient joints, you can use the existing SolidWorks geometry. When you select the components to which the joint is connected, you can select geometry features that automatically define the origin and orientation of the joint. The first geometry feature selected can define both the origin and orientation. If it doesn't, the second geometry feature selected can define either or both the origin and the orientation. If geometry features are not selected or if the origin or orientation is not defined by the selection of the components, you must separately define the origin and/or the orientation. The table shown next lists which geometry features automatically define the origin and orientation.

When selecting the components or geometry when defining joints or forces, you can easily replace the geometry or components after you select them.

To replace a selected component or piece of geometry:

1. In the Component text box, highlight the entity you want to replace. Press Delete to remove the existing selection.

2. Select another component or piece of geometry.

3. Select Apply to accept changes.

The new entity replaces the previous entity.

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