Linear and rotary motors are simulation elements that move components around an assembly using Physical Simulation. Physical Simulation combines simulation elements with other tools such as mates and Physical Dynamics to move components in a realistic manner within the components degrees of freedom.
See Recording and Replaying a Simulation for more information on creating a simulation.
NOTES:
Motors move components in a selected direction, but they are not forces. Motor strength does not vary based on component size or mass. For example, a small cube moves at the same speed as a large cube if Velocity is set to an equal value.
If another force (for example, a collision with another component) causes a motor's Direction Reference to change orientation, the motor will move the component in the new direction.
It is recommended that you do not add more than one motor of the same type to the same component.
Motion due to motors supersedes motion due to gravity or springs. If you have a motor moving a component to the left and a spring pulling a component to the right, the component moves to the left.
If you use the Numeric option, you can use the results from Physical Simulation to automatically set up loads and boundary conditions for each part in an assembly for a COSMOSXpress analysis.
Numeric values outside
the default range for physical simulation affect only the analysis application.
For example, the default maximum speed of a linear motor is 300 mm/s.
If you specify a value greater than 300 mm/s, the component does not move
at a correspondingly faster rate when you replay the physical simulation,
but does move faster in the analysis application.
To add a linear motor:
Click Linear Motor 
(Simulation toolbar) or Insert,
Simulation, Linear
Motor.
The Linear Motor PropertyManager appears.
Select a linear or circular edge, a planar, cylindrical, or conical
face, or an axis or a plane of a component as the Direction
Reference. Click Reverse Direction
, if necessary.
If you select a circular edge or conical face, the Direction Reference is parallel to the axis of the cylinder. If you select a plane or a planar face, the Direction Reference is normal to the entity.
Set the Velocity (the speed at which a component moves if no other force acts on it) by doing one of the following:
Move the Velocity slider to the right to increase the speed of the motor or to the left to decrease the speed.
Select Numeric and set a value for Numeric motor value.
Click 
.
A LinearMotor 
icon is added to the FeatureManager design tree under the
Simulation 
icon.
To add a rotary motor:
Click Rotary Motor 
(Simulation toolbar) or Insert,
Simulation, Rotary
Motor.
The Rotary Motor PropertyManager appears.
Select a linear or circular edge, a planar, cylindrical, or conical
face, or an axis or a plane of a component as the Direction
Reference. Click Reverse Direction
, if necessary.
The Direction Reference is the direction of rotation, not the axis of rotation. The Direction Reference is parallel to the axis of rotation. The software moves the component about its center of mass taking into account mates and other relations to the component.
If you select a linear edge, the Direction Reference revolves around the edge. If you select a planar face, the Direction Reference revolves around the normal of the face.
Set the Velocity (the speed at which a component moves if no other force acts on it) by doing one of the following:
Move the Velocity slider to the right to increase the speed of the motor or to the left to decrease the speed.
Select Numeric and set a value for Numeric motor value.
Click .
A RotaryMotor
icon is added to the FeatureManager design tree under
the Simulation icon.