Mechanical Engineer Quick Start

Research the object being simulated

Refer to specs, user manuals, blueprints, drawings, or CAD files to acquire data about the object.
Possible sources of information:

• Internet

• Library

• Client

Plan the work

Figure out how to break the object down into parts, constraints, scripts, extensions, etc. Check if the design has too many (or too few!) parts, or if it's is over-constrained.
Consider what you want to simulate and don't add unnecessary objects to the simulation. For example, a single Spot with a Projected Texture (serving as a mask) is better than adding multiple Spots mounted side-by-side.

Mechanical Engineer Best Practices

Launch Vortex® Studio Editor

Locate the Vortex Studio shortcut on your desktop and click on it.
You will find yourself on the Vortex Studio Home page.

Create a new assembly file

Assemblies contain the basic dynamic and graphic features of a mechanical component. The Assembly is usually put in a Mechanism to create a more complex object. In other cases, Assemblies can be used as stand-alone features inside a Scene directly. By starting from an Assembly, the Mechanical Engineers can concentrate on all the dynamics features of the object they are building. Assemblies contain Parts, Constraints, Python Script, and Graphics.

On the Vortex Studio Home page, click the Assembly shortcut. Save your new file (*.vxassembly) in your preferred location.

Working with Documents

Import a 3D model

Vortex Studio imports and stores the model and all its components (materials, textures, etc.) into a single native file: the Graphics Gallery.
From the Toolbox, select Basics, then double-click Galleries From Files... and browse to the desired file (*.vxgraphicgallery), which a 3D artist should have prepared for you. (You can also create your own Graphics Gallery and import a 3D or CAD model into it.)
A Graphics Gallery will contain:

• A locked container displaying connections between the graphics nodes (these change only when modifying the node hierarchy in the Explorer panel)

• A hierarchical list of graphic nodes (hierarchy can be changed by drag-and-dropping nodes in the Explorer panel)

• A flat list of graphics geometries

• A flat list of graphics materials

• A flat list of textures

Graphics Galleries

Create part(s)

Use the various graphic nodes of the model as starting points to create parts.
Note that if your simulation does not require a visual component, you can also create parts without starting from a graphic node.
Add physical properties such as mass, collision geometries, contact materials, and inertia tensors to the parts.

Vortex Studio Editor Documents

Create constraint(s)

Parts are joined together with constraints.
Constraints can be free, locked (restricted in position), or motorized (restricted in velocity).
Other parameters include axis, limits, damping, friction, stiffness, and more.

Working with Constraints

Add collision rule(s)

Collision rules let you control whether a collision will be calculated between a pair of components.
They help to define the relationship between components in the simulation.

Collision Geometries

Add scripting

You can further extend the simulation and provide additional functionality with Python scripts.

Python 3 Scripting Extension inside Dynamics Content

Add attachment point(s)

Attachment points allow you to attach and detach assemblies and mechanisms at runtime.

Attachments

Add connection container(s)

Connections let you pass on transforms, values, and parameters between components such as extensions or scripts.

Connection Editor

Create a new mechanism file

Mechanism is a more complete representation of an object. A Mechanism contains one of several Assemblies, and additional behaviors can be added with Extensions.

On the Vortex Studio Home page, click the Mechanism shortcut. Save your new file (*.vxmechanism) in your preferred location.

On the Vortex Studio Home page, click the Assembly shortcut. Save your new file (*.vxassembly) in your preferred location.

Working with Documents

Add the Assembly to the Mechanism

From the Toolbox, select Basics, then double-click Assemblies From Files... and browse to the Assembly you just created.
Note that it's possible to have more than one assembly per mechanism.

Vortex Studio Editor Documents

Add extension(s)

Add extensions such as control hardware, cameras, lights, etc. These add specialized functionalities to the simulation.
Note: some extensions can only be used at the Scene level.

Adding Extensions

Optimize mechanism

Revise the design and see if there are ways to streamline the mechanism: reducing the number of constraints, simplifying collision geometries, etc.

Mechanical Engineer Best Practices

Test and tune mechanism

Test the mechanism using tools such as the Vortex Studio Player and the Plotter.
Tune parameters and repeat tests until the desired behavior is obtained.

Vortex Studio Player
Graphical Simulation Plotter