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Joints, So Much More Than Just Rigid: Learning Objectives
Joints, So Much More Than Just Rigid: Learning Objectives
Joints, So Much More Than Just Rigid: Learning Objectives
Sachlene Singh
Autodesk Inc.
Learning Objectives
Discover and learn how to implement the best joint type for your workflow
Learn how to maximize your joint capabilities inside of a distributed design
Learn how to capitalize on Joint Origins and Contact Sets to create intelligent models
Learn how to use joints to create animations and motion studies
Description
Joints are so much more than just gluing components together. What about creating motion and
understanding how it interacts with our designs? Joints are far more than just assembly of components;
they also describe motion. This class will provide you with an understanding of joints and how you can
implement this motion into your Fusion 360 software workflow. You will learn about the different types
of joints and the best places to use them. We will also touch on how to approach joints while you’re in a
distributed design, and we’ll give you tips to keep your joints organized. Once we understand the basics
of Fusion 360 joints, we will move on to positioning them exactly where we want and we’ll address how
we can combine them with contact sets to create realistic motion. Lastly, we will take our joints to the
next level by studying the motion of the joints and creating a presentation of the motion using
animations, all inside of Fusion 360 software.
Your AU Experts
Joel Palioca has been a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Autodesk for the past 4 years working on
Autodesk Product Design Suite, and currently Fusion 360. His time with CAD has allowed him to
experience different perspectives on design, manufacturing, and engineering, as well as visualization of
applications. Joel has been using CAD for the past 15 years, across a variety of different solutions. His
desire to continue learning, and assisting users is what drives Joel every day to produce quality products.
Sachlene is a Technology Evangelist at Autodesk. This gives her the unique opportunity to work with
users of design software and make them successful. With a more recent focus on emerging technology
companies, Sachlene has played the role of mentor, design advisor, engineer and team member to help
startups bring their products to market. She is a Mechanical Engineer, has a Master’s Degree in
Mechanical Engineering and has several years of experience in the industry and at Autodesk.
Discover and learn how to implement the best joint type for your workflow
Why Joints?
Why are we using Joints instead of a common CAD practice like constraints? This is a common question
we get and it really boils down to a mental shift to focus on what should my components do, instead of
what they can’t do.
When we look at the idea of constraints, we are focusing on locking down available degrees of freedom
or DOF to limit our motion. This requires an understanding of basic physics, and the math involved to
make certain our models operate according to our desires. With Joints we relate to the motion desired,
and only leave open degrees of Freedom required to create that motion. By doing this we simplify the
need to understand the physics, and create an understanding between the motion and the result.
As we dive into the different types of Joints I will also talk about the degrees of freedom that will be left
open to drive our motion.
Imported hinge from McMaster-Carr quickly ready for use with an As-Built joint
Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Joint Basics
As we dive into Joints we need to understand some basic principles about how we can interact with the
joints that we create and where they are stored in our designs.
Joints are enacted between components, but are commonly defined by certain features within the
component, like a body face or edge. For more advanced scenarios we can also create Joint Origins to
help facilitate our connection locations.
Tip: When first starting out with Joints it is helpful to ground one component so that motion is more
expected. Trying to animate one component’s connection to another is hard to do when neither
component is connected to anything. Grounding a component will lock it in place for us.
In Fusion 360 we have 3 different access points we can interact with the Joints that we create. You can
find your Joints in the Timeline, Browser tree under Joints, and in the graphics window with each icon.
In the browser each component has its own Joints folder, which is important when understanding where
our Joints are located.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Joint Origins
When we start to create a Joint we will see a white disk appear that will snap to pre-generated
points in our geometry. This disk or Joint Origin as we call it is a visual representation that
allows us to understand how our Joints will be assembled. When we create our Joints we select
a Joint Origin on each component to assemble together.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
of freedom arrow. For this reason, it is a good practice to first select the object you think of as moving
relative to the other.
Another way to thing about this is if you have a door slider lock, the slider should be selected first and
the component attached to the door second.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Angle - Joint
With the Angle option we are able to specify an angle to rotate the Joint Origin. Note that the
movement is specific to the Joint Origin and not used in defining the movement of the joint we
have created. When we change the angle of the Joint Origin it allows us to alter the angle of the
connection point that the two components are connected.
Offset - Joint
With the Offset option we are able to specify a value to offset the Joint Origin. Note that the
movement is specific to the Joint Origin and not used in defining the movement of the joint we
have created. When we change the offset of the Joint Origin, it allows us to define the offset of
the connection point that the two components are connected.
Flip - Joint
Flip is the option to reverse the orientation of the Joint Origin. With the Angle, Offset, and Flip
options we are able to position our connection point.
Type
We have 7 different types of joints within Fusion 360 and each has a different use. For each
type of joint we also have a mix of 6 different options available that help us with our joints.
These options are Rotate, Slide, Axis, Normal, Pitch, and Yaw. I will go into more detail on each
of these options and how it applies to each joint later when we dive deeper into each Joint Type.
Animate
Animate allows us to show the allowed motion by animating Component 1. You have the ability
to stop the animation from inside of the dialog if you so wish. When we leverage animate from
inside of the Joint dialog box, we are using the Animate Joint command, explained earlier, which
animates only the Joint in question. This means that outside factors such as grounded, rigid
group, motion link etc. will be ignored.
Joint Types
In Fusion 360 we have 7 different types of Joints that we can leverage with both As-Built Joint, and Joint
commands. Each Joint Type has a different use, and a different number of allowed degrees of freedom
to define our motion. Also note that each joint that is created, and the associated values, will also
create a parameter that you can alter when in Parametric Modeling. When working with joints keep in
mind that keeping the fewest degrees of freedom possible open will help you test your mechanisms the
fastest.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
TABLE OFF THE DIFFERENT JOINT TYPE OPTIONS AND THE MOTION ALLOWED
Rigid
Rigid is probably the most commonly used Joint Type when starting out. Rigid locks components
together, removing all degrees of freedom. An example of when you might want to use this is
when two pieces will be welded together, or you are bolting multiple components together in
multiple locations so that no motion will be allowed. With the Rigid Joint Type we don’t have
any additional options since there is no allowed motion to control.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
RIGID JOINTS
Revolute
The Revolute Joint Type allows the component to rotate around the Joint Origin that has been
defined. With the Revolute Joint we only allow motion in 1 rotation that we define. We might
consider using the Revolute Joint when we need to allow rotation around a single point, but no
additional translation should be allowed. Common cases for this are when you are working with
linkages or bolted components together around a single point. With the Revolute Joint Type we
are able to use the Rotate option to help define which axis we want to rotate around the Joint
Origin. We have the option of choosing the X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, or a Custom Axis. X, Y, and Z
Axis will allow us to use the predefined Axis around the Joint Origin whereas Custom will give us
the capability to choose another Axis not on the Joint Origin.
REVOLUTE JOINTS
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Slider
Slider Joint allows us to translate a component along a single axis. With the Slider Joint we only
allow motion along 1 translation of an axis. A common use for this joint is when a component
needs to have the ability to move up and down a rod without rotation. With the Slider Joint we
have the option to change the Slide direction based on the Axis we wish. Very similar to
Revolute we can choose the X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, or a Custom Axis. X, Y, and Z Axis will allow us
to use the predefined Axis around the Joint Origin where Custom will give us the capability to
choose another Axis not on the Joint Origin.
SLIDER JOINT
Cylindrical
Cylindrical Joints allow the component to rotate and translate along the same single axis. With
the Cylindrical Joint we allow motion along 1 translation along an Axis, as well as 1 rotation
around that same Axis. Cylindrical Joints are great when we need to thread a component
through a hole or show the movement of our rod. With the Cylindrical Joint we have the option
to change the Axis that is used. We are able to choose the X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, or a Custom
Axis. X, Y, and Z Axis will allow us to use the predefined Axis around the Joint Origin where
Custom will give us the capability to choose another Axis not on the Joint Origin. While the
options inside of the Joint Dialog box may look similar to a Slider Joint, one thing to note is that
once you have completed the Joint creation, we are able to rotate around the Axis we have
chosen. You can see this behavior if you Animate the Joint as well.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
CYLINDRICAL JOINT
Pin-Slot
Pin-Slot Joints allow the component to rotate about an axis and translate about a different Axis.
With the Pin-Slot Joint we allow motion along 1 translation along an Axis, as well as 1 rotation
around a different Axis. Note that Pin-Slot is very similar in behavior to Cylindrical except we are
not able to select the same Axis. The Pin-Slot Joint works great when working with a Pin-Slot
just as the name says. We are able to allow rotation, as well as the available space within a slot
that the component can move. With the Pin-Slot Joint we have the option to change the Rotate
and Slide Axis that are used. We have the same Axis available to us, X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, and
Custom Axis, the only difference here is that as it is mentioned about we are not allowed to
define both Rotate and Slide with the same Axis. When you go to define the Slide you will not
see the Axis chosen in the Rotate option available. This is a common occurrence that can trip up
users who believe that their Slide options are not consistent.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
PIN-SLOT JOINT
Planar
Planar Joint allows the component to translate along two axes and rotate about a single axis.
With the Planar Joint we allow motion along 2 translations as well as 1 rotation. The Planar
Joint is great when we have two components that need to connect along the same plane, but
not be constrained by limited additional degrees of freedom. A great example of this is when
we need to move a box on top of a table. We can keep the bottom face of the box touching the
top face of the table, but we are able to move the box along the table top and rotate the box
about the normal of the table top. With Planar Joints we have the option to define the Normal
and the Slide. With Normal we define which Axis is normal to our plane that we will rotate
around. For Slide we are able to define the Axis we use for our planar movement. We are able
to define the X, Y, Z, or Custom Axis for the normal, and the slide Axis will be deduced based off
of our selection. For the Slide if we so choose we can also choose a Custom Axis.
PLANAR JOINT
Ball
Ball Joint gives us the ability to rotate the component about all three axes using a gimbal system
(three nested rotations). The Ball Joint gives us 3 available rotations, but no translations. The
Ball Joint works great when as the name suggests we need to create a Ball Joint, or a Joint where
full rotational freedom is required, but the rotate point should never move. With the Ball Joint
we have the option to define the Pitch and Yaw. Pitch allows us to define the Lateral Axis we
wish to use, whereas Yaw will allow us to define the Perpendicular axis. Pitch and Yaw are not
able to use the same axis, and by defining these two options we also define our Roll or
Longitudinal axis. We give this option so that you can define how you want to setup the
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
orientation of your expected rotation and the values associated with the direction of the
movement. Both Pitch and Yaw can be defined by a specific Axis or by a custom Axis. The
manner in which you define these is similar to other Joint Types listed above.
BALL JOINT
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Lock
Lock will lock the current values and location of the Joint. We are still able to edit the Joint and
its limits, but the current position won’t change until we unlock the Joint. Lock also takes away
our ability to drag the Joint.
Suppress
Suppress gives us the ability to temporarily remove the Joint from performing its action. The
Joint will act as though it has been deleted, and it won’t drive any motion between components.
We use this to help troubleshoot joint conflicts. Suppress can also be used when you need to
understand the motion of other Joints, and we want to Suppress the Joint so that we keep its
values, but temporarily stop it from acting.
Animate Joint
Animate Joint will animate the Joint only, and does not take into account grounded, other joints
and any external effects on the Joints. Animate Joint works great when you need to understand
the movement of a single Joint
Animate Model
Animate Model will animate the model as a whole and does take into account grounded, and
other joints that effect your model. We use this to understand the relationship between
multiple Joints.
Go to Home Position
When we move a component that has a Joint assigned to it, we are moving it away from its
“home” position or the position where the Joint was initially created related to the linked
component. We are able to move the joint back to this position with Go to Home Position. We
also have a similar command that allows us to redefine the Home Position with “Set as Home
Position”.
Select Components
Select Components will select the components that the Joint is linked to. This helps us
understand what the joint is affecting. We will go into greater detail around this when we talk
about optimizing Distributed Designs.
Joint Limits
Joint Limits give us the ability to control the values that our joints are able to travel. By limiting these
values we can simulate realistic motion with the definition of minimum and maximum values. Joint
Limits are fairly straight forward when we set them up, and leverage a lot of the existing knowledge
from our Joint Types section. Each change made in the Joint Limits also has a parameter assigned to it,
so you can create expression based limits in a parametric model.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Motion Link
With Motion Link we are able to specify a relationship between the degrees of freedom of the selected
joints. Traditionally we think of a motion between two different joints, but because we focus on the
degrees of freedom we can also link a joint to itself, as long as it has more than one degree of freedom.
Motion Links help us to coordinate the translation or rotation of joints when linked components move.
An example of this would be having linked doors, when you move one door the other door will move as
well. This link will persist when you drag a component or when you perform a motion study.
When we start the Motion Link command we first will select the joints we are working with. If we only
select a single joint we have the option to “Link with the same Joint.” We then will choose a single
degree of freedom from each joint we have selected, and define the ratio for the movement. The below
image shows that when Rev2 rotates 360 degrees, Planar1 will Slide in the Y direction .033 ft. If we
need to create multiple links, we will do that by using a new motion link for each degree of freedom that
requires linking.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
level design won’t show up in our referenced designs. So what does this mean for Joints and
how should we set them up going forward?
When we create joints we want to create them in the lowest level design that has our
components in it. One way to think about this is if we are building a robot, we will create Joints
to connect all of the arms, legs, body and head together in their own separate designs. We then
reference all of these designs into a single design and use Joints to attach the arms, legs, and
head to the body. This breaks up our Joints so that we create them in the least common
denominator where our components are contained.
Joint Errors after updates
Joint errors can and will occurring while you’re working on your design. Sometimes this is caused by not
setting up our joints correctly, and other times it is because we have made a design change that requires
an update to our joints.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
While not all examples are this straight forward, many issues can be when you go through the process
step by step. As you understand more about Joints, the amount of time it takes you to resolve them will
quickly diminish.
Rigid Group
Rigid Group is a great tool that allows us to optimize our model. We leverage Rigid Groups when we
need to constrain multiple bodies, or components to each other that have no capability of movement
relative to themselves. So instead of creating multiple Rigid Joints, we use Rigid Group to easily
constrain multiple objects at once. With Rigid Groups we lock the relative position of the selected
components. The components contained within the Rigid Group are then treated as a single object
when moved or when joints are applied.
Rigid Group is also a great way to improve the performance of your model if you are trying to use
multiple Rigid Joints to lock multiple components together.
WE LEVERAGE RIGID GROUP TO LOCK IN THE RELATIVE POSITION OF A LARGE PORTION OF OUR SUBWOOFER
Snapshots
A common thing that I see when working with customers who are new to Joints is an abundance of
Snapshots in their timeline. So we are going to go over a couple quick tips around Snapshots as I feel it
is important to your model health, and it is sometimes because of our Joints that a Snapshot is triggered.
Snapshots are important to Fusion because it tracks the position of components within your design, this
is especially helpful with position based modeling techniques.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
When you move a component by dragging the component in the graphics window, or you alter the
position of a component by pulling on the Joint arrows, Fusion goes into a pending snapshot state. This
simply means that some of your components are in a position that is different than what Fusion has
captured in the timeline. This can be resolved by capturing the position of your components in a
snapshot. Leveraging the move command or editing a joint will not force a pending snapshot since
these changes are captured in the timeline already. The current recommendation is to revert your
snapshot before making explicit moves. This allows you to explore motion of your model, and then
revert yourself back to a known state. You can then follow up with your changes with a joint or move
command. Doing this will allow you to reduce any clutter in your timeline by getting rid of extra
snapshots, and focusing on the explicit movement that your model needs.
Every time we create a joint we first check to see if you have any pending snapshots in your model. If
you do we ask if you wish to continue in the previous position, or capture the current position. This
allows us to create the Joint in a state where the position of your components in known.
CLICKING THE RADIO BUTTON NEXT TO THE COMPONENT WILL ACTIVATE THE COMPONENT
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
Learn how to capitalize on Joint Origins and Contact Sets to create intelligent models
Joint Origins
Joint Origins are a core aspect of how we create our Joints, so it is prudent that we understand them in
greater detail. There are two different ways of creating Joint Origins, we can leverage pre-generated
points derived from faces, edges, and sketches, or we can manually create our Joint Origins based on
those pre-generated points.
Tip: When we create or define our Joint Origins one important tip is leverage the snap key to keep the
focus on the face you’ve selected so that you can snap to points that may be hard to select. In Windows
you can hold the (Control) key or Mac you can hold the (Command).
Automatically generated points
When we start the Joint command we are shown the different pre-generated points as we
hover over different faces, edges and sketches. We are able to snap to these points to create
our first Joint Origin.
The way that we pre-generate these points is based on a couple different aspects. Faces have
boundary segments and the face centroid. Each of these segments have vertices, midpoints,
and circular boundary points. The face you select will define the direction the Joint Origin is
setup, while the segments will help define the position. Edges can be selected by either focusing
on the face or the edge itself. You will have similar points to snap to, but the orientation will be
different.
With snap points we have different shapes that help you understand the type of snap point you
are selecting, this primarily helps you understand the location you are snapping to. Dots are
vertices, triangles are mid-point, plus are for circular centers, and a square denotes the face
centroid.
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Joints, So Much More than Just Rigid
command to define the movement at different time steps for our components. While we are
not able to have our joints translate into this environment, many of our principles for
constructing our joints are applicable.
The Transform Components command allows us to define a value for each degree of freedom
for the component. We can then use Set Pivot to set the pivot point to act as our Joint Origin
and move the component. An important note when setting your pivot point is to make sure you
complete the setting of your pivot point before attempting to move your model. This will help
reduce any confusion on why your components are not moving as expected. Lastly the
Transform Component selects at the component level by default in the graphics window. When
using subcomponents you can select from the browser to select a higher level component that
may contain multiple components.
Motion Study
In Fusion 360 we leverage motion studies to help us simulate motion in a design. When we start
a Motion Study we choose our Joints that we wish to study. Doing so will show us all of the
available degrees of freedom for our selected Joints.
We can now step to each time frame that we wish and define a value for each degree of
freedom. Doing this multiple times will give us our expected motion. We can now watch
multiple Joints be driven and see how the rest of our model reacts. This is the nature of our
Motion Study, understanding how our model will respond to movement in one or multiple
Joints over a period of time.
We have the ability to play through the timeline forwards and backwards, loop the motion, and
control the speed of the playback.
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