Hierarchy of Body, Machine, and Model Visualization Settings

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Visualized Geometries and Colors from Body Block Settings Body Block Settings Affecting Body Visualization Visualization Settings in the Machine and Model Hierarchy

Visualized Geometries and Colors from Body Block Settings

The SimMechanics visualization window visualizes bodies represented by Body blocks in your model. The visualization information that the window uses from the model comes strictly from the mass, coordinate system, and visualization properties set individually in each Body block's dialog.

Note   The window itself contains additional visualization controls that affect visualized body geometries and colors. See the Getting Started with the Visualization Window chapter.

Body Block and Visualization Window Settings Control Body Visualization

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Body Block Settings Affecting Body Visualization

How settings in Body block dialogs affect visualization depends on which type of body geometry and which color you choose for a particular body. The Body dialog contains three classes of such choices.

Mass Properties

The principal inertial moments and the mass of a body determine the size and shape of its equivalent ellipsoid.

Body Coordinate Systems: Origins and Orientation

The relative positions of the Body's coordinate systems (CSs) determine the size and shape of its convex hull.

Visualization

The color choice in the Body dialog's Visualization tab determines the color of the visualized body.

You make the choice of convex hull or equivalent ellipsoid to visualize an individual body in the Body dialog's Visualization tab.

If you choose a custom body geometry for a Body, the external body geometry file referenced in the Body dialog's Visualization tab determines the visualized body's size and shape.

Note   The choice of standard or custom body geometry has no effect on the visualized body's color. The choice of body color has no effect on the visualized body's geometry.

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Visualization Settings in the Machine and Model Hierarchy

SimMechanics models start with initial default visualization settings. A model and machines within the model also possess, respectively, model-wide and machine-wide default visualization settings. Visualization settings are inherited from the highest level (model) through machines to individual Bodies. You can change these default and inherited settings.

The Customizing Visualization and Animation chapter discusses the controls you need to adjust to change these default and inherited settings at the model, machine, and body levels.

Inheritance Hierarchy of Default Visualization Settings

Initial Default Settings for a Model

The initial default visualization settings for an entire model are:

• Model-wide default body color: red (RGB value of [1 0 0])

• Model-wide default body geometry: convex hull

Machine Inheritance of Model-Wide Default Settings

The initial default visualization settings for a machine are:

• Machine-wide default body color: inherit model-wide default

• Machine-wide default body geometry: inherit model-wide default

Body Inheritance of Machine-Wide Default Settings

The initial default visualization settings for a Body are:

• Default Body color: inherit machine-wide default

• Default Body geometry: inherit machine-wide default

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About Body Color and Geometry

Getting Started with the Visualization Window

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