Motion Studies Flashcards

Which SOLIDWORKS tool allows you to export a completed motion animation as an AVI or MP4 video file?

Answer: Save Animation button in the Motion Study toolbar

The Save Animation button renders the motion study timeline to a video file in a format and resolution you specify.

In Motion Analysis, what is the role of 'material' properties (density) assigned to components?

Answer: They are used to calculate component mass, which affects inertia and dynamics

Mass (derived from density × volume) determines inertial resistance to acceleration, which is fundamental to accurate dynamic simulation.

When you right-click a result plot in the Motion Analysis Results panel, which option lets you export the plotted data as a CSV file?

Answer: Export to Excel / Save Plot Data (varies by version)

Right-clicking a Motion Analysis result plot offers an option to export or save the tabular data (the exact label may vary by SOLIDWORKS version).

What happens to mates that are 'Suppressed' during a Motion Analysis study?

Answer: They are ignored by the solver, removing those kinematic constraints

Suppressed mates are excluded from the solver's constraint set, effectively allowing those degrees of freedom to be free.

In a Basic Motion study, which physical effect is approximated but NOT as rigorously as in Motion Analysis?

Answer: Contact and collision dynamics

Basic Motion includes simplified collision and spring behavior, but lacks the full rigid-body dynamics accuracy of Motion Analysis.

A key point diamond icon appears GRAY (faded) on the Motion Study timeline. What does this typically indicate?

Answer: The key is on a suppressed mate or feature and is inactive

Faded/gray key diamonds usually indicate the associated feature or mate is suppressed, so the key has no active effect.

Which Motion Analysis solver setting controls how accurately and finely the solver integrates equations of motion over time?

Answer: Integrator Type and Accuracy (solver tolerance)

The integrator type (e.g., GSTIFF, WSTIFF) and its accuracy/tolerance setting determine the step-size control and numerical precision of the dynamic solver.