Using basic entities for sketching, you can create a rough cut of your model in Analytix with relative ease. Up until this point, the 'Under Dimensioned' message appears, indicating that you need to add proper lengths and angles for your model to be fully defined. Analytix also keeps an eye on redundancies or inconsistencies in dimensioning and prompts you for action.

As your model gets more involved and cluttered with dimensions and entities, Analytix lets you blank some of the models and develop scenarios for displaying them. The grouping feature lets you turn part of your mechanism into a subassembly that can move in unison. Analytix will calculate properties for the subassembly.

Analytix allows you to set default dimensions as metric or English. Once consistently dimensioned, your model is now ready to be analyzed. When you specify kinematics attributes, Analytix and Dynamix will derive the unspecified quantities. Both programs also allow you to include springs, dampers, or a user-defined model for your force definition.

The Analytical toolbox offers three ways to display your results and verification. Analytix will display the mechanism's movement in user-specified increments, trace the position of specified points, or display the entire envelope of the mechanism.

The second part of the toolbox includes graph and table options for any dimension or entity in the model that can be varied with respect to time. Graphs are very rough representations of your results since Analytix has no control over the single-type, single-entity graph attribute control. Graphs are opened as windows and for a new simulation you have to replot for updated results.

Tables allow you to define functions in linear or recursive fashion with more flexibility and control. As an OLE Windows-compliant application, Analytix allows you to copy your data to another application to get better graphs. However, the data must be created in Analytix. For a more robust bidirectional data transfer, Analytix supports DDE links.

Analytix's toolbox also includes number cruncher utilities for univariate or multivariate iteration schemes. These two iteration schemes can be used as equation solvers, but their real forte comes when linked to drawing entities.

Both iteration schemes and their variables can also be linked to the built-in calculator. Expressions in any of these three tools can include Analytix's built-in functions. You can also create your own functions and use them for tables or graphs.

The next step. Analytix can produce reaction forces from applied forces or masses of the model. Dynamix can derive the motion that is caused by the applied forces. Once loaded, Dynamix menu entries are integrated into the Analytix environment.

On top of its inverse dynamics capabilities, Dynamix is good for modeling impacts or collision models. By specifying the coefficient of restitution, you can add elasticity or plasticity into the model. When the simulation is about to run, impulses and their corresponding velocities can be extracted and viewed individually with the Calculator tool.

An engineer with some experience in mechanism analysis can become familiar with these packages and be productive within hours. Although the animation capabilities add the needed insight in mechanism analysis, certain improvements need to be made for the graph option. The OLE and DDE links expand the application spectrum into the Windows environment, making these packages an indispensable tool for mechanism design.

Spec Box

Analytix/Dynamix

Analytix and Dynamix are conceptual tools for design and analysis of mechanisms with or without moving parts. Minimum requirements: An 80386/25 with 4M bytes of RAM, Windows 3.1, and 3M bytes of hard disk space. A 486 is recommended with 8M bytes RAM.

List Price: Analytix $850; Analytix/Dynamix $1,395

Saltire Software, 9725 SW Gemini Dr., Beaverton, OR 97008; ph.: (503) 520-7800.

A similar product:

Working Model - Knowledge Revolution, 66 Bovet Rd., Suite 200, San Mateo, CA 94402; ph.: (800) 766-6615; fax: (415) 574-7541.