Alibre Design

Chapter 19 - Alibre Motion19.6.7 Running SimulationsAfter you have all of the necessary simulation options set, you can begin thesimulation. To do this, make sure you have Enable Simulation Mode checked fromthe Motion main menu. Click the Play tool to begin the simulation. Choose thePause tool, then Stop to end the simulation.Optimizing Playback PerformanceWhile the Alibre Motion Simulator is generating the simulation, playback will normallybe slowed. These data are only calculated once for any given simulation, and playingthe simulation back for the second time will be faster. A good visual indication is theFrame Slider Indicator on the Playback Deck: if the pointer is at the far right of theSlider, then the Simulator is running, and performance should be expected to beslowed. If the pointer is running over an already blue section, then the Simulator is notrunning.556• Set the Target Playback Rate: Make sure that the Target Playback rate is setto a reasonable value, using the Target playback frame rate check-box inthe Playback Settings tab of the Settings dialog. Note: This target rate will notbe achievable in all cases.• Stop Other Programs: If you have other calculation intensive programsrunning in the background, they may some effect. Usually, programs that arenot doing anything at the time will have negligible effect, but often startingother programs will completely monopolize the CPU, slowing simulatorperformance.• Hide Reference Geometry - Hiding Planes and Axes improves playbackperformance, as Alibre Design will not have to resize the features at each frameas the various parts of your assembly move. (Press CTRL + SHIFT + P to hideall of the reference geometry in your model.)• Optimize Your Graphics Card performance - The Graphics Card in yourmachine will have a great influence on the speed at which graphic images canbe displayed. The manufacturer of the card or your computer may well haveinformation on the best settings for your situation.• Suppress Irrelevant Parts - Excluding parts which have no influence on thesimulation may improve playback performance, especially if they are complexor irregularly curved shapes.• Close Information Windows - Generating the XY-Plots of dynamicmeasurements, and generating Interferences demands a great deal from yourcomputer, and you will usually find that hiding these, as well as the MotionStatus Window, will give the best performance.