How can I simulate a CAD assembly using a variable whose value changes with each iteration in the loop?

Hello,

How can I simulate a CAD assembly using a variable whose value changes with each iteration in the loop?

It looks like:

for loop

angle calculation,

simulation on a CAD model

end

The loop is long and I want the whole thing to work quickly. Probably SimMechanics does not allow such dynamic control? Maybe there is some way to connect Inventor with Matlab? Any hint is appreciated.

Answer 1

[Hari]

Hi Sebastian Stachula,

I understand that you are simulating a CAD assembly in MATLAB, where a variable controlling the assembly, such as an angle, changes with each iteration of a loop and you want to simulate this dynamic control.

SimMechanics is now known as Simscape Multibody, indeed supports dynamic simulation of CAD assemblies. You can parameterize your model to change with each simulation run. If you are looking for real-time parameter changes within a single simulation run, you may need to use MATLAB functions or scripts to interact with the Simscape Multibody model.

Here's a generic approach to your problem:

1. Import your CAD assembly into Simscape Multibody.
2. Define the variable parameters in your model that will change with each iteration.
3. Use a MATLAB script to loop through the desired values, updating the model parameters at each iteration.
4. Run the simulation within the loop.

Here's a sample pseudo-code:

% Define the range of angles or other parameters
angles = linspace(startAngle, endAngle, numberOfSteps);

% Loop through each angle
for i = 1:length(angles)
    % Update the model parameter for the current iteration
    set_param('model_name/parameter_name', 'Value', num2str(angles(i)));
    
    % Run the simulation
    sim('model_name');
    % Optionally, store or process simulation results here
end

Make sure to replace "model_name/parameter_name" with the actual path to your parameter in the Simscape Multibody model.

Refer to the documentation of Simscape Multibody for information on simulating mechanical systems and importing CAD models. https://www.mathworks.com/help/physmod/sm/index.html

For details on how to programmatically change simulation parameters, you can refer to the "set_param" function

https://www.mathworks.com/help/simulink/slref/set_param.html

To learn more about running simulations in a loop and analyzing results,refer to "sim" function documentation https://www.mathworks.com/help/simulink/slref/sim.html

Hope this helps!