1. Cosmos Motion User Interface
Pull Down Menu
Motion Toolbar
The user interface is split into 3 main components; the IntelliMotion browser, the motion pulldown menu, and the motion toolbar.
IntelliMotion Browser
This is the graphical interface with the motion model. It allows you to drag and drop parts, right click to modify entities and use standard windows functions for selection and deletion. It provides rapid access for information on motion entities and their related parts, joints, forces. All commands except the export options can be accessed from the IntelliMotion browser.
Motion Menu
This is the classic pull down; options structured in a logical sequence such that you work from the top down. All commands are accessible by the pull down menu.
Motion Toolbar
This is a floating toolbar that allows the user to review the motion of the model and modify general configuration options as well as animation replay options. The simulation can also be run from this toolbar.
Motion Browser

2. Cosmos Motion User Interface: Browser
Motion Parts
Specify moving and stationary parts, and define other motion entities directly from the part.
Override mass properties and define initial conditions for parts

3. Cosmos Motion User Interface: Browser
Motion Joints

4. Cosmos Motion User Interface: Browser
Motion Forces

5. Cosmos Motion User Interface: Browser

6. Cosmos Motion Pull Down Menu
The pulldown menu lists every option available in Dynamic Designer. There is little benefit as defining things with the browser is far quicker.

7. Options Dialog - World Set Force and Time Units for results
Specify gravity or click on world icon to reset to earth gravity
World
Configure global settings for units and gravity. SolidWorks already provides units for the model and so for motion simulation only two other units have to be set for force and time.
Gravity can be turned on or off. If on, direction can be set with one click on the +1 or -1 on any of the global directions.
Quickly specify gravity direction in global coordinate frame

8. Options Dialog - Display
Control Visibility of Motion Symbols in SolidWorks Graphics Window
Define Symbol Color for Motion Entity selected
Assign current Color and Size settings to ALL Motion Entity types
Display Dialog allows the user to control visibility and appearance of one or more type of icon in the model. People can define individual entity type settings or globally apply the settings to every entity type.
For changes in settings to be applied to existing entities, need to click on the “Apply to existing entities button”.
Currently cannot assign size and color separately to all motion entities (can in V2.1+).
By default motion symbols are displayed only when the Intelli-Motion browser has been selected.
Define Symbol Size for specific Motion Entities
Apply changes in Size or color to entities that have already been defined (vs changes only effecting newly defined entities)

9. Options Dialog - Simulation
Specify duration or time step intervals to control length and number of results obtained from the simulation
Enable/Disable animation while solving
If mass properties have already been calculated, use them for next simulation
Simulation Option is the main area where default settings should only be modified when a simulation fails to run or if the user is well experienced with the current model.
The time and number of frames should be selected to give the user sufficient resolution for observing the resulting motion and the numerical results.
Key Solver Parameters:
Maximum Iterations: Very useful for limiting the model from finding a bad solution and then try to work with it. Limiting the maximum value to 110 or less helps keep the solution accurate
Minimum Time Step: Limits the smallest time step the solver can take during the simulation. If the error gets less than defined limit, say 1e-6, then the solver will terminate.
Maximum Time Step: Limits the largest time step the solver can take during the simulation. Useful when there are rapid changes in accelerations and forces to limit the max time step to values such as: 0.01, 0.001, ...
Solver Settings:
Should not need to alter these for simple models. Generally only modify time step limits and accuracy

10. Options Dialog
Animation Replay Settings for controlling replay speeds and time range
By default, motion symbols are hidden when animated
The animation dialog enables you to set the fast forward speed setting as well as the range of motion replayed on the model.
The time setting for VRML output allows the user to control how long in real-time a simulation will run.
Specify a user defined replay time for VRML animation (ie a time it will take to replay the animation in a VRML player)

11. Basic Joint Types
Revolute Cylindrical Translational Spherical Universal
Planar Fixed In Line In Plane
Parallel Screw Perpendicular Orientation
Origin
Orientation 1
Orientation 2
Origin
Orientation
Origin
y-axis
x-axis
z-axis
Origin
Orientation
Origin
Orientation
Origin
Orientation
Origin
Orientation
Vector
Origin
Orientation
Planer
Origin
As well as these joint types, Dynamic Designer also maps across the tangency constraints such as:
cylinder-cylinder
cylinder-plane
cylinder cone etc
X reference axis
Origin
Orientation
Vector
Axis of thread
1st Axis
2nd Axis

12. Constraint Mapping What is constraint mapping?
The automatic transfer of assembly constraints to mechanical joints
Intelligence has been implemented to minimize the mechanical joints formed between two specific parts. Basic constraint types are merged to simplified mechanical joints
e.g. 1 coincident joints becomes a planar joint
2 orthogonal coincident joints becomes a translational joint
3 orthogonal coincident joints becomes a fixed joint
1 Coincident and 1 orthogonal concentric becomes a revolute joint
All assembly constraints are mapped to joints including the surface to surface constraints (eg, tangent cylinder/plane tangent cylinder/cylinder). These are known as compound joints
The advantage of constraint mapping is that the user does very little additional work on top of their assembly to get their mechanism moving.
Joint concatenation is the simplification of duplicate joints to single, simpler entities. For example; a coincident joint plus an orthogonal concentric joint combine to form a revolution joint.

13. Mapped Constraints Note:
There are 67 different ways of constraining parts in SolidWorks

15. Redundancies
Occurs when one or more overall degrees of freedom of a part are constrained by more than one joint (duplicate constraints)
Predominantly the rotational degrees of freedom produce the main areas of redundancies for moving systems.
To run a simulation, you cannot have redundant constraints
The joints have to be chosen so that only one joint on the part defines a specific degree of freedom.
Solver has a built in redundant constraint remover, but you must be careful as it can remove the wrong constraint with a large number of redundancies.