Mapping logical blocks to physical/concept model objects

Two procedures cover how a logical block in the systems engineering model is traced/mapped to actual concept-model geometry and behavior in Mechatronics Concept Designer: linking to a mechanical component, and linking to a physics (behavioral) object. Both use the same Dependency panel mechanism described in "Dependency panel."

Create a tracelink between a logical and a mechanical part

Procedure

1. In the System Navigator, click a logical for which you want to create a tracelink.
2. In the Dependency panel, right-click the Mechanical folder and choose Add Existing Component.
3. Find and select the component to add.
4. (Optional) Select the Add contained physics objects check box to add physics objects associated with the component to the Behavioral folder at the same time.
5. Click OK.

Result: The component is added to the Mechanical folder, and the Letter Code of the dependent logical is added to the component's attributes. This is the concrete write-back effect of the tracelink — the mechanical component itself gets tagged with the logical's IEC 81346 letter code, making the logical→mechanical association discoverable from the mechanical part's own attributes, not just from the Dependency panel.

Create a tracelink between a logical and a physics object

Procedure

1. In the System Navigator, click a logical for which you want to create a tracelink.
2. In the Dependency panel, right-click the Behavioral folder, and choose Add Physics Objects.
3. Find and select the physics object to add.
4. (Optional) Set the Add all physics in the same component check box to add all physics objects in the same component to the Behavioral folder in one step.
5. Click OK.

Result: The physics object is added to the Behavioral folder.

How this connects the logical model to the concept/physical model

• A logical block is a systems-engineering-level abstraction (an architectural unit with a letter code and discipline-spanning parameters).
• The Mechanical folder and Behavioral folder in the Dependency panel are where that abstraction gets tied to concrete NX objects: mechanical components (solid geometry / assemblies) and physics objects (the simulate-able behavior, e.g. rigid bodies, joints, sensors/actuators used by MCD's physics engine).
• Because linking a mechanical component can optionally cascade to auto-add its contained physics objects, and linking a physics object can optionally cascade to sibling physics objects in the same component, a single tracelink action can efficiently populate both the structural and behavioral side of the logical-to-physical mapping.
• The letter-code write-back onto the mechanical component's attributes means downstream consumers (e.g., BOM views, ECAD exports, or Teamcenter classification queries) can identify which logical block a given physical component satisfies without re-opening the Dependency panel.

Related documentation

Related Concepts

• Dependency
• Dependency panel

Related Tasks

• Create a tracelink between a logical and a mechanical part
• Create a tracelink between a logical and a physics object