In CAD, joints are the points where two or more components come together and interact with one another.
Joints are an essential part of designing assemblies in CAD because they allow components to move and interact with each other in a realistic way.
There are several types of joints in CAD, including revolute, prismatic, cylindrical, and spherical joints.
Each type of joint allows for a different type of motion, such as rotation, sliding, or pivoting, and designers can use these joints to create assemblies with a range of motion.
Joints are important in CAD because they allow designers to create realistic models of products and assemblies.
By using joints to connect components, designers can simulate how the components will move and interact with each other in the real world.
This can help to identify potential design issues or manufacturing problems before the product is built, which can save time and money.
Additionally, joints are important for creating technical drawings and assembly instructions.
By showing how the components are connected through joints, designers can create clear and concise instructions for how to assemble the product, making it easier for manufacturers and end-users to understand how the product works and how to use it.
In summary, joints are a critical component of CAD design, allowing designers to create realistic assemblies with a range of motion and providing important information for technical drawings and assembly instructions.
By understanding the different types of joints and how they work, designers can create more effective and efficient products.
Motion Links are a precise and consistent method for defining relationships between jointed components in CAD.
For example, if you have two gear components that mesh that both currently have revolute joints, then if one gear moves then the other should move in both a known direction and rotation speed. Motion links are how you accomplish this.
Another - inferior - method for getting joints to interact is to use Contact Sets, which simulate physical contact between components.
Contact sets have limited uses and are a non-best-practice method for creating joint interactions in CAD because:
They are imprecise
They either tend to "clip" through objects or not contact properly
They only provide combined movement in a constant direction during contact, but once contact direction changes, the components no longer interact with one another
They do not control the vector of the driven component from the driving component under contact
For these reasons, contact sets should not be used to define well-definable interactions between multiple component joints