Systematic design of parameterized and robust 3D kinematic scheme

with CATIA
Benjamin BOUDON
August 2022

The purpose of this document is to set up a systematic methodology allowing the design of parameterized
and robust 3D kinematic scheme with CATIA.
The approach used in this article is ”systematic” because, for a given mechanism, the designer will use
an identical method which is described in the construction tree. Even if the designer did not participate to
the construction of the CAD model, its reading will be facilitated thanks to the storage of elements in the
construction tree.
The term ”robust” is used to emphasize the editability of CAD models created from the presented method.
The term ”parameterized” refers to both the kinematic and geometric parameters associated with a mech-
anism.
The reasons for making this type of CAD models are:

• to allow the designer to visualize the mechanism studied in a given configuration,

• to allow the designer to easily modify the characteristic dimensions of the studied mechanism,
• to allow the simulation of the mechanism in the Mechanical System Design application,
• to make explicit figures of the 3D kinematic scheme with its parameterization.

In this tutorial, the system used as a case study is a mixer. The target 3D kinematic scheme is shown in
the figure 1. The sizes for the different parts are presented in the appendix A.

Figure 1: 3D kinematic scheme of a mixer

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1 Design of the kinematic scheme in wireframe (or skeleton)
1.1 Setting options
To begin with, a number of options has to be tuned correctly.

1.2 Design of parts in skeleton form (wired form)

The skeleton of each part of a mechanism has to be defined. To do so, the advised method is following :

a) Insert a new part

CATIA Manipulation 1 — Insert a new part

The insertion of a new part is done as follows: press button + and 3DPart.

Figure 2: Creation of a new part

When the 3Dpart has been created, the physical product and the 3D shape have to be renamed with the
same name.

CATIA Manipulation 2 — Rename the Physical Product

Click right on the Physical Product → Properties → Reference tab → modify the title in the title field.

Figure 3: Rename of a the physical product of a 3D part

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 ☞ Remark 1
When a 3DPart is created, only a ”Reference” tab is present in the properties. When the 3DPart will be inserted
in a Product, the notion instance of the 3DPart will appear. The ”Reference” tab and also the ”Instance” tab
will be then present.

☞ Remark 2
Some informations can be added in the description. These information can namely help the user to retrieve his
parts thanks to the find engine.

CATIA Manipulation 3 — Rename the 3D shape

Click right on the 3D Shape → Properties → Reference tab → modify the title in the title field.

☞ Remark 3
When creating a part, an axis system shall be automatically created when the options have been set in accordance
with Annex 1.

b) Publish the axis system (origin + base)

To facilitate the manipulations that will be carried out in the exposed method, it is important to publish
the constitutive elements namely the origin as well as each of the axes of the Axis systems. Before publish the
elements of the Axis System, rename it. For example, the Axis System associated to the body 0 in the joint 01
will be named starting by ”RR 01” (as Representation Repère).

CATIA Manipulation 4 — Publication of the axis system elements

Once the 3D part is activated (in the Assembly Design Application), in the Tools tab, select Publications
from the drop-down menu (as shown in figure 4) → select an element of the Axis System (origin or axis)

Figure 4: Publication of Axis System

☞ Remark 4
The Axis System named by default ”absolute coordinate system” but it is not absolute in the strict sense as
the starting planes are. This is actually a local Axis System associated to a kinematic joint in a part. It is
therefore advisable to rename this Axis Systems more appropriately.

All the constitutive elements of the Axis System (hat is to say its origin and the 3 directions) associated
to the body 0 in the joint 01 will be named starting by ”RR 01” (as Representation Repère) as you can see in
figure 5.

c) Create a geometric set named ”skeleton”

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 Figure 5: Construction tree once elements have been Published

CATIA Manipulation 5 — Creation of a geometrical set

Once the 3D Form is activated (in the Part Design Application), in the Essentials tab, click Geometrical
Set.

☞ Remark 5
When the options are set correctly, the 3D shape already contains a geometric set.

d) Create, in the geometric set named (”Skeleton”), the skeleton which consists in a set of filar
elements

The skeleton consists of a set of wireframe elements or a sketch composed of points (in the case of a planar
mechanism) that will define the positioning of the links of the part created with the rest of the mechanism. In
this geometric set, we insert 4 geometric sets respectively called Joints, Body, 3D Skeleton, 3D Coordinate
System.

Skeleton/ Joints: create points, lines and planes that will define the positioning of the kinematic joints.
These geometric elements are the MGRS that have been defined in CATIA for the definition of kinematic
joints. For example, for a cylindrical joint, the surfaces involved are cylinders. The cylindrical joint is defined
by the coincidence of two lines. It will then be a question of defining the positioning of axes. For a revolute
joint, the surfaces involved are surfaces of revolution, it will then be a question of defining axes and points.
Probably for reasons of visibility, CATIA used an equivalent class of MGRS by performing the revolute joint
with a line/line coincidence and a plane/plane coincidence.

CATIA Manipulation 6 — Creation of line

Once the 3D Form is activated (in the Part Design Application), in the Essentials tab, click line.

☞ Remark 6
There are many ways of doing lines. So as to respect a systematic method, we will create them by point-direction
with an mirror extent (for visualization purpose). For example, for a surface associated to a revolute joint in a
body, use, for the point, the origin of a Axis System and, for the line, an axis of the Axis System in the direction
of the surface axis.

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 CATIA Manipulation 7 — Creation of plane
Once the 3D Form is activated (in the Part Design Application), in the Essentials tab, click plane.

☞ Remark 7
Concerning the creation of points, lines and planes, more possibilities are available in the Generative Shape
Design application since this application is dedicated to the creation of wireframe elements.

☞ Remark 8
Once these elements have been created, it is important to create publications of these elements to facilitate
their exploitation. Publishing allows for a more robust design when modifying links and easier implementation
of external references.

Skeleton/ Body: create, lines and points, to build a skeleton allowing the definition of the location of the
different MGRS of the surfaces associated with the joins. This skeleton will allow the geometric parameters
definition of the part involved in the kinematics as well as the location of the Axis System.

☞ Remark 9
The geometric set ”Joints” and the geometric set ”body” will be filled in parallel. For the definition of a body
with two joints, it is possible to define the MGRS associated with the first joint from a local coordinate system
associated with the first joint. For the first joint, the default coordinate system can be used. These elements
will be stored in the geometric set ”Joints”. Then, points and lines arranged in the geometric set ”body” will
be created to allow the location of the Axis System associated with the second joint. Finally, again in the
geometric set ”Joints”, the MGRS associated with the second joint can be defined from the second coordinate
system previously constructed. In the figure 9, the Joints and Body skeleton are shown for the piston body.

1 line and 1 plane

1 line

Figure 6: Joints and Body geometric sets on the Fixed Frame

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 1 line

1 line and 1 plane

Figure 7: Joints and Body geometric sets on the Crank body

1 line and 1plane

1 line

Figure 8: Joints and Body geometric sets on the Rod body

1 line and 1plane

1 line

Figure 9: Joints and Body geometric sets on the Piston body

☞ Remark 10
For a robust design, wireframe elements should not rely on so-called topological elements (vertices, face, ...).

Skeleton/ 3D coordinates systems: from the Axis Systems, create lines and circles as shown in the figure
10 to allow the representation of the coordinate systems in the Drawing module. Indeed, when creating vector
pictures (in software such as, for example, Microsoft visio, Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator), the Drawing module
is used because it allows the saving of vector image in the form of a .svg file. However, the Drawing module

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does not allow you to import Axis Systems. That’s why you need to use this bypass to be able to represent
coordinates systems in Drawing to export them for creating vector pictures.

Figure 10: Lines for representation of 3D Coordinates Systems on the crank body

Skeleton/ 3D Skeleton: The 3D skeleton is a geometric set composed with points and lines which will
be used to build the skeleton of the 3D representation of the kinematic scheme. These additional wireframe
elements make it possible to avoid the non-collision of volume operations involved in the definition of this 3D
representation. In the figure 24, you can observe the 3D skeleton which has been created on the crank part of
the mixer mechanism. The method to build the elements in the 3D skeleton will be detailled in the
section 4.2.2.

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2 Assembly of wireframe parts
2.1 Creating a new product
The first step will be to create a product that will contain the parts of the mechanism for which the objective
is to obtain the kinematic diagram of the mechanism studied. Once the product is created, the design of the
mechanism will be done in the product, this is called a design in ”assembly context”.

CATIA Manipulation 8 — Creation of a new product

In the Assembly Design module, create a new product and name it.

Figure 11: Creation of a new product

2.2 Insert all the part in a product

CATIA Manipulation 9 — Insertion of existing parts

All the parts have to be present in design session. In the product, click right on the head of the assembly then
insert then existing part.

☞ Remark 11
The first part created containing an axis system also defines the axis system for the assembly. In other words,
the assembly coordinate system is defined when the first part created is created.

2.3 Implementation of assembly constraints

In this part, the wireframe parts are assembled using kinematic joints called enginering connections in the
3DExperience. These enginering connections are created in the Mechanical System Design application.

CATIA Manipulation 10
Click on Engineering Connection in the Assembly tab in the Assembly Design application. Click coinci-
dence and select the MGRS associated to the kinematic joint by using their publications.

☞ Remark 12
The constraints associated to main kinematic joints are listed.

• The constraints associated to a cylindrical joint is a coincidence between two lines (for example, z
axis1/z axis2)
• The constraints associated to a revolute joint is a coincidence between two lines (for example, z
axis1/z axis2) and a coincidence between two planes (for example, xy plane1/ xy plane2).

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 • The constraints associated to a prismatic joint is a coincidence between two lines (for example, z
axis1/z axis2) and a coincidence between two planes (for example, yz plane1/yz plane2).
• The constraints associated to a spherical joint is a coincidence between two points (between axis
systems origins)

Figure 12: Creation of a engineering connection

2.4 Verification of the mobility of the mechanism

In order to verify that the engineering connections have been well defined, the mechanism can be moved with
the robot under constraints. The Shift key is used to maintain active assembly constraints while a part is
moving.
At this point, a wireframe kinematic diagram of the mechanism or assembled skeleton was created as shown
in the figure 13.
Line-line coincidence
Plane-plane coincidence
Line-line coincidence

Line-line coincidence
Plane-plane coincidence
Line-line coincidence

Figure 13: Wireframe kinematic scheme of a mixer

☞ Remark 13
A deeper mobility analysis could be led thanks to the Mechanism Manager in the Mechanical System Design
appliation. This point will be developped in section 5.1.

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3 Parameterization of the wireframe kinematic scheme
3.1 Fixed geometric parameters
Fixed parameters have already been defined when creating parts in wireframe geometry.
However, it can be useful to be able to manage all fixed parameters at the product level from a ”single
interface”. This allows a easier modification of the fixed parameters of a mechanism since the user does not
have to edit each part to see its geometric parameters modified.
This ”single interface” can be done thanks to a knowledge engineering specification. A knowledge engineering
specification is a container designed to contain the parameters and the relations you create when working in a
Product context or with Logical and Functional components.

3.1.1 Creation of a knowledge engineering specification to gather all fixed parameters

A knowledge engineering specification is created named ”parameters” as described below and illustrated in the
figure 14.

CATIA Manipulation 11 — Creation of a Knowledge Engineering Specification

In a product,
• click Knowledge Engineering Specification from the secondary area of the Tools section of the action
bar.
• In the Knowledge Engineering Specification dialog box, enter the name of the knowledge engineering
specification and click OK. You are ready to create your relations.

Figure 14: Creation of a knowledge engineering specification

3.1.2 Creating parameters in this knowledge engineering specification

While active on the knowledge engineering specification, create the fixed geometric parameters which impact
in the mechanism geometry.

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 CATIA Manipulation 12 — Creation of a parameter

• Click Formula
• Select a type from the New Parameter of type list
• then click New Parameter of type
• Rename the parameter
• Set a value

4 5

3 2

Figure 15: Creation of a parameter

In order to have a good storage in the construction tree, a parameter set called FixedGeometricParam-
eters can be created so as to gather all the fixed geometric parameters in the same containers as shown in the
figure 16.

CATIA Manipulation 13 — Creation of a Parameter Set

In the Engineering rules capture application and in the Engineering rules tab, click on Parameter Set.

Figure 16: Parameter set

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3.1.3 Creating publications associated with each parameter
Publish the parameters which as been created in the knowledge engineering specification with the same method
used in the CATIA manipulation 4.

3.1.4 Creating external parameters in each of the parts

The first point is to create at the part level parameters (while the part is active) by using the CATIA manipu-
lation 12.

CATIA Manipulation 14 — Creation of external parameters

So as to create external parameters, edit the parameter at the part level and then click on the publication of
the parameter which has been done at the product level. Click Yes on the pannel 17.

Figure 17: External reference panel

☞ Remark 14
It can be noticed that a node ”External reference” appears in the 3D Shape of the part as shown in the figure
18.

Figure 18: Visualisation of the external parameters

3.1.5 Create relationships between these parameters and geometry

The parameter at the part level should now be associated to the geometry. To do so, by clicking right in the
parameter in a sketch or a volumic function, a drop menu presents the ”Formula edition”.

3.2 Variable location parameters

Variable location parameters are built from assembly constraints related to the situation of parts. These
assembly constraints are distances or angles.

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3.2.1 Creating Intermediate Axis Systems
The distance constraint is defined between two points which are generally the origins of reference frames. So as
to minimize the number of variable position parameters associated to the distance constraints. New axis
systems have to be defined based the MGRS as it have been explained in the lecture called ”Parameterization
of Mechanisms”.
We consider in this tutorial that this parameterization study has been made. The objective is thus to set
this parameterization in the 3DExperience environnement.
The distances have thus to be defined according the parameterized kinematic scheme given in the figure 19.

Figure 19: Parameterized kinematic scheme of the mixer

Consequently, some intermediate axis systems have to be created to define more appropriately some variable
position parameters. Typically, for example in the fixed frame body, a R0 axis system has been added and the
translation motion of the piston is described by the distance between the fixed point O30 on the piston and the
origin of R0 which is O0 .

3.2.2 The so-called location assembly constraints

The parameterization is conducted by added angles and distance in the engineering connection.
Concerning oriented angles, the more appropriated method to master the orientation of the angle is to
use hinges. A hinge constraint is defined with three entities : two planes and an oriented axis.

CATIA Manipulation 15 — Creation hinges

• Publish the planes used in the angle directly based on axis system.
• In the engineering connection, select the two planes published and, next, the unit vector to define the
orientation of the angle.

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 ☞ Remark 15
So as to create an oriented angle, the classic angle constraint can be also used but need careful usage. Indeed,
the definition of the orientation is done based on the initial position between the two parts that fall within the
definition of the angle that one wishes to achieve. The visible angle in the initial position is chosen by CATIA
as the positive angle.

☞ Remark 16
For visual commodity, it is recommended to select first the destination plane and secondly the plane of reference.

CATIA Manipulation 16 — Creation offset

• Publish the two planes involved based on on the system axis,

• Select these two planes in a Offset constraint.

3.2.3 Parameters definition

While active on the knowledge engineering specification, create the variable location parameters which
impact in the mechanism geometry (with the method described in the CATIA manipulation 12).
In order to have a good storage in the construction tree, a parameter set called VariableLocationParam-
eters can be created so as to gather all the fixed geometric parameters in the same containers as shown in the
figure 20.

Figure 20: Definition of a parameter set dedicated to the variable location parameters

3.2.4 Relationship between these parameters and assembly constraints

For the variable location parameters, the orientation of the link will be from the assembly to the parameters
defined in the parameter set VariableLocationParameters inside the knowledge Engineering Specification.
To do so, edit the value of a variable parameter and click right and edit formula. Next, select the paramter
associated to a angle in a hinge or a distance in the engineering connections.

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 ☞ Remark 17
It can be useful to rename the different parameters associated to a hinge or a distance. The way is to select it
in the engineering connection and modify it the formula panel (accessible in the Tools tab).

At this point, a parameterized and robust wireframe kinematic diagram of the mechanism was created.

4 Creating the 3D kinematic scheme

The aim of this part is to give a 3D representation of a kinematic scheme.

4.1 About a volume elements library for creating Kinematic scheme

A library of kinematic joints as shown in the figure 21 has been built from powercopies. Powercopies make it
possible to instantiate a volume representation of the elements involved in a kinematic joint. For each joint, a
male part and a female part (hub) were built.

Figure 21: Kinematic joints catalog

4.2 Dressing
The aim of this part is to dress the parts with volumic functions based on powercopy instanciations.

4.2.1 For the kinematic joints

The implementation of the representation of the kinematic joint is carried out from the library of joints. the
geometric elements allowing the positioning of the representation of the links.

CATIA Manipulation 17 — Instanciation of a powercopy from a catalog

• Click right on a item inside a chapter, next click item and use item as shown in the figure 22.
• In the target part, click on ”PartBody in the construction tree

• A panel appears as shown in the figure 23. Select the geometric elements asked by the powercopy to
instantiate it with a correct positioning.

4.2.2 For the body

From the wireframe elements which has been created in the geometrical set ”Joints” and ”Body” inside the
geometrical set ”skeleton”, additional wireframe elements can be added in the geometrical set ”3D skeleton”.
The aim of this geometrical set ”3D skeleton” is to create an assembly of lines in one single entity. To do so,
the more appropriated solution to create points and lines is to use the Generative Shape Design application.
Next,the function Join is used to the wireframe 3D skeleton.

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 Figure 22: Item instanciation

Figure 23: Selection of geometric elements for the positioning of the instanciated item

CATIA Manipulation 18 — Join lines

Select all the lines and click the the surface operation Join

In the figure 24, you can observe the 3D skeleton which has been created on the crank part of the mixer
mechanism.
Next, a sweep is based on the 3D wireframe skeleton of the part is done.

CATIA Manipulation 19 — Sweep

Select the wireframe skeleton and conduct a sweep function with a circular profile

CATIA Manipulation 20 — Fill a surface

With the body part actived and in the Part Design application, click on the closed surface.

☞ Remark 18
The Fill surface works only on a closed surface.

4.2.3 Final volume of the part

The final volume of the part is obtained by assembling the volumes associated to the elements associated to the
representation of the joints and the body as shown in the figure 25.

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 Figure 24: 3D skeleton (Wireframe elements) for the construction of the 3D representation

Figure 25: Assembly of part bodies

CATIA Manipulation 21
Define PartBody as Work Object and, next click on the Assemble boolean operation and another body.

5 Exploitation of the 3D kinematic scheme

5.1 Animation with Mechanical System Design application
The Mechanical System Design application enables to animate and conduct kinematic analyses. In the Mechan-
ical System Design application, the variable location parameters can be controlled continuously whereas they
were only fixed on discrete values with the Assembly application.

5.1.1 Mechanism creation

CATIA Manipulation 22 — Creation of a mechanism

Select the head of an assembly and next click on Mechanism Representation

Once the creation of mechanism has been conducted, a mechanism appears in the construction tree as it is shown
in the figure 26. The Joints part consists in all the kinematic joints of the mechanism. When a mechanism is
created, the kinematic joints are automatically created from the engineering connections. The Command part
gathers the different command enabling to animate the mechanism.

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 Figure 26: Mechanism in the construction tree

5.1.2 Analysis and animation

So that the kinematic joints can be controlled continously with the Mechanical System Design, each engineering
connection has to be set as controlled.

CATIA Manipulation 23 — Setting the constraints as controlled

• Double click on the engineering connection you want to edit

• select controlled on a constraint instead of driven or measured.

The management of a mechanism is conducted through the Mechanism Manager as shown in the figure 27.

Figure 27: Mechanism Manager

CATIA Manipulation 24 — Edition of the Mechanism Manager and command definition

• Double click on the Mechanism in the construction tree or select the Mechanim Manager in the Me-

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 chanical System Design tab.
• In the command management, define the actuated variable in the joints by selecting the driven boxes.

When the number of DOF with commands is zero, the computation status (as shown in the figure 27) is
green which means that the mechanism can be animated and thus driven by the defined commands.

CATIA Manipulation 25 — Animate a mechanism

Click on a command or on Mechanism Player and, next, drag the cursor.

The initial configuration of the mechanism can be changed and kept for new animation thanks to the CATIA
manipulation 26.

CATIA Manipulation 26 — Modification of the initial position

• click right in the space area

• Display, App Options

• Choose Nominal Mode as shown in the figure 28.

Figure 28: Modification of the initial configuration

5.1.3 Mechanism modification

The Mechanism Manager also enables to include or exclude joints and commands which are taken into account.
For example, if you exclude one joint of the mixer mechanism (which is closed-loop mechanism), the DOF of
the mechanism will increase because the mechanism will be considered as a serial chain.

5.2 Illustration

6 Conclusion
A systematic method for create and animate 3D kinematic scheme has been detailled. The presented method
is robust because it is easy the characteristic geometric dimensions and/ or set the mechanism in different
configurations.

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A Representation
Dimension of mixerAxis Systems for the Fixed Frame
parts


RRy01 a = 160 mm

 
RR_O01 RRx 01 RRy03
 b =30 mm

RRz01 RRx 03
RR_O03

RRz03

Representation Axis Systems for the Crank

Figure 29: Representation axis systems and dimensions of the fixed frame body

RRy12
RR_O12 RRx12
r=40 mm
RRy10
RR_O10
RRx10 RRz12
c = 40 mm
RRz10

Representation Axis Systems for the Rod

Figure 30: Representation axis systems and dimensions of the crank body


 RRy23
RRy21
e = 60 mm

 RR_O23 
RRx21 RRx23

R_O21  RRz23
RRz21

Figure 31: Representation axis systems and dimensions of the rod body

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 Representation Axis Systems for the Piston

 l=60 mm
RRy32


RRx32
RR_O32 
RRz32
E=70 mm

RRy30


RRx30
RR_O30

RRz30

Figure 32: Representation axis systems and dimensions of the piston body

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