FAQs - zanoni-mbdyn/blendyn GitHub Wiki

How can disable the nodes's Empty Objects or in general of an object automatically added by Blendyn in the 3D scene?

Please see Issue 33. The other easy way is to keep the "conceptual" model created automatically by Blendyn in a layer, and the "graphical" model in another. Then just parent the mesh objects you want to animate to the corresponding Blendyn objects and you're done. In the tutorials, this is the commonly used approach.

Can I visualize the geometry of my model even if it is in a very early stage, and no .mov or .nc output files are created (because the model is not even ready to be assembled by MBDyn)?

Yes, you can. Just try to simulate your model anyway: at least the .log output file will always be created by MBDyn, and that is all you need. Create an empty .mov or .nc file with the same name of the .log file, and select it in the main Blendyn panel, with Select results file.

Can I visualize all the reference frames in my model?

Yes, you can. Add the default output: reference frames card in the control data section of your MBDyn input file. An .rfm file will be created when you simulate your model. In Blendyn, you can then load the reference frames through the MBDyn references panel in Scene Properties.

Is it possible to work with variable timestep output files?

Blendyn does not support outputs with variable timestep. It is possible, though, to obtain a (nearly) constant timestep output using the output meter card in the initial value block of the MBDyn input file together with the closest next drive. Please refer to the MBDyn input manual for more details.