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Path Synthesis

So far you’ve learned how to model known mechanisms to produce a coupler curve but what if you want to reverse the process? That is, given a curve as a set of path points, how to generate mechanism design concepts to create that curve approximately?

MotionGen has a panel specifically designated to do so. Open the Path Synthesis panel from the File menu.

menu-bar-panels

Next, you will see the following panel on your main interface.

path synthesis panel

The Path Synthesis Panel

Synthesis with a Path​

By drawing a path via Draw Path and pressing Run you can synthesize numerous solutions for a mechanism that follows that path.

Path Emphasis​

While you can use Draw Path to synthesize mechanisms, you can also use the Emphasize and De-emphasize icons to control which part of the motion curve is important.