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Make a door or lever swing

Goal: make a part turn between two angles, like a door opening, a lever flipping or a flap lifting.

Steps​

  1. Put the part in its starting position, for example the door closed.

  2. Open ALF > Interactivity > Kinematic Editor Tool.

  3. 1 Object: drag the machine from the Hierarchy into Drag object here ->.

  4. 2 Part: click the part in the Object hierarchy list.

  5. 3 Movement: press Add Rotational Motion Script.

  6. Under Rotational Motion Settings, set:

    FieldWhat to enter
    Rotation ModeLimited
    Rotation AxisThe axis to turn around: X, Y or Z. A door usually turns around Y, the up axis.
    Lower LimitSmallest angle, in degrees. Usually 0, the start.
    Upper LimitLargest angle, in degrees. For example 90 for a door opening a quarter turn.
    SpeedHow fast it turns, in degrees per second. For example 45.

    Rotational Motion Settings

  7. Check where it turns around. With the part selected, a cyan line and sphere in the Scene view mark the axis.

    • If they're on the hinge, you're done.
    • If they're in the middle of the part, it will spin in place instead of swinging. See Turn a part around a hinge.

  8. Add buttons so learners can move it. See Add buttons that move the parts.

  9. Save the scene with Ctrl+S.

Result​

In the positive direction, the part turns to the upper limit and stops. In the negative direction, it turns back to the lower limit and stops.

Good to know​

  • Turning the wrong way? Use negative limits instead, for example lower -90 and upper 0.
  • To stop partway, for example a valve half open, see Stop a part partway.