How to Add Contact in Motion Study in SolidWorks

To add Contact in a SolidWorks motion study, open the Motion Study tab, click Contact in the MotionManager toolbar, then select the components you want to interact. This enables collision detection and realistic movement between parts during the simulation.

Syntax

In SolidWorks Motion Study, adding contact involves these steps:

• Open Motion Study: Access the Motion Study tab at the bottom of the SolidWorks window.
• Click Contact: Use the Contact button in the MotionManager toolbar.
• Select Components: Choose the parts or faces that should interact physically.
• Set Contact Type: Choose between Solid Body or Flexible Body contact depending on your model.
• Confirm and Run: Apply the contact and run the simulation to see the effect.

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1. Open your assembly in SolidWorks.
2. Go to the Motion Study tab.
3. Click the 'Contact' button in the MotionManager toolbar.
4. In the Contact PropertyManager, select the components or faces to add contact.
5. Choose the contact type (e.g., 'Solid Body').
6. Click OK to apply.
7. Run the motion study to simulate contact.

Example

This example shows how to add contact between two gears in a motion study to simulate their interaction.

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1. Open an assembly with two gears.
2. Click the Motion Study tab.
3. Click 'Contact' in the MotionManager toolbar.
4. Select the two gear components.
5. Set contact type to 'Solid Body'.
6. Click OK.
7. Add motor to one gear and run the simulation.
8. Observe the gears interacting realistically without overlapping.

Output

The motion study runs showing the two gears rotating and contacting each other without passing through one another, simulating real gear interaction.

Common Pitfalls

• Not selecting all relevant faces or components can cause missing contact detection.
• Choosing the wrong contact type (e.g., flexible vs solid) may lead to inaccurate simulation results.
• Forgetting to enable contact before running the study results in parts passing through each other.
• Complex assemblies may require simplifying contact sets to improve performance.

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Wrong way:
1. Open Motion Study.
2. Run simulation without adding contact.

Right way:
1. Open Motion Study.
2. Click 'Contact' and select components.
3. Set contact type.
4. Run simulation.

Quick Reference

Step	Action	Description
1	Open Motion Study tab	Access the motion study environment at the bottom of SolidWorks.
2	Click Contact	Enable contact detection between parts.
3	Select Components	Choose parts or faces to interact.
4	Set Contact Type	Choose 'Solid Body' or 'Flexible Body'.
5	Apply and Run	Confirm settings and run simulation.

Key Takeaways

Always add contact in the Motion Study tab to simulate realistic part interactions.

Select all relevant components or faces to ensure proper collision detection.

Choose the correct contact type for accurate simulation results.

Run the simulation after adding contact to verify behavior.

Simplify contact sets in complex assemblies to improve performance.