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RUNMEC Analysis of the motion Kinematics, Dynamics, Optimization Computer Program developed by |
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Originally the program has been developed to demonstrate some powerful algorithms of motion analysis and optimization of link dimensions. Original target group: the students of the TU Delft who need to do practical excercises in addition to studying the algorithms. The lecture notes of the former course (wb3303) can be downloaded for those who are interested: click here.
After my retirement in 2005 the
program Runmec (version 5.x) became then my personal toolbox for mechanism design.
In 2020 I started to develope a complete new version of Runmec that can
be used by anyone who is aware of link mechanisms and needs an easy
tool for investigating or demonstrating any (multi) link chain. Of course fully graphic
"what you see is what you get" and all theoretical issues hidden as
much as possible.
Runmec version 6.2 (released June 2024) is available now. This version involves a complete kinematic analysis project of any multilink mechanism: build your own mechanism on the graphic screen, move it by dragging at any node, define a motion range for the Degree(s) Of Freedom, run the kinematics calculations, display animated motion and create graphs to include in your reports. Special attention has been given to attractive drawing of the moving mechanism: the user can select/adapt various shape models for all types of elements. This Runmec version can be considered also as the digital equivalent of the physical mechanism collection of the TU Delft. The picture above shows an example (mechanism model 24).
Intentionally there is no detailed user manual: the program assumes intuitive use just supported by some help text in a message box. There is however a tutorial that describes briefly the capabilities of the program and that intends to guide the user actions and achievements.
Download of RUNMEC
The software runs under Windows 10 and later. For
educational and non-commercial use the software is free without any limitation. See for details the
conditions for use.
Click the button below for a
download of the program. The file Runmec62.zip must be unzipped in a
directory
of your choice.
You will find the executable file (Runmec62.exe) and also three
DLL-files from Intel that must be placed in the same
directory. The demo project files and your own project files can be stored in a different directory.
Use of RUNMEC
After start-up of the program the user can
either run/demonstrate an existing mechanism project or
create a new mechanism.
To demonstrate an existing project the user needs to open the project
file and then click the menu button "Animate". See the detailed
instruction in the pdf-document "HowToRunDemos".
To create a new mechanism project basically 4 project stages have to be passedl:
1) Create/add elements (links) to build a kinematic structure with 1 - 3
DOF's (Degrees of Freedom). At this stage you can drag the mechanism at
any node to view its movability.
2) Set a range for the DOF's to define a "run", specify the amount of steps and get the calculations done.
3) Demonstrate the motion on screen (animation).
4) Create graphs that show the motion behaviour.
The tutorial describes these stages more detailed.
The (intermediate) state of the current project can be saved
as a so-called project file (extension .mec). This file can be loaded
again to continue/modify the project.
Samples of prepared project files are available to show the
capabilities of the current program version.They are intended for demonstration and self-study. Of course they can be used
to test all kinds of actions. For most of the mechanisms of the TUDelft collection a project file is also available.
Project files are text files readable for experts/experienced users. It is not the intention to edit them with a text editor.
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Click here for a download of Runmec62, the tutorial and the examples (20 MB) |
Runmec release 6.2 offers advanced options like the use of cam elements and driving the input motion by a function specified in an external file.
To handle such external files easily a software toolbox called "the PION package" is used. To support the user to create a PION file some utility apps are available. They have been
developed in the past at TU Delft by the former CADOM-group. Interested users can download them, together with a detailed PION manual, via the link below.
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Click here for a download of the utilities and the PION user manual (1 MB) |
Content of the utility programs:
- The app Fedit98_XP.exe to create a periodic spline through 2-120 points and save the result as a PION-file.
- The app FOBtools_XP.exe to create a (periodic) function as a concatenation of standard functions.
- The app MTFviewer_XP.exe to display a drawing saved to an external file in text format (Metafile format .MTF according the CADOM group)
First publication of the program (version 6.0 for MS Windows XP and later ): June 17, 2022
Version 6.1 issued on November 30, 2023 . New :
- cam elements,
- postprocessing of graphs by an embedded picture editor
Version 6.2 issued on June 27, 2024 (for MS Windows 10 and later). Same functionality as version 6.1, but:
- better graphics (smooth drawing transition, resizing of the drawing area now allowed),
- some bugs removed
Remarks about Runmec can be addressed to the author: anton_kb@hotmail.com
Homepage of the author: https://www.antonkb.nl