Mechanism Design and Mechanism Dynamics > Mechanism Design > Creating Mechanism Models > Measures, Graphs, and Evaluation Methods > Measures > Components > Components for General Connections
  
Components for General Connections
A general connection allows various degrees of freedom, depending upon the way you define it. You can measure one of the following quantities for general connections:
Total force—The magnitude of the reaction force.
Force X—The component of the force in the X direction.
Force Y—The component of the force in the Y direction.
Force Z—The component of the force in the Z direction.
Total moment—The magnitude of the reaction moment.
Moment X—The X component of the moment around the X axis.
Moment Y—The Y component of the moment around the Y axis.
Moment Z—The Z component of the moment around the Z axis.
When you select the connection and any component other than Total force or Total moment, a magenta arrow appears on the connection indicating the positive direction of action. Be sure to look at this direction carefully to decide whether it is actually the one for which you want the force or moment.
 
* If your model is shaded, the shading may hide the arrow. Select the Wireframe, Hidden Line, or No Hidden display option to make the arrow visible