Jack Base Manual PDF

JACK
USER
MANUAL
VERSION 9.0
(MT60010-S-084)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... X
WHAT ARE THE JACK PRODUCTS? .......................................................................................................................... XII
CLASSIC JACK......................................................................................................................................................... XII
TEAMCENTER VISUALIZATION JACK (TCVIS JACK) ................................................................................................ XII
NX HUMAN ........................................................................................................................................................... XIII
PROCESS SIMULATE HUMAN ................................................................................................................................. XIII
WHAT’S NEW IN JACK 9.0? .................................................................................................................................... XIV
HOW DO I USE THIS MANUAL? ............................................................................................................................... XIV
WHAT IS THE COURSE OBJECTIVE? ....................................................................................................................... XIV
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE? ......................................................................................................................................... XV
WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS? ............................................................................................................. XV
CHAPTER 1: JACK’S INTERFACE........................................................................................................................1
CONTROL BAR ...........................................................................................................................................................2
Menus ...................................................................................................................................................................2
Icon Toolbar.........................................................................................................................................................3
Object Selector .....................................................................................................................................................3
Message Area .......................................................................................................................................................4
Move Controller ...................................................................................................................................................5
Move - By ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Global vs. Local Transformations ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Snap to Geometry ............................................................................................................................................................. 7
GRAPHICS WINDOW ..................................................................................................................................................8
Change View ........................................................................................................................................................9
Context Sensitive Menus .................................................................................................................................... 10
Picking with the Middle Mouse Button .............................................................................................................. 11
Space Bar Completion ....................................................................................................................................... 12
INTERNATIONAL MENUS.......................................................................................................................................... 12
CHAPTER 1 TUTORIAL: JACK’S INTERFACE.............................................................................................................. 13
Exercise: Control Bar Basics ............................................................................................................................. 13
Exercise: Object Selector ................................................................................................................................... 13
Exercise: Using the Mover Dialog ..................................................................................................................... 14
Exercise: Snap to ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Exercise: Global vs Local .................................................................................................................................. 15
Exercise: Navigating the Jack Scene ................................................................................................................. 16
Exercise: Context Sensitive menus ..................................................................................................................... 16
Exercise: Picking with the MMB ........................................................................................................................ 17
Exercise: Space bar completion ......................................................................................................................... 17
CHAPTER 2: FILE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 19
NATIVE JACK FILES ................................................................................................................................................. 19
Environment ....................................................................................................................................................... 19
Figures ............................................................................................................................................................... 21
Segments ............................................................................................................................................................ 21
Manipulations .................................................................................................................................................... 22
File Archiving ................................................................................................................................................................. 22
AUTO BACKUP ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
JT FILE OPEN / IMPORT............................................................................................................................................ 24
Non-JT Import Options ...................................................................................................................................... 24
TRANSLATE SEGMENT FROM JT .............................................................................................................................. 25
RE-ROOT GEOMETRY CENTER ................................................................................................................................. 26
CENTER FIGURE ROOT DIALOG ............................................................................................................................... 26
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BATCH TRANSLATE FILES ....................................................................................................................................... 27
CAD EXPORT .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
JT Export ............................................................................................................................................................ 27
VRML Export ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
CAPTURING IMAGES ................................................................................................................................................ 29
Screen Capture ................................................................................................................................................... 30
Rendering ........................................................................................................................................................... 30
External Applications ......................................................................................................................................... 30
CHAPTER 2 TUTORIAL: FILE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................ 31
Exercise: Loading an Environment file .............................................................................................................. 31
Exercise: Saving Figures and Segments ............................................................................................................ 32
Exercise: Jack’s Image Capture ........................................................................................................................ 35
Exercise: Alternate Screen Capture Methods .................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER 3: EDITING THE JACK ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................................... 36
UNDO ...................................................................................................................................................................... 36
DELETE SCENE ........................................................................................................................................................ 36
SCALE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 36
MATERIALS ............................................................................................................................................................. 37
Color: ................................................................................................................................................................. 37
TEXTURES ............................................................................................................................................................... 39
KEY BINDINGS ......................................................................................................................................................... 39
Predefined Shortcuts .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Custom Shortcuts ............................................................................................................................................... 40
SYSTEM DEFAULTS .................................................................................................................................................. 40
CHAPTER 3 TUTORIAL: EDITING THE JACK ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................... 42
Exercise: Figure Scaling .................................................................................................................................... 42
Exercise: Scaling the Environment .................................................................................................................... 43
Exercise: Color Parameters ............................................................................................................................... 44
Exercise: Texture mapping ................................................................................................................................ 44
Exercise: Hot Keys (Shortcuts) .......................................................................................................................... 45
Exercise: Customizing the workspace ................................................................................................................ 47
CHAPTER 4: CHANGING YOUR VIEW OF JACK ........................................................................................... 47
CENTER ALL ............................................................................................................................................................ 47
ZOOM TO ................................................................................................................................................................. 47
MAKE ALL FIGURES VISIBLE ................................................................................................................................... 48
TOGGLE SEGMENT VISIBILITY ................................................................................................................................. 48
SHADE SCENE .......................................................................................................................................................... 48
WIREFRAME SCENE ................................................................................................................................................. 48
FIGURE PROJECTIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 48
TEXTURES ON/OFF .................................................................................................................................................. 49
VIEW CONTROL ....................................................................................................................................................... 49
Camera Position and Orientation ...................................................................................................................... 50
Camera Field of View ........................................................................................................................................ 50
Snapping and Attaching View ............................................................................................................................ 51
NAMED VIEWS......................................................................................................................................................... 52
WINDOW PARAMETERS ........................................................................................................................................... 52
Create Windows ................................................................................................................................................. 52
Window Sets ....................................................................................................................................................... 53
Current Windows ............................................................................................................................................... 53
STEREO PROPERTIES ................................................................................................................................................ 53
OBJECT HIERARCHY ................................................................................................................................................ 54
TOGGLE LOG WINDOWS .......................................................................................................................................... 55
TOOLBARS ............................................................................................................................................................... 55
CHAPTER 4 TUTORIAL: CHANGING YOUR VIEW OF JACK ........................................................................................ 56
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Exercise: Visibility ............................................................................................................................................. 56
Exercise: Shading Options ................................................................................................................................. 57
Exercise: Advanced View Control...................................................................................................................... 57
Exercise: Window Parameters ........................................................................................................................... 58
Exercise: Manipulating objects in the Object Hierarchy ................................................................................... 59
CHAPTER 5: WORKING WITH HUMANS ......................................................................................................... 61
HUMAN FIGURE TYPES ............................................................................................................................................ 61
HUMAN HANDS ....................................................................................................................................................... 63
HUMAN SCALING (ANTHROPOMETRY) .................................................................................................................... 64
Figure Scaling .................................................................................................................................................... 66
Boot and Glove Scaling...................................................................................................................................... 67
HUMAN COPY .......................................................................................................................................................... 70
PROPERTIES ............................................................................................................................................................. 73
Skeleton .............................................................................................................................................................. 74
HUMAN BEHAVIORS ................................................................................................................................................ 74
HUMAN CONTROL ................................................................................................................................................... 75
POSTURING TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE IN THE CONTROL PANEL .............................................................................. 76
Force Influenced Posturing................................................................................................................................ 76
Bracing ............................................................................................................................................................... 76
NAVIGATING THE CONTROL PANEL ......................................................................................................................... 78
EYE VIEW ................................................................................................................................................................ 78
VIEW CONES............................................................................................................................................................ 79
CHAPTER 5 TUTORIAL: WORKING WITH HUMANS ................................................................................................... 80
Exercise: Create a Human ................................................................................................................................. 80
Exercise: Human Scaling ................................................................................................................................... 80
Exercise: Human Postures ................................................................................................................................. 82
Exercise: Skeletal Structure ............................................................................................................................... 84
Exercise: Human Posturing ............................................................................................................................... 84
Exercise: Adjust Joint ........................................................................................................................................ 89
Exercise: View Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 90
Exercise: View Cones......................................................................................................................................... 91
CHAPTER 6: CREATING & DISPLAYING OBJECTS...................................................................................... 93
CREATE ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Site ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Joint ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Node ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Face ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Light ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
CAD Objects ...................................................................................................................................................... 95
Rectangular Solid ............................................................................................................................................... 95
Figure from Library ........................................................................................................................................... 96
Factory Equipment Library ............................................................................................................................................. 96
MODIFY GEOMETRY ................................................................................................................................................ 97
Editing Segment Geometry ................................................................................................................................. 97
Merging Segment Geometry ............................................................................................................................... 98
Splitting Segment Geometry ............................................................................................................................... 98
Fix Segment Orientation .................................................................................................................................... 98
Reroot Figure .................................................................................................................................................................. 98
Visible ............................................................................................................................................................................. 99
Shaded/ Wireframe/ Transparent .................................................................................................................................... 99
Smooth Shading .............................................................................................................................................................. 99
Trace ............................................................................................................................................................................. 100
Figure Ghosts ................................................................................................................................................................ 101
CHAPTER 6 TUTORIAL: CREATING AND DISPLAYING OBJECTS .............................................................................. 102
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Exercise: Creating a Site ................................................................................................................................. 102
Exercise: Create Joint ...................................................................................................................................... 103
Exercise: Lighting ............................................................................................................................................ 105
Exercise: Modify Geometry .............................................................................................................................. 106
Exercise: Re-rooting an Object ........................................................................................................................ 106
Exercise: Object Library .................................................................................................................................. 108
Exercise: Visibility ........................................................................................................................................... 108
Exercise: Shaded, Wireframe, and Transparent .............................................................................................. 108
Exercise: Shading Options ............................................................................................................................... 108
Exercise: Trace segment .................................................................................................................................. 109
Exercise: Create Ghost .................................................................................................................................... 110
CHAPTER 7: WORKING WITH OBJECTS ...................................................................................................... 112
Attachments .................................................................................................................................................................. 112
PROPERTIES ........................................................................................................................................................... 113
Figure Properties ............................................................................................................................................. 113
Segment Properties .......................................................................................................................................... 114
Site Properties .................................................................................................................................................. 115
Joint Properties ................................................................................................................................................ 115
Face Properties ................................................................................................................................................ 117
Reflection ...................................................................................................................................................................... 118
Edge Properties................................................................................................................................................ 119
Node Properties ............................................................................................................................................... 120
ADJUST JOINT ........................................................................................................................................................ 120
MOTORS ON/OFF ................................................................................................................................................... 121
Joint Motors .................................................................................................................................................................. 121
INTERACTIVE REACH ............................................................................................................................................. 122
PATHS .................................................................................................................................................................... 122
CHAPTER 7 TUTORIAL: WORKING WITH OBJECTS ................................................................................................. 123
Exercise: Figure Properties ............................................................................................................................. 123
Exercise: Segment Properties .......................................................................................................................... 123
Exercise: Face Properties ................................................................................................................................ 124
Exercise: Adjusting a Joint .............................................................................................................................. 124
Exercise: Joints and Motors............................................................................................................................. 125
Exercise: Interactive Reach ............................................................................................................................. 127
Exercise: Creating & Editing a Path ............................................................................................................... 128
CHAPTER 8: MEASURING & CHECKING UTILITIES: ................................................................................ 130
COLLISION DETECTION .......................................................................................................................................... 130
CONSTRAINT.......................................................................................................................................................... 131
Type of Goal ................................................................................................................................................................. 132
Goal .............................................................................................................................................................................. 133
Set Transform Location ................................................................................................................................................ 133
End Effector Type ......................................................................................................................................................... 133
End Eff. Seg/Node/Site ................................................................................................................................................. 133
Starting Joint ................................................................................................................................................................. 134
Rooting Constraint ........................................................................................................................................................ 134
Orientational Relationship ............................................................................................................................................ 134
Positional Relationship ................................................................................................................................................. 135
Orientation <---->Position Weight ................................................................................................................................ 135
Relative Constraint Weight ........................................................................................................................................... 135
SIMULATION UPDATES .......................................................................................................................................... 135
MEASURE DISTANCE ............................................................................................................................................. 136
Scalar ............................................................................................................................................................... 136
ADVANCED RULERS .............................................................................................................................................. 136
RULERS ................................................................................................................................................................. 137
MINIMAL DISTANCE .............................................................................................................................................. 138
vi
LOGGING ............................................................................................................................................................... 139
SYSTEM GEOMETRY INFO ...................................................................................................................................... 139
REACH ZONES ....................................................................................................................................................... 139
Advanced Reach Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 139
CHAPTER 8: MEASURING, CHECKING UTILITIES, AND ANALYZING JACK .............................................................. 141
Exercise: Collision detection ........................................................................................................................... 141
Exercise: Constraints ....................................................................................................................................... 142
Exercise: Scalar Measure ................................................................................................................................ 143
Exercise: Create Ruler ..................................................................................................................................... 144
Exercise: Minimal Distance ............................................................................................................................. 145
Exercise: Maximum Reach Analysis ................................................................................................................ 145
CHAPTER 9: ANIMATION SYSTEM MODULE .............................................................................................. 147
ANIMATION WINDOW ............................................................................................................................................ 148
Menu ................................................................................................................................................................ 148
Animation Window Icons ................................................................................................................................. 148
Timeline............................................................................................................................................................ 149
MOTION BASICS .................................................................................................................................................... 150
Generate ........................................................................................................................................................... 150
Set Frame 0 ...................................................................................................................................................... 151
Figure Motions................................................................................................................................................. 153
Joint Motions ................................................................................................................................................... 153
Timed Attachments ........................................................................................................................................... 153
Constraints ....................................................................................................................................................... 154
Path Motions .................................................................................................................................................... 154
Human Motions ................................................................................................................................................ 155
Timed Behaviors .............................................................................................................................................. 155
Camera Motions ............................................................................................................................................... 155
CHANNELSETS ....................................................................................................................................................... 155
Creating Channelsets ....................................................................................................................................... 155
Replaying Channelset Motions......................................................................................................................... 156
Channelset Editor ............................................................................................................................................ 157
MOVIE EXPORT ..................................................................................................................................................... 157
Resolution ........................................................................................................................................................ 158
Animation Options ........................................................................................................................................... 158
Output Options ................................................................................................................................................. 158
Video Compression .......................................................................................................................................... 159
ANIMATION TIPS ................................................................................................................................................... 159
Constraint Vs Joint Motions: ........................................................................................................................... 159
Generation: ...................................................................................................................................................... 160
Handprints and Footprints: ............................................................................................................................. 160
_Motcs File: ..................................................................................................................................................... 160
Motion Times (Motions not being generated): ................................................................................................. 160
Pose Figure Vs Joint Motion: .......................................................................................................................... 160
Quickstart: ....................................................................................................................................................... 160
CHAPTER 9 TUTORIAL: ANIMATION SYSTEM MODULE .......................................................................................... 162
Exercise: Animation Window ........................................................................................................................... 162
Exercise: Basic Animation ............................................................................................................................... 163
Exercise: Group manipulation ......................................................................................................................... 164
Exercise: Human Linear Walk ......................................................................................................................... 164
Exercise: Human Pose ..................................................................................................................................... 165
Exercise: Saving the Animation ....................................................................................................................... 166
Exercise: Human Path Walk ............................................................................................................................ 167
Exercise: Human Motions ................................................................................................................................ 171
Exercise: Joint Motions, Interactive Reach and Timed Attachments ............................................................... 173
Exercise: Timed Control .................................................................................................................................. 177
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CHAPTER 10: OTHER MODULES ..................................................................................................................... 179
TASK SIMULATION BUILDER (TSB)....................................................................................................................... 179
MOTION CAPTURE ................................................................................................................................................. 179
Third Party Communication ............................................................................................................................ 180
PLUG-INS ............................................................................................................................................................... 181
CPort ................................................................................................................................................................ 181
CableGenerator ............................................................................................................................................... 181
CameraTracking .............................................................................................................................................. 182
Disembodied Hand Module.............................................................................................................................. 182
ElevationTransition .......................................................................................................................................... 182
GridGenerator ................................................................................................................................................. 183
JackCollaboration ............................................................................................................................................ 183
Kinect ............................................................................................................................................................... 184
PrintToJack ...................................................................................................................................................... 184
PrincipleComponentManikins.......................................................................................................................... 184
Sample .............................................................................................................................................................. 184
Sweeps .............................................................................................................................................................. 184
SyncSwim ......................................................................................................................................................... 184
TATReporter .................................................................................................................................................... 185
APPENDIX A: SYSTEM DEFAULTS .................................................................................................................. 187
DIRECT MODEL ..................................................................................................................................................... 187
COLOR: .................................................................................................................................................................. 188
GRAPHICS: ............................................................................................................................................................. 189
SOLVER: ................................................................................................................................................................ 189
UI: ......................................................................................................................................................................... 190
UNITS: ................................................................................................................................................................... 191
VIEWERS: .............................................................................................................................................................. 192
APPENDIX B: SNAP DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................... 194
CURSOR POINT: ..................................................................................................................................................... 194
SITE: ...................................................................................................................................................................... 194
SITE POSITION: ....................................................................................................................................................... 194
SITE ORIENTATION: ................................................................................................................................................ 194
NODE POSITIONS: ................................................................................................................................................... 194
EDGE LINE: ............................................................................................................................................................ 194
EDGE POSITION: .................................................................................................................................................... 194
EDGE ORIENTATION: .............................................................................................................................................. 195
FACE POSITION: ..................................................................................................................................................... 195
FACE CENTER: ....................................................................................................................................................... 195
FACE PLANE:.......................................................................................................................................................... 195
FACE ORIENTATION: .............................................................................................................................................. 195
SQUARE ORIENTATION: .......................................................................................................................................... 195
GROUND PLANE: ................................................................................................................................................... 195
APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL JACK RESOURCES ......................................................................................... 196
SIEMENS PLM WEBSITE FOR JACK ........................................................................................................................ 196
JACK USER COMMUNITY ....................................................................................................................................... 196
SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK ...................................................................................................................................... 196
APPENDIX D: .JK FILE DEFINITIONS (ADVANCED): ................................................................................. 197
.jk4.install: ....................................................................................................................................................... 197
.jkrc: ................................................................................................................................................................. 197
.jk.log: .............................................................................................................................................................. 197
.jk.views: .......................................................................................................................................................... 197
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.jk.log.tcl: ......................................................................................................................................................... 197
.jk.log.tcl~: ....................................................................................................................................................... 197
.jk.humans.simple: .......................................................................................................................................... 197
.jk.humans.complex: ....................................................................................................................................... 197
jack801-win64.bat / jack801-win32.bat: ......................................................................................................... 198
APPENDIX E: EXTENDING JACK THROUGH SCRIPTING ........................................................................ 199
BASIC SCRIPTING ................................................................................................................................................... 199
Details on language versions ........................................................................................................................... 199
SCRIPTING LANGUAGE RESOURCES:...................................................................................................................... 199
GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................................. 200
INDEX ...................................................................................................................................................................... 209
ix
Jack User Manual SIEMENS PLM SOFTWARE
Introduction
Because this manual cannot begin to cover all of the features of Jack, a
brief overview of Jack’s capabilities and potential applications is also
provided. This is intended to give you the “big picture” and allow you to
begin considering ways in which you can effectively apply Jack in your job,
even before you undertake the training.
Jack is a complete system for generating 3D environments or “virtual

worlds” and interacting with them in a powerful graphical environment.
Some of the areas where Jack excels are:
Creating and visualizing “digital mock-ups” of designs: Jack gives

you all of the advanced graphical tools for creating concept models or
importing design data to the virtual world. Design changes in Jack’s
world are much less costly and time consuming than in ours.
Analyzing human factors in designs: Occupant or operator reach,

fit, comfort, and vision are all important considerations in product
designs. It is imperative to products are designed with consideration of
the people that will use them!
Studying humans in the “simulated workplace”: Jack can tirelessly

perform operations in factories or offices to allow you to design the
most safe, efficient, and productive workplaces possible.
Evaluating maintenance operations: The maintenance phase of the

lifecycle can be associated with considerable cost for many large
systems. Therefore, it is critical to consider the safety and task
feasibility for maintenance and repair personnel. Jack gives you the
tools to evaluate maintenance operations even in the earliest product
design stages.
Training: Your design simulations can serve double duty: training

operators, maintenance or military personnel long before products or
facilities are even constructed. This is done without the danger and
lost productivity of “real life” training.
Research: Jacks is a detailed link segment model with biologically

accurate motion prediction and joint kinematics. Almost endless data
can be retrieved from Jack. The Jack Toolkit and open API is an ideal
location to tap into the framework of Jack or plug in your custom tools.
Things we haven’t even considered yet … Jack provides the tools

you need to model complex systems, to study their motions, and to
Unrestricted x
simulate how humans will work with them. Our users are constantly
finding new, unique applications for Jack, and we hope you will also!
(Of course, this training is the first step…)
Unlike many 3D design and visualization systems, Jack works natively with
articulated figures. In simple terms, Jack’s world is full of moving objects,
just like in real life. Jack provides a very powerful system for modeling
articulated figures. Of course, one of the most demanding applications in
this area is the human body! The focus in the development of Jack has been
centered on creating the most accurate human body model available in any
system.
Jack’s greatest strength is in being able to “populate” the virtual world with
simulated humans that have proper biomechanical, anthropometric, and
ergonomic characteristics. Jack humans look and act like real humans.
Jack humans understand balance, walking, and lifting. They have “strength”
and can tell you if a task exceeds their limits. And if the action you define
does exceed the limits, Jack can calculate a action that won’t! You can
model males and females of any stature, based upon validated
anthropometric databases. Jack humans have the same joint limits (range
of motion) as a typical human in the real world does.
This sort of modeling, simulation, and analysis requires a powerful graphical

viewing environment, an easy to use interface, and a complete set of
command functions. Jack provides all of this.
Jack gives you:
A System for modeling ANY articulated figure: a full hierarchical

database, a complete joint library, active constraints, collision
detection, real time kinematics and dynamic simulation.
Human Bodies: anthropometric scaling based on a database or your

measurements; high fidelity biomechanics with complex joints, and a
fully articulated hand and spine model; automatic grasping to part
contours with precision or power grasps and a full hand shape library,
path walking locomotion, head-eye coordination, and balance
behaviors.
Real-time viewing environment: interactive viewing, multiple

windows, lights and cameras, textures, and mirrors (real time!),
Complete animation and task simulation systems: goal based

animation, and task based simulation (walk, get, put), with automated
frame-by-frame production of movie files.
Unrestricted xi
Powerful extensions: macro language, customizable menus, even

embedded Lisp, Python, and Tcl/TK programming systems.
Full VR system: complete, immersive capabilities; supports stereo

glasses, head mounted displays (HMDs), data gloves, and full body
motion tracking.
What are the Jack Products?
Classic Jack
Classic Jack is the stand alone offering from Siemens PLM Software for
Human Factors and Ergonomic Analysis. Classic Jack has several add-on
modules which will be covered in this paragraph and have separate
training that is available. The first, 3D Body Scan can be used to create
humans using existing body scans (such as the SAE CAESAR Scans).
The second module, the Occupant Packaging Toolkit (OPT) can be used
to maximize vehicle design for the occupant or user. The third is the Task
Analysis Toolkit (TAT), which is used in the manufacturing communities to
design better workplaces and maximize the safety of workers. Finally, the
MoCap module, which adds the ability to connect to a wide variety of
virtual reality hardware for immersive studies. Both the OPT and TAT
have separate training manuals which explain the capabilities of the
modules in greater detail. These modules can be obtained by contacting
your Siemens PLM representative for an additional license (See Appendix
E: Additional Jack Resources).
Jack can also be extended through a powerful scripting interface.
Teamcenter Visualization Jack (TcVis Jack)

VisJack is the Jack human model inside of VisMockup. It offers many of the
same capabilities as Classic Jack. Just like Classic Jack, VisJack enables
you to:
 Insert digital men and women, and scale them by stature and weight
 Define behaviors that condition how the digital humans react when
postured
 Posture digital humans by manipulating their joints
 Evaluate what digital humans can see from their point of view or through
the display of view cones
 Evaluate the reach capability of digital humans
Utilizing the functionality of Teamcenter’s advanced collaboration,

conferencing, and visualization software, the VisMockup prototypes can be
quickly and easily evaluated by a design team without the need for each
individual to have access to, and knowledge of Classic Jack.
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NX Human
Based on the same Jack technology, NX Human Modeling helps

enterprises across industries improve the ergonomics of product designs
and associated workplace tasks during the design phase. The software
enables the positioning of varying sizes of digital humans directly within
the virtual design environment. By incorporating digital human modeling
capabilities within the NX solution, designers can easily factor in
ergonomic specifications from the very beginning in the design process.
In addition, users can take advantage of ‘design in context’ to conduct
product validation within the integrated environment for a quicker, more
efficient and seamless product development workflow.
The embedded human simulation functionality extends the validation

process beyond simple form, fit and function into the science of
ergonomics. The ability to evaluate ergonomic considerations in a time
effective manner leads to superior quality products that optimally
accommodate users.
Process Simulate Human

Part of the Tecnomatix assembly planning solution that includes a broad
range of applications to optimize assembly sequences; coordinate
operation timing and kinematics; verify line performance, including
throughput and resource utilization; perform line balancing and analyze
production costs. Process Simulate (PS) Human allows users to verify the
design of a workstation, ensuring that product parts can be reached,
assembled and maintained. PS Human provides powerful capabilities to
analyze and optimize the ergonomics of the human operation, thus
ensuring an ergonomically safe process according to industry standards.
PS Human also incorporates Motion Capture and Virtual Reality solutions,
allowing the user to synch with their motion tracking devices. Using the
various human simulation options within PS, the user can perform realistic
simulation of the human tasks and optimize process cycle times according
to industry standard timing evaluation methods. The result is process plan
containing a full description of how a product is assembled, manufactured,
tested and packaged. This plan becomes the basis for collaboration
among planning teams, plants, suppliers and contractors.
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What’s new in Jack 9.0?

Jack v9.0 is a full release which includes enhancements throughout the
product.
Updated Whole Body and Hand Posture Libraries

 The whole body and hand posture libraries have been enhanced
with poses that are more relevant for typical assessments.
Auto Backup
 Automatically save environment files at periodic intervals. Then
return to a previous state in the Jack scene, by loading a backed up
.env file.
Task Simulation Builder

 Now includes a new Force Profile task, which allows you to model
scenarios where the magnitude of the exertion force changes
throughout the task.
Task Analysis Toolkit (separately licensed)

 A new Arm Strength Evaluation tool (Arm Force Field) has been
introduced to extend the comprehensive Ergonomic assessment
capabilities within Jack.
Motion Capture Toolkit (separately licensed)

 Revised full body AutoScaling
 Support for Perception Neuron trackers
Additional detail about these and other enhancements can be found in

the 9.0 Release Notes, which are accessible from the main menu in Jack:
Help-> Release Notes
How do I use this Manual?

The Jack User Manual is intended to be used as both a teaching tool and a
reference document for current users. The manual contains detailed
background information on each subject being discussed, references to
additional publications, and step-by-step instructions for completing the
tutorials. The tutorials will be located at the conclusion of each chapter, and
will have the user follow a set of instructions for completing the tasks
described in the chapter.
What is the Course Objective?

The Jack Introductory Training Course (“Jack 101”) introduces users to the
basics of using Jack, the Jack environment, the Jack software architecture,
and specific human modeling techniques.
Unrestricted xiv
Upon completing the tutorials in the user manual, users should be able to
perform basic visual simulation and analysis, create and manipulate human
figures, perform basic human factors analyses, create articulated models of
general model geometry; perform basic customization of Jack for
application specific development, and output results in graphical or video
formats.
Who is the Audience?

Beginning Jack users; some experience with graphical software tools is
desirable; no programming experience is necessary; basic familiarity with
human factors analysis, biomechanics, ergonomics, design, and computer
graphics is helpful.
What are the System Requirements?

Jack 9.0 is available as a 64 bit application that runs on 64 bit Windows
workstations. A minimum reasonable system requirement is shown in the
configuration table below. However, configuration requirements may
increase if higher performance is desired. For example, if you will be
working with large geometry sets or using motion capture, a faster machine
with more memory will likely be required.
Version 9.0 has a DirectModel rendering engine that supports JT file

versions through v10. This new version of DirectModel is designed to work
with graphics cards using OpenGL 3.0 or higher. Certain features, such as
reflections (mirrors), may not work on older graphics cards.
Windows 7, Windows 10
Minimum Recommended
Processor 1GHz 2GHz
Memory 2GB 4GB
Free disk 400 Mb 600 Mb
Graphics:
OpenGL Support 3.0 3.0 or higher
1280x102
Maximum Screen Resolution 1920x1200
4
Jack 9.0 minimum recommended configuration
Unrestricted xv
Chapter 1: Jack’s Interface
When you start Jack, you are presented with the graphical user
interface. The default interface includes the GRAPHICS WINDOW (S)
where objects are rendered and a CONTROL BAR that contains
standard menus and icons. In addition, Jack has an OBJECT
HIERARCHY where a listing of the environment is displayed, SESSION
LOG, and several scripting consoles.
M
o
v
e
r
G
r
a Jack Startup
p
h All of Jack’s windows are completely independent and can be moved
i to suit your preferences. The windows, menus, and toolbars used in
c Jack conform to standard Windows behaviors and methods of
s manipulation. Jack also contains several non-standard functions for
W convenience.
i
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Control Bar
The CONTROL BAR is divided into four areas: the MENUS, the ICON
TOOLBAR, the MESSAGE AREA, and the MOVE CONTROLLER. It provides
access to almost all Jack functions via menus and graphical icons.
The figure below illustrates the main areas of the CONTROL BAR.
Move Controller
Menus
Icon Toolbar
Message Area
Control Bar
Menus
The MENU LINE provides the starting point for Jack’s command
structure. Menus are in standard windows format and can be
accessed with a single click of the Left Mouse Button <LMB>. File,
Edit, View as well as Jack specific issues involving Human, Object,
Utilities, and Analysis are included. In addition, Jack provides a
module system, which allows additional capabilities to be added to
the software at run-time. A number of special purpose modules are
available for Jack or you can easily create your own modules.
Menu Bar
Icon Toolbar
The TOOL BAR icons give you quick access to commonly used
functions.
Open File Import File
Save Current Scene Toggle Log Window
View and Center Zoom To

Objects
Manage Named Views Toggle Object

Hierarchy
Move Figure Adjust Joint
Open Advanced Rulers Create Male Manikin
Create Female Scale Human

Manikin
Open Human Control Copy Human Attributes

Panel
Task Simulation Builder Task Animation
Window
Object Level Selector

Jack’s Toolbar Icons
All above icons perform an immediate action or pull up the

appropriate dialog box except the OBJECT SELECTOR. This function
effects subsequent actions in the Graphics Window and will be
covered later in this manual.
Note: It is always good practice to verify that the expected

object type is displayed in the OBJECT SELECTOR icon window
before attempting any object manipulation.
Object Selector
The OBJECT SELECTOR works in conjunction with the GRAPHICS
WINDOW . The current object type determines which CONTEXT
SENSITIVE MENU is displayed when you <RMB> on the object or the

Object type in a Pick mode.
You can select any of Jack’s basic object types to influence CONTEXT
SENSITIVE MENU: Figure, Segment, Site, or Joint (These will be
defined in Chapter 2). You can select through the OBJECT
SELECTOR’S DROP-DOWN LIST or scroll through the basic object types
by pressing the <MMB> in the GRAPHICS WINDOW . You can also
access Window Parameters though context Sensitive Menus by
Right Clicking away from objects in the GRAPHICS W INDOW .
Pick Mode searches for specific object types in the GRAPHICS

WINDOW . In this case, the object type is automatically changed when
you press the corresponding hand selector icon in Jack’s Dialog
boxes. In addition to Jack’s Basic Object Types, you can select
Faces, Edges, and Nodes.
Message Area
The MESSAGE AREA provides you with feedback on operations and
“tool tips” as you interact with Jack. For example, when moving the
mouse pointer over the TOOLBAR icons, you will see the description
of each icon’s function. When moving the mouse cursor in the
GRAPHICS W INDOW , the MESSAGE AREA will display the name of the
“Object” currently under the mouse pointer. When reading data files,
the MESSAGE AREA will give you feedback on the progress of the
operation.
NOTE: Watch the MESSAGE AREA for useful information in many

common interactions.
Message Area
Move Controller
The MOVE CONTROLLER contains controls for moving all object types
in the Jack environment. Since this is a major part of working with
Jack, it is constantly in view and easily accessible.
Use the Hand Selector to select the object to move. Jack utilizes a
Cartesian coordinate system, simply a triad of X, Y, and Z axes in
space, to define position and orientation. You can enter the
coordinates in the MOVE CONTROLLER or interactively move objects
using the mouse.
Move Controller
You can move a figure along the x or z-axis by holding down the left
mouse button <LMB> or right mouse button <RMB>, respectively.
To move the figure up (along the y axis) use the middle mouse button
<MMB>. A large red arrow indicates the selected direction of
movement. You can also rotate a figure around any axis by holding
down the <Shift> key and <LMB>, <MMB> or <RMB>. The 3D
Reference (XYZ) can be relative to a global reference or a local
reference specific to an object. However, the coordinates displayed
in the MOVE CONTROLLER are always global coordinates.
LMB Translate along the x-axis

MMB Translate along the y-axis
RMB Translate along the z-axis
SHIFT LMB Rotate about the x-axis
SHIFT MMB Rotate about the y-axis
SHIFT RMB Rotate about the z-axis
Commands for moving objects with the mouse
Note: Simultaneously holding down two of the mouse buttons

allows you to move objects in the plane spanned by the two
corresponding axes.
Move - By
This feature allows any figure to be moved based on an arbitrary
reference point. Jack already had the ability to apply "snap" to a
human figure's H-Point; this feature makes it possible to snap, or
indeed apply any other move, to any figure, based on any existing
Site or Node.
JT figures do not have native Jack geometry, and in particular, no

Nodes. For these figures, the "Move By Node" is not available.
However, "Move by Site" presents an alternate method of moving
these figures when the root site is defined at the scene's global
origin rather than local to the figure's geometry. Create a site on the
object's geometry by using the "snap-to-cursor" move command to
set the site location. Now one can move a JT figure by a site on the
geometry which makes transformation adjustment more intuitive.
For human Figures, a Move By Site other than the root may
contradict some behaviors or constraints. For example, requiring
that an Arm "hold relative to object" and then trying to move the
human by its shoulder! Be aware that some combinations may
cause the human figure to "collapse" under the contradictory
demands. It is usually best to only move a human when its Balance
behavior is "release".
Global vs. Local Transformations

Movement operations described so far operate along the global
coordinate axis. It is sometimes convenient to translate or rotate
along an axis associated with the figure itself. Global and Local
Transformations provide a method to interactively position an object
relative to the global environment or its current orientation.
Global Transformation
Local Transformation
Snap to Geometry
Direct manipulation is well suited for global or gross movements but
it can be difficult to adjust things relative to other objects. The SNAP
TO options provides a powerful way to precisely position objects
relative to each other. They are available anytime you are using the
MOVE CONTROLLER. The different snap to options are described
below and more detailed definitions can be found in the Appendix.
Cursor Point Cursor Position Only

Site Site Position and Orientation
Site Position Site Position Only
Site Orientation Site Orientation Only
Node Positions Node Position
Edge Line Closest Point to an edge line

Edge Position Closest Point to an edge
Edge Orientation Align to an edge’s orientation
Face Position Closest Point within a face
Face Center Center of a face
Face Plane Closest point on a face plane
Face Orientation Align to a face orientation
Square Orientation Align to the global reference
Ground Plane Move so the lowest node is at y=0
H-point to Site Move the human’s H-point to a site
Snap Command Definitions
Graphics Window
The GRAPHICS W INDOW contains the 3D scene. You can have
multiple GRAPHICS WINDOWS with different camera views or
attachments in each and the GRAPHICS W INDOW can be resized at
any time. The computation, graphics, user interface, and the total
processing rates are displayed in the upper right hand corner.
Additional information describing the overall efficiency of the scene
is also presented here.
Graphics Window
Change View
Changing the view is a very basic operation in Jack. A view change
can be done at any time just by holding down the <Ctrl> key.
Whenever the <Ctrl> key is depressed mouse movement
manipulates the camera location. Releasing the <Ctrl> key returns
operation to whatever you were doing before.
View Coordinate Reference

A yellow cross hair or coordinate frame will appear in the window
when you change view. This represents the focus point or View
Reference of the camera. Notice that as you move the mouse with
the <LMB> pressed the camera rotates about the center focus point.
The focus point stays fixed relative to the geometry as you do this.
Notice the difference between side-to-side mouse movement and
up/down mouse movement.
Mouse movement with the <MMB> pressed translates the camera.

The focus point moves relative to the geometry during the translation.
Again, notice the difference between side-to-side movement of the
mouse and up/down movement. Finally, the <RMB> zooms the
camera in and out on the focus point. The only functional movement
with the mouse when zooming is up/down.
Depressing the <Ctrl> and <Shift> keys simultaneously manipulates

the scene by moving the View Reference. Notice that now as you
move the mouse with the <LMB> pressed the geometry in the scene
rotates around the camera. Pressing the <MMB> translates the
focus point relative to the camera. The geometry moves relative to
the focus point. Notice that the end result is the same as when only
the <Ctrl> key was depressed. Finally, the <RMB> pushes or pulls
the focus point away from or towards the camera. The only functional
movement with the mouse when pushing or pulling the focus point is
up/down.
Command Result
CTRL LMB Rotate the camera
CTRL MMB Pan
CTRL RMB Zoom
CTRL + SHIFT LMB Rotate the View Reference
CTRL + SHIFT MMB Pan
CTRL + SHIFT RMB Push/Pull the View Reference
Commands for changing view with the mouse
Note: A great mnemonic device is to remember:

Ctrl = Camera
Shift = Spin Figure
Context Sensitive Menus

Context sensitive menus allow you to easily access menu options
that are specific to a certain type of entity (human figures, non-human
figures, segments, joints, sites, nodes). The <RMB> provides rapid
access to these context sensitive menus. The OBJECT SELECTOR ICON
(on the Toolbar) controls the type of entity that will be selected and
which menu options will appear when you press the <RMB>. The
OBJECT SELECTOR will be covered in more detail in subsequent
chapters.
Context Sensitive Menus
The Window pop-up menu that appears provides access to basic

view and window commands. The Window pop-up menu is available
anytime you hold down the <RMB> over an area of the window
where there is no geometry, no matter what the OBJECT SELECTOR
ICON is set to. Context sensitive menus differ for different objects, as
they will display only the options relevant to that object.
Picking with the Middle Mouse Button

When objects (figures, segments, sites, joints etc) are overlapping,
close together or obscured by other geometry it can be difficult to
indicate unambiguously which one you wish to select. Sometimes
simply manipulating the view can help. At other times, an alternative
method of resolving the ambiguity is needed.
In Jack the <MMB> provides a way to resolve this ambiguity during

a pick. If multiple selections surround the pick position, a SELECT
ENTITY DIALOG will appear that contains a list of these selections.
Select Entity
Space Bar Completion

If you know the name of a figure, segment, site or joint you are trying
to pick it can be easier to just type the name rather than trying to pick
it with the mouse. SPACE BAR NAME COMPLETION makes it even
easier. This feature is available in most text entry boxes.
Space bar completion
Note: Names are case sensitive.
International Menus
Jack allows users to customize the menus. For more information on
available menus or customizing your own, please contact SIEMENS
PLM SOFTWARE.
Chapter 1 Tutorial: Jack’s Interface
This exercise is an introduction to the basic workings of Jack’s

Control Bar and Graphics Window. You will execute basic
commands using the Icon Toolbar, manipulate objects using the
Move Controller, and learn how to navigate in the Jack scene. You
will also learn shortcuts that will help you work quickly in the Jack
environment.
Note: Training files are provided with your Jack installation. To

locate these, browse to where you have installed Jack. In the
… \Siemens\Jack_9.0\docs folder you will find a zip file called
Jack_Training_Files.zip. Once you unzip this folder, you will be
able to load each training environment through the Open option
in Jack.
Exercise: Control Bar Basics

 Open the file Chapter1.env FILE>OPEN
 Create a human figure using the Medium Male Icon or Medium Female Icon
 View the options available under the various Menus
 Move the cursor over the human figure.
Note: The message window content shows the name of the

human figure the mouse is positioned over.
Exercise: Object Selector
 With the OBJECT SELECTOR set to Figure, Right Click on a human
 Hit Esc
Note: The Context Sensitive Menu contains Figure options.

 Hit the MMB once in the GRAPHICS W INDOW
 Right Click on a human again
 Hit Esc
Note: The Context Sensitive Menu now contains Segment

options.
 Hit the MMB several times in the GRAPHICS W INDOW

 Left Click on the OBJECT SELECTOR
Note: The OBJECT SELECTOR only scrolls through Figure,

Segment, Joint, and Site when you use the MMB.
 Set the OBJECT SELECTOR to Figure again
Exercise: Using the Mover Dialog

 Select the Hand Selector icon in the MOVE CONTROLLER to initiate a move
command.
 Use the LMB to select a crate in the GRAPHICS W INDOW.
 Interactively move Crate1 with the Mouse buttons. When you are finished hit
ESC.
 Type in Crate0 and hit enter to initiate another move. Use the Text Entry Box
in the MOVE CONTROLLER.
 Move another crate.
 Move all the small crates until they are placed onto the racks in the scene.
Your completed scene should look something like this.
Hint: Use the MESSAGE W INDOW to find the name of another figure.
 Type in new coordinates. Use the Text Entry boxes in the MOVE CONTROLLER.
When you are finished hit ESC.
 Use the EDIT>UNDO Menu command.
Note: The object returns to its last position.
Exercise: Snap to
 Move a human up.
 In the MOVER DIALOG, select Ground Plane from the Snap Drop Down List
Note: The human figure moves so that the lowest node is at y =

0.
Snapping to the Ground Plane

 In the MOVER DIALOG, select Node Pos from the Snap Drop Down List
 Select a node on the crate
Note: The human figure moves to that node position.
 In the MOVER DIALOG, select Site from the Snap Drop Down List
 Select a site on the cube
Note: The human figure changes position and orientation. Try

other snap features.
Exercise: Global vs Local

 Start moving a large crate.
 Hold down the LMB and translate the large crate along the x-axis.
Note: The x-axis that the box translates along is the x-axis of the
world.
 Rotate the large crate about the y-axis. Approximately 45 degrees

 Click on the local option in the MOVE CONTROL.
 Hold down the LMB button and move the mouse to translate the large crate
along the x-axis.
This time, the box translates along its own x-axis.
Note: The local transform is interactive only. The values in the

MOVE CONTROLLER are still relative to the global environment.
 Experiment with local translations along other axes using the other mouse
buttons
Local transform
 Hit the Space Bar once to toggle back to moving along the global coordinate
axes
 Hold down the LMB to see the result
 Hit the Space Bar to toggle back to moving along the local coordinate axes
Exercise: Navigating the Jack Scene

 Press and hold the CTRL key
Note: This Hot key initiates a Change View command. While the
CTRL key is pressed a yellow cross hair appears in the window.
This is your VIEW REFERENCE or focal point.
 Use the Mouse buttons to navigate (Rotate, Pan and Zoom) the Jack scene.
 Move the Jack’s palm to the VIEW REFERENCE. Notice that the camera now
rotates around Jack’s palm.
 Practice moving the VIEW REFERENCE to other objects
Make sure you try all the combinations of Mouse Buttons as well as
the Shift Key.
Exercise: Context Sensitive menus

 Create a human figure
 Right Click RMB on the human figure.
Examine the menu selections available.
Note: The Move Command is also available in these menus.
 Right Click RMB in an open area in the Graphics Window. (Not on a figure)
Note: A menu appears in the GRAPHICS WINDOW with different

menu options. Try selecting other objects in the Jack scene and
note the menu selections.
 Right Click RMB on the human Figure again.

Select the Snap View from the context sensitive menu.
Note: Notice the movement of the VIEW REFERENCE. Try snapping

the view to other objects in the environment.
 Next, Right Click RMB on the Human to access the Move command through
the context sensitive menu
 Manipulate the figure. When you are through hit ESC.
Exercise: Picking with the MMB

 Zoom the view onto the left hand of your human
 Open the SITE PROPERTIES DIALOG from OBJECT > PROPERTIES > SITE
PROPERTIES
 Next, select a site on the palm using the MMB.
You may have to adjust the view over two sites.
 When the SELECT ENTITY DIALOG appears, scroll through the selections and
note the highlighting in the graphics window.
 With the select entity dialog still up use the MMB on the hand again
 A new list should be generated
Select Entity for Sites

Exercise: Space bar completion
 Create another human and open Crate.fig
 Open the FIGURE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT->PROPERTIES menu
 Rather than picking a figure with the mouse, click in the Figure Name Entry
Box.
 Type the letter C
Note: Figure names are case sensitive.
 Hit the space bar

The space bar completes the name as much as possible.
 Hit the Tab or Enter to accept crate
 Clear the figure name in the PROPERTY DIALOG by highlighting with mouse and
hitting the backspace
 Type the letter h and hit the space bar
The space bar completion will fill in human and beep. The beep
indicates that the name could not be completely resolved.
Note: File names are also case sensitive.
Chapter 2: File Management

Native Jack Files
Jack provides a powerful hierarchical modeling capability that allows
you to import or build articulated figures. The hierarchy is a familiar
inverted tree structure, with individual objects having parent and child
relationships. This is a very effective way to define even complex
systems of interconnected parts - such as the human body. The
diagram below illustrates the hierarchy graphically:
Jack Modeling Hierarchy

Environment
(Command: FileSaveScene)
At the highest level, systems are defined as scenes or environment
structures. The environment is a collection of “figures.” Each figure
consists of one or more “segments.” Segments in a figure are
connected to each other by joints. In other words, a figure is an
assembly of segments.
More importantly, the environment contains information required to
regenerate a particular scene (for example: relative locations
between figures, joint positions, size, and other constraints). These
files have the extension .env.
.env files contain:

 References to Figure Files (.fig) and Segment Files (.pss)
- Figure and Segment Files can also be embedded in the
.env file
 Relative Locations of the Figures
 Joint Angles/Positions
 Geometry Scaling
 Constraints and Attachment Information
.env files are also stored as ASCII text and can be opened/edited in
a text editor. Environment files can reference the .fig and .pss files.
This allows the user to reference one .fig or .pss file multiple times in
the same environment file or in multiple environment files. This can
help reduce the overall size of files associated with a given project.
This is also useful if a figure is modified. If you would like to have that
modified figure in every environment file in which it is referenced,
replacing the old .fig file with the new .fig file will automatically make
the changes to the files that reference that .fig file. This is also
applicable to .pss files referenced in an .env file.
If changes are made to the figure that occur more than once in an
environment or a figure that is used in multiple environments, you will
need to save the .fig file when prompted. If you do not save changes
to the figure, the .fig file will be written to the .env file. Therefore, if
you don’t save the figure, the .fig file will be embedded in the .env
file. Other .env files cannot reference .fig files that are embedded in
an .env file. To create a .fig file from a figure embedded in an .env
file, simply open the .env file and save the figure. If you resave the
environment, the .fig file will be referenced in the .env file. The .fig
file will no longer be embedded in the .env file.
It is a good idea to save the .fig file after you make any changes or
before saving the .env file. This is only necessary if you modify the
figure. If you have already saved changes to a .fig file, you will not
be prompted to save the figure when you save the .env file. Note if
you change visibility this will flag Jack to prompt you to save the .fig
file when you save the .env file. If you say yes, the visibility changes
will be written to the .fig file. If you say no, the visibility changes will
be written to the .env file.
It is important to understand what is not saved in an environment file.

Reflections, view cones, skeletons, traces, ghosts, projections, and
support glyphs are not saved with the .env file.
Note: An Environment File (.env) includes all the information

required to recreate a scene. It contains information defining
relative locations between figures, joint positions, size, and
other constraints.
Figures
(Command: FileSaveFigures)
Figures are a collection of one or more segments, as well as any
associated sites, colors, and joints. This data is stored in a Figure
(.fig) file. Figure files contain references to segment files (.pss), sites,
material properties, and joint connections.
.fig files are also stored as ASCII text and can be opened/edited in a
text editor. Figure files can reference the .pss files. This allows the
user to reference one .pss file multiple times in the same figure file
or in multiple figure files. This can help reduce the overall size of files
associated with a given project. This is also useful if the geometry is
modified. If you would like to have that geometry modified in every
figure file in which it is referenced, replacing the old .pss file with the
new .pss file will automatically make the changes to the files that
reference that .pss file.
If changes are made to the geometry, you will need to save the .pss
file when prompted. If you do not save changes to the .pss file, Jack
will use the last saved version of the .pss file. Therefore, if you don’t
save the .pss file you will lose any of the changes you have made to
the geometry.
It is a good idea to save the .pss file after you make any changes to
the geometry. This is only necessary if you modify the geometry. This
includes merging or splitting segments. The addition of sites, joints,
and changes in material properties are saved to the .fig file so there
is no need to save the .pss file if you make any of these changes.
Note: A Figure File (.fig) includes information about which

segments make up the figure, sites, colors, and joints
connections. (Joint connections and limits are retained when a
figure file is saved. Joint angles information is not contained in
a figure file.) Select the Include attributes check box to save
attribute information (for example, color selections)
Segments
(Command: FileSavePsurf)
Segments make up the lowest level of the hierarchy. They consist of
tessellated geometry data that makes up an object. This data is
stored as ASCII text in a Psurf (polygon surface) file that can be
opened with any text editor. This format is consequently easy to view
and edit. These files have the extension .pss. Two sample Psurf files
are shown below in order to illustrate how segments are constructed.
Note: Remember the properties of the different file types.
A Psurf (.pss) file, also referred to as a segment file, only

contains information defining a segment's geometry.
A Figure File (.fig) includes information about which segments

make up the figure, sites, colors, and joints connections. (Joint
connections and limits are retained when a figure file is saved.
Joint angles information is not contained in a figure file)
An Environment File (.env) includes all the information required

to recreate a scene. It contains information defining relative
locations between figures, joint positions, size, and other
constraints.
Manipulations
(Command: FileSaveManipulations)
A scene or figure whose positions you want to use again later may
be saved as an .env file. Select the Include Camera check box to
save the coordinates of the current camera viewpoint coordinates.
Manipulations save the figure positions and joint angles. When

loaded they allow you to reposition your loaded figures.
File Archiving
(Command: FileArchiveSave File to Archive)
The save file to archive feature allows users to a) save a file to a

specified directory, b) save as one zip file, or c) both. Archive files
are written out compressed, generally resulting in much smaller file
sizes, especially when using psurf-only geometry.
Note: When saving your data to a directory, it is recommended that

a new folder is created, to avoid overwriting data in a previously
existing folder.
Save File to Archive Dialog
Auto Backup
Command: FileAuto Backup
When Auto backup is enabled, an environment file will be saved to

your Jack directory (Home folder) at periodic intervals. At any time
if you wish to return to a previous state in the Jack scene, a backed
up .env file can be loaded. This feature can be helpful when doing
iterative posturing or scene set up and wish to restore a previous
scenario.
The frequency at which files are backed up can be selected using

the Auto Backup  Options. The number of files to keep can also
be selected here.
To load a saved file, click on Auto Backup  Load Backup file.
JT File Open / Import

(Command: FileOpen / FileImport)
JT is a 3D file format that is high-performance and compact. It is
intended for product visualization and collaboration. JT
(DirectModel) format is the primary file type support by Jack, and
these files can be opened directly or imported (translated) as native
Jack files (ex: .psurf). Jack supports JT file versions through v10.
JT files, when opened directly will support textures, however when

imported into a scene the textures will be lost.
For the majority of use cases, JT files can be loaded directly into Jack
and will interact with all aspects of the tool. In some cases, if you
need additional flexibility to manipulate a single segment of the larger
JT, importing can be helpful. The option to import the monolithic JT
(or translate a segment of the JT) to native Jack format will allow you
to move and work with individual segments of the larger 3D model.
An example of this may be loading in a full car. If you wish to simulate
the car door opening/closing, you will need to separate the door from
the car body. This can be done by; 1) importing the full JT as a native
jack .psurf or 2) translating the individual door segment of the JT after
the full car has been opened in Jack.
Non-JT Import Options

While JT is the primary 3D model type supported by Jack, an
additional set of legacy translators are available, and can be used in
workflows involving non-JT geometry. Note that these translators are
provided in the product distribution to offer additional input options,
however they are no longer under development and are provided as-
is and without support.
Legacy geometry translators;
Format File Extension

VRML 1.0 / 2.0 (.wrl)
IGES 5.3 (.igs)
Stereolithography (.stl)
Optimizer 1.1 (.csb)
Deneb IGRIP 1.2 parts (.igp, *)
Import Options
Basic scaling for certain file types is available and the object type
output by the translator can be changed. You can control what type
of file is output using the Jack Type option.
Jack type Output

Psurf 1 pss file
Figure 1 fig file and corresponding pss files
Environment 1 env file and corresponding pss files
Translate Segment from JT

(Command: EditTranslate Segment from JT)
In order to translate a single part/segment of a JT file, select
“Translate segment from JT” either on the segment context sensitive
menu or from the Edit menu. This option is also available from your
segment context sensitive menu which is discussed in the next
chapter. The original JT part will still exist but the visibility will be
turned off. The translated part will constitute a separate figure, but is
attached to the jt figure.
Functionality Psurfs JT
Translate to Native Jack ● ●
Display Assembly Hierarchy - ●
Display Settings ● ●
View Snap ● ●
Snap to Sites ● ●
Snap to Vertices ● -
Collision Detection ● -
Add Sites ● ●
Reroot Figure or Assembly ● ●
Rejoint Segments or Parts ● -
Move Figure or Assembly by Site ● ●
Move Figure or Assembly by Vertex ● -
Attach Figure To ● ●
Joint Psurf Segment to Figure or Assembly ● -
Joint Figures or Assemblies Together ● -
Edit Materials ● -
Texture Map ● Only in TcVis
Edit Geometry ● -
Create in Jack ● -
Trace, Ghost, or Create Swept Volume ● -
Export to VRML or IGES ● -
Re-root Geometry Center

Sometimes geometry is loaded into Jack in an undesirable location,
or with a root site that is offset from the geometry center. To help
alleviate some of the problems associated with unwanted JT
loading parameters, the default method of JT loading has been
updated so the geometry center is re-rooted upon load. That is,
when a JT file is loaded, a new root site called "root_override" is
created and placed at the center of the figure's bounding box.
This feature is particularly useful for JT geometry that is defined far
from the origin. After centering the root the geometry can be
moved/snapped to the desired location, rotated around its axes
using the arrow keys, etc. This also makes it much easier to use
these objects in TSB.
This option is enabled by default. To disable, go to Edit-> System
Defaults-> JT Options and uncheck Re-root to Geometry Center.
This feature does not apply to JT files loaded as part of an

environment file, by design, to avoid disrupting entities in the scene
(constraints, etc.). The "Center Figure Root" tool (described below)
should be used for existing environments.
Center Figure Root Dialog

This tool was designed to assist users in rerooting a geometry
center, in scenarios where the default JT load option (described
above) does not apply. For example, imported (rather than directly
loaded) JT data, as well as JTs loaded as part of an environment or
TSB (.tsf) file can be rerooted using this option. Non-JT data, such
as psurfs can also be rerooted.
This option is available via the main menu (Object –> Center Figure
Root), or by right clicking on a piece of geometry in the Jack scene
or Object Hierarchy.
Usage Details:
-The "root_override" site will be deleted if Undo is used after the
command.
-If the command is invoked multiple times the "root_override" site
will be moved - additional sites will not be added
Batch Translate Files

(Command: FileBatch Translate Files)
This command allows you to translate multiple files of the same
format into Jack native (.pss) files. The translated files will be saved
to the default home directory.
CAD Export
(Command: FileExport)
JT Export
(FileExport  JT)
Jack figures and scenes can be exported as JT geometry. This
feature is designed to export the Jack human models and Jack
generated geometry, such as reach zones, OPT obscuration zones,
reflection zones and visual fields, to JT format. Although the
exporter will attempt to convert all the psurf geometry in the scene,
only the natively generated Jack geometry is supported. Imported
geometry may not export correctly. Also, JT geometry in the scene
will not be included in the JT export.
Single Figure will export a selected figure as a single part.
Scene export will export all relevant figures in a scene as several

parts of a monolithic .jt file
Notes:
-Texture mapping export is not supported (ie, the psurf will export
but without any texture)
VRML Export
(FileExportVRML 1.0)
VRML output of a Jack scene is an option for generating 3D scenes
to share with others that don’t have access to the Jack software. Jack
can export individual figures or the entire Jack Scene.
Please note, the VRML exporter is now considered legacy. While it

is outdated, we have chosen to keep it available to increase the
geomeotry sharing flexibility of Jack. Please note that this translator
has been provided as is: we are no longer able to support updates.
It is recommended that JT export be used whenever possible.
Jack exports VRML 1.0. In both cases the segment definitions are
preserved in the VRML format. Assembly information, however, is
not saved.
VRML Export Dialog
Capturing Images
(Command: FileScreen Capture)
Much of a designer or engineer’s job when using Jack is centered
upon presenting analysis results for use in reports, design reviews,
company intranets, documentation, and even marketing. This
chapter will cover tools for creating high quality images, movies,
reports, and presentations using Jack.
Screen Capture
Screen images can be generated easily and imported into other
applications. They can be included in documents, presentation, e-
mailed to colleagues and even placed on web sites.
Image Dialog
Screen Capture
Notice that you have the choice of several different file types to save
the image as. The options are slightly different for the Windows and
UNIX versions of the software. It is important to specify the proper
extension for the file type you select.
Rendering
Selecting the Rendered check box generates a multi-pass rendered
image of the window. This will smooth jagged edges (anti-alias) in
the window image. Rendered images will take longer to create
because of the drawing process.
External Applications
There are cases where you may want to capture screen images
interactively, including areas outside of the GRAPHICS WINDOW . You
may want to capture the entire screen, including Jack’s graphics,
message, and command window or you may want to capture an
image as you do something in Jack (e.g., to show the adjust joint or
move glyphs during a manipulation).
Platform Command Result

Windows PrtScr Captures the entire screen
Windows Alt + PrtScr Captures active window
SGI type snapshot in shell Starts SGI screen capture
utility
Note: NVidia graphics cards may also demonstrate problems

generating antialiased screen capture images - the resulting output
images will not have antialiasing applied. This can be corrected by
going in to the advanced graphics settings of the driver and setting
"Buffer Flipping Mode" to "Use block transfer". Be sure to quit Jack
and restart after making this change. This is a persistent setting and
will only need to be done once.
Chapter 2 Tutorial: File Management

This tutorial will introduce you to the Psurf, Figure, and Environment
Files. You will also learn how to open files, import and export
geometry, and how to capture images in Jack.
Exercise: Loading an Environment file

 Delete the Scene from EDIT>DELETE SCENE
Note: This command will delete all objects in your graphics

window.
 Select the File Open icon
Note: The OPEN FILE DIALOG is a standard Windows format.
Open File Dialog

 Select the file Chapter2.env from the Training folder and hit the Open button.
This command will close the OPEN FILE DIALOG and load a previously
saved environment into your graphics window. Your graphics
window should look similar to the following.
Chapter_2.env
 Move the cursor over the human figure and the boxes (do not select
anything).
Note: The message window content changes when positioned

over the cubes or the human figure.
Exercise: Saving Figures and Segments

 Open barrel.fig (this is a figure file)
 Save the segment barrel FILE>SAVE>PSURF. Select Save Segment
PSURFS.
 Select the barrel as the segment you are saving and select OK.
 Name the barrel segment newbarrel.pss
 Open newbarrel.pss. OPEN>FIGURE>NEWBARREL.PSS
Note: The barrel.fig file saved material colors. Figures save

scale and color; segments (or PSURFS) do not save color.
 Add more barrels to your scene, and stack them in a corner.

 Save your changes by saving the scene/environment (Name your scene
MYChapter 2.env) FILE>SAVE>SCENE.
 Exercise: JT Open and JT Import
 Delete the scene EDIT->DELETE SCENE and select the FILE->OPEN option
 Choose the file Jack_Cell4.jt from the folder. .
 Select Open
 Notice the JT file of a workcell comes in rotated about Jack’s grid.
Jack_Cell3.jt when OPENED
 Move the entire JT Figure by selecting the move controller and rotating the
figure -90,0,90.
Note: Many files coming from CAD systems will need to be

translated (or moved) by rotating them if you wish to have the
file align to Jack’s grid. That is because in Jack Y=Up and in
CAD Z=Up.
 Open the OBJECT HIERARCHY
Object Hierarchy Assembly Tab after IMPORTING a JT File
 Expand the figure and segment lists. Notice that the ASSEMBLY tab expands
to show you the original assembly of the JT figure. This is only available when
you open a JT directly.
 Now lets IMPORT the same JT file (Jack_Cell4.jt)

 Delete the scene to start with a clean slate EDIT->DELETE SCENE and select
FILE->IMPORT
 Select the file Jack_Cell4.jt
 Select TRANSLATE
 The file is now being translated. Once it has completed you should see the
word SUCCESS. Hit CLOSE on the Import Log Window.
 Now lets review the Object Hierarchy again. This time you should not see any
files in the Assembly Tab. However if you expand the figure Jack_Cell4 in the
Flat Tab you should see all the segments of the file.
Object Hierarchy Flat Tab after Opening a JT File
 What is the difference between JT IMPORT and OPEN? JT IMPORT

translates all the parts of the assembly to Jack figures and segments. JT
OPEN keeps the files as JT within Jack.
Exercise: Jack’s Image Capture

 Use MYChapter2.env for this section. If you already have it open you can
proceed to the next step. If you do not have a file named MYChapter2.env then
you can use Chapter3.env.
 Select the menu option FILE->SCREEN CAPTURE
 Notice you have the option of capturing any Jack window.
 Choose the TJ Window if it is not already selected.
 Click Ok. You should now see the Save As menu come up.
 Name your new screen capture file (it will be .jpeg file format)
 Hit the Save button. You have now created an image file.
Exercise: Alternate Screen Capture Methods

 (NT) To copy an image of the entire screen, press the PRINT SCREEN key
 (NT) To copy an image of the Window that is currently active, press
Alt+PRINT SCREEN
 (NT) Paste this image in a document in applications such as Word, Power
Point or Paint using the Paste option on the Edit menu
 (SGI) Type snapshot at the Unix shell prompt.
You will see the snapshot control button appear over the Jack
window.
 (SGI) Move the mouse over the snapshot button; press and hold the Ctrl key
– the cursor should change to the image of a camera.
 (SGI) Click and drag the “rubber band” box over the screen area you want to
capture.
You should see the red bounding box for snapshot.
 (SGI) Move the mouse cursor to the snapshot button, and click the right
mouse button. You should see the snapshot menu.
 (SGI) Select the “Save as snap.rgb” option. The file will be placed in the
directory where you launched Jack.
 (SGI) Quit ‘snapshot’ by moving the mouse over the ‘snapshot’ button and
selecting the exit option from the menu.
Chapter 3: Editing the Jack Environment
The Jack environment can be edited using commands such as

undo, delete, and scale. You can also edit materials in the
environment, add textures to figures in the environment, or
customize your environment by changing background colors.
Undo
(Command: EditUndo)
Use this command to undo the last completed command. Multiple
invocations of the undo function will step backwards through the
command history.
Delete Scene
(Command: EditDelete Scene)
Use this command to clear the Jack window of all objects in the
environment.
Scale
(Command: EditScaleScene/Figure/Segment)
Jack allows you to scale segments, figures and the whole
environment. Notice that the SCALE FIGURE DIALOG allows for both
uniform scaling in all directions and non-uniform scaling where each
axis is scaled by a different amount.
Scale Figure Dialog
Note: When scaling the whole environment, human figures will

not be scaled. Human figures are scaled in a separate dialog
using anthropometry.
You also have the option of scaling interactively – the change will
take place immediately – or waiting for the Apply button to be picked
to have the scaling take place. The scale factor when you scale
interactively is always relative to the size of the figure or segment
when it is selected. The size indicated by a scale factor of 1.0 does
not change.
Another option is scaling relative to the global or local axis. This

effect is noticed when the object is rotated. When scaling relative to
the global axis the object may appear to distort.
Note: Global scaling is not saved in Jack’s .env or .fig format. To

recreate this effect the effected segment must be saved globally as
a psurf.
Materials
(Command: EditMaterials)
One of the most basic display parameters in jack involves color. In
Jack, the appearance of objects in the environment depends on the
material properties of the surface as well as the parameters of the
light sources in the scene.
Color:
Predefined or user defined colors can be used when creating
materials. These are three component RGB color definitions that are
used to define the ambient and diffuse parameters in a specific ratio.
The parameters of the surface materials are:
Ambient:
The color of the surface when not illuminated by a light sources.
Diffuse:
The color of the surface when illuminated by white light.
Specular:
The color of the specular highlights of the object.
Glossiness:
An integer exponent describing the specular scattering of the surface.
The lighting model simulates specular highlights using the cosine of
the angle between the viewing direction and the reflected light ray,
raised to the glossiness exponent. If this exponent is large
(approximately 50), the specular highlights are small and focused. If
the exponent is small the highlights are broad.
In most cases, objects will be assigned a material color from the CAD
system; however, Jack will randomly assign colors if one is not
provided.
Material Properties Dialog
Note: Material names are associated with the default color the
object was assigned when it was loaded. Changing the color will
not change the material name.
Textures
(Command: EditTextures)
Texture maps are a useful way to add interesting detail and realism
to your scene without adding a lot of extra geometry. Jack uses the
concept of a texture plane to determine how to map the image file
onto the surface or surfaces you select. The relative position and
orientation of the plane and the texture faces determine how the
image will be projected.
Texture mapped Monitor
Textures can also be applied to human figures (Segmented figures

only). However, it is important to note that after a texture has been
applied to the human, this must be persisted through the use of File
Archiving. If an environment file (.env) is saved with a textured
human, and reopened in a subsequent session, the texture
information will be lost. This has to do with the mechanism used to
save human psurf data in .env files. Thus, ), if you wish to reuse a
textured human at a later time, the session must be saved/captured
by creating an Archive file (File-> Archive->Save to Archive.
Key Bindings
(Command: EditKey Bindings)
Predefined Shortcuts
As with many software packages, menus in Jack can be accessed
using the <Alt> or <Ctrl> key plus the underlined letter in the menu
name as an alternative to picking the menu item with the mouse.
Jack predefines two such key combinations: <Ctrl-e> and <Ctrl-v>.
The <Ctrl-e> combination invokes the Adjust Joint Dialog while the
<Ctrl-v> combination invokes the Change View Dialog.
Custom Shortcuts
In Jack, custom key bindings, or “hot keys”, can be created for any
menu option and for any Tcl script (more about Tcl in later chapters)
to allow quick selection without using a mouse. Any hot keys that you
define are remembered until you change them.
Key Bindings
System Defaults
(Command: EditSystem Defaults)
Jack allows you to customize many features within the working
environment. The SYSTEM DEFAULTS DIALOG contains settings and
controls for the graphics window and the system. Any changes that
are made to the System Defaults will remain in effect until the Factory
Defaults are restored.
This dialog has several tabbed pages that define the current system
defaults for various components of Jack. To display a page, click its
tab. To modify any system default, select the appropriate page, make
desired changes, and then click the Apply button to save all changes
on all pages. If you dismiss the dialog without applying the changes,
you lose all changes since opening the dialog or the last time you
clicked Apply. The pages available from the System Defaults dialog
are (see Appendix for more details):
 Color: Defines colors used in the Jack environment. Among

objects with colors defined on this page are: background, grid,
site, node, and rotation wheel.
 Graphics: Specifies how objects appear in the Graphics Window.

 Solver: Defines parameters used to control the 3D geometry
solver used by Jack.
 UI: Determine how the user interface (UI) handles warnings from
library files, whether dialogs always remain on top of the Graphics
Window, and how many files to retain in the most recent file list
(on the File menu).
 Units: Selects units of measure preference (English vs. metric)
and magnitude (e.g., mm, cm, m). Also specifies increment (e.g.,
.5, 1, 2, ...) in units selected. You can specify units for angle,
density, distance, force, mass, torque, and volume.
 Viewers: Select and define parameters used by the Graphics
Window viewers. (To improve performance adjust the screen size
culling and fixed frame rates)
 Jt Options: Allows jt parts to be rotated when opening.
System Defaults Dialog
Chapter 3 Tutorial: Editing the Jack Environment

This tutorial with allow you to customize your work environment by
changing materials and colors of geometry and your workspace.
The features overviewed in this tutorial will allow you to create
realistic looking environments.
Exercise: Figure Scaling

 Delete your current scene by choosing EDIT->DELETE SCENE
 Open the file Chapter3.env
 Lets change the size of one of the barrels.
 Choose scale from EDIT->SCALE->FIGURE Notice you have the option of
scaling the whole scene, a figure, or a segment.
 Using the hand selector, select the barrel as the figure you would like to scale.
 Select the local scaling option.
 Use the arrows to adjust the size up and down. You can scale by all axes or
individual axes.
Note: The entire figure changes size interactively when you

have the Update Interactively box checked.
 Dismiss the SCALE DIALOG

 Rotate the barrel approximately 30 degrees about the Z-axis
 Open the FIGURE SCALE DIALOG again
 Pick the barrel again
 Select the global option instead of the local option.
 Scale the X and Z axes by 5
Note: The barrel becomes distorted because it is scaling the

object along the global axis.
Distorted Barrel
 Scale the X and Z axes back to 1

 Select the local option
 Scale the X and Z axes by 3
Note: The figure is not distorted this time because the figure is
scaled along its local coordinate system.
Exercise: Scaling the Environment

 Create a human
 Select Edit---Scale---Scene
 Type in 1 for X, 10 for Y, and 1 for Z and hit apply
Note: An information dialog will appear which states humans

are not scaled in the scene.
 Hit OK.
Note: Scaling the Environment scales everything globally.
 Type in 10 for X, 1 for Y, and 10 for Z and hit apply

Note: Now everything has been scaled up except humans along
every axis.
Exercise: Color Parameters

 Delete the scene and re-open Chapter3.env.
 Lets change the color of the barrels.
 Open the EDIT->MATERIALS->MATERIAL PROPERTIES menu
 Select one of the faces on a barrel.
 Select a predefined color or create your own by adjusting the ambient, diffuse,
and specular options.
 Hit APPLY.
 You have now changed the color of the barrel to your new color.
 Use these same steps to change Jack’s shirt and pant colors.
Exercise: Texture mapping

 Now we are going to apply a texture to the top of the table you see in your
scene. Move your view over to the table.
 Select the EDIT->TEXTURES->CREATE TEXTURE OBJECT menu option
 Select plane for the object type and hit the Create button. This will create the
texture plane to project the image through.
 Move the texture plane in front of your table top and align it with the top face
of the table using the Align to Face pick button. Note: You can move the
texture plane just like any other figure in the scene.
 Select the texture file using the Browse button. Look in the Textures Folder,
and select a texture.
 Hit the Apply button
 Notice that the texture plan now displays the image file you selected. The
texture mapping dialogue box has automatically switched to the second tab.
 Position the camera, the table, and the texture face so that when you look
through the texture plane at the cube the image in the texture plane falls
where you want it to be on the table.
 Select the top two faces of the table as the faces you want texture mapped as
the target
 Click the Tile Texture button off
 Hit Apply
 Move the texture plane out of the way so you can see the cube (you can delete
the texture plane if you want)
 You should now see the texture on the table top.
Texture mapped tale top and texture plane in move mode
Exercise: Hot Keys (Shortcuts)

 Select the EDIT->KEY BINDINGS menu option
 Click on the <Control-Key-e> and then Edit button
Note: Ctrl+e is bound to the ADJUST JOINT DIALOG. You can change
the binding if you wish.
 Enter a p in the Key Stroke text box, and pick the Control option
 Select menu pick for the type of thing to bind.
 Expand the human menu by clicking on the box next to the word Human.
Select the Properties option
 Click on the Bind button to add to list of key bindings. Hit Apply to actually
have the key binding take affect
 Dismiss the KEY BINDING DIALOG
 Type Ctrl+p. The HUMAN PROPERTIES DIALOG should be on the screen.
Note: Key bindings will still be set next time you use Jack. You don’t have to
reset the shortcuts every time you use Jack.
 Open the KEY BINDINGS DIALOG again

 Click on the <Control-Key-p> in the list of key bindings
 Click on the Edit button
Notice that this shows what is currently bound to the Ctrl+p. You can
change the binding if you wish.
Exercise: Customizing the workspace

 Open the SYSTEM DEFAULTS DIALOG from EDIT>SYSTEM DEFAULTS
 Change the Background color under the COLOR TAB
 Change the units displayed under the UNITS TAB
Note: Jack allows you to customize many features within the

working environment. Try changing other values in the SYSTEMS
DEFAULTS DIALOG and note the changes.
System Defaults Dialog: Color and Units Tabs
Chapter 4: Changing Your View of Jack
This section includes information on changing the visibility of figures,

creating new window sets, and the state of figures (wireframe,
transparent, etc). It also discussed options for viewing the
environment.
Center All
(Command: ViewCenter all)
This feature will reposition the entire scene in the center of the
workspace.
Zoom To
(Command: ViewZoom To)
Zooms into the point selected on the screen.
Make All Figures Visible

(Command: ViewMake All Figures Visible)
This command will unhide all objects previously made invisible.
This is a global command that will turn every figure and segment on
in the Jack scene.
Toggle Segment Visibility

(Command: ViewToggle Segment Visibility)
This command will reverse the visibility of all objects in the
environment.
This will globally toggle the visibility of every segment in the Jack
scene.
Before and After Toggle Segment Visibility
Shade Scene
(Command: ViewShade Scene)
This command will convert wireframe objects to shaded objects.
Wireframe Scene
(Command: ViewWireframe Scene)
This command will convert shaded objects to wireframe.
Figure Projections
(Command: ViewFigure Projections)
Note Jack also provides a method of creating orthographic views
within the Perspective windows. These PROJECTIONS are viewed on
planes defined by the edges of the ground plane. Projections are
very useful for helping to position objects in three dimensions.
Projections are more compact than opening multiple windows and
can save having to continually adjust the view to make sure that two
objects are properly positioned.
Human Figure Projections
Textures On/Off
(Command: ViewTextures On/Off)
This command will toggle the display of texture maps on and off.
View Control
(Command: ViewView Control)
Most of the time you will control the view simply by holding down the
<Ctrl> key. However, additional options for manipulating the view
are accessible from the VIEW CONTROL DIALOG. The VIEW CONTROL
DIALOG allows you to set the position of the camera.
View Control Dialog
This dialog gives you options for changing or setting specific view
parameters for Jack GRAPHICS W INDOWS. You can use the icon
to select specific GRAPHICS W INDOWS.
Camera Position and Orientation

The camera position in the GRAPHICS W INDOW is defined in terms of
a global vector. You can edit the XYZ Translational and Orientational
aspects of this vector in the Text Entry boxes.
Camera Field of View

Jack defines the view in the GRAPHICS W INDOW using a Field of
View Angle. This angle measures the vertical and horizontal
dimensions of the viewing frustum. You can change the field of
view by editing the appropriate entry box.
Field of View set to 40x40 degrees and 100x100 degrees

Note: Do not use the Field of View as a means of zooming in and
out on objects. With extreme angles the View command can
become difficult to manipulate. Also, lowering the Field of View
will not create a 2D-window effect. Jack has 2D-windows for this
purpose. These will be covered later.
Snapping and Attaching View

Snapping the view is a convenient way to explicitly control where the
focal point of the camera is relative to objects in the scene. The snap
function is the same command available in an Object’s Context
Sensitive Menu.
Attaching a camera allows you to connect the camera to a particular

object in the scene. The camera will keep the same relative position
to an object as it is moved in the environment. When the view is
attached to a site the view is always oriented to look down the local
(–Z ) axis of the site.
Attaching a camera view is very useful for creating views from the
human’s eyes. Sites with the z-axis pointing into the head (and thus
the –z pointing out) already exist on the head (between the eyes) and
on each eyeball. We will learn more about this in the next chapter.
Named Views
(Command: ViewNamed Views)
Frequently used views can also be saved allowing you to easily
position the camera in a specific location. This camera location can
then be used in this environment, as well as in other environments
you may be working with. This is a useful tool for capturing images
for presentation material.
Named Views Window
Window Parameters
Manipulating views in Jack is key to effective interactive use and,
ultimately, your productivity. This section covers some advanced
viewing and window management operations that allow you
customize how you see your scene in Jack. Perspective and
orthogonal views are available in the create windows option. The
user can display both perspective and orthogonal views can be
displayed simultaneously, or two perspective or orthogonal views
simultaneously..
Create Windows
(Command: ViewCreate Windows)
Since much of the work you do in Jack involves interactive feedback
in the GRAPHICS W INDOW, Jack provides the ability to create and look
at multiple views.
Window Sets
(Command: ViewWindow Sets)
This command will arrange the display of the Jack environment into
the specified window arrangements: Full Screen (the default view),
Four Panels, Two Panels/Vertical, Two+One/Vertical, and
Two+One/Horizontal.
4 Panel Layout - 1 Perspective 3 Orthogonal
Note: In 2D windows the view cannot be rotated. Pan and zoom

are the only controls that can be used to change the view.
Current Windows
(Command: ViewCurrent Windows)
This command allows you to select which window in the set to display
as the current (working) window.
Stereo Properties
(Command: ViewStereo Properties)
You can immerse yourself into Jack’s world with the latest in virtual
reality techniques, including stereo glasses, boom- or helmet-
mounted displays (HMDs), CyberGlove, and full-body motion
tracking. This command allows the user to set up the stereo viewing
window parameters.
Object Hierarchy
(Command: ViewObject Hierarchy)
The OBJECT HIERARCHY provides an alternative view of your scene
that clearly shows the relationship between different figures and their
component parts. It can be expanded or collapsed to help view the
current scenes underlying structure.
It initially contains a listing of all Figures in the current environment.

These individual Figures can be expanded to display their
segments and joints. Individual segments can be expanded to
access their sites. Finally, individual joints can be expanded to
display the connection segment-site combinations.
Object Hierarchy Window
The OBJECT HIERARCHY can be used to select specific objects as well

as access context sensitive menus <RMB>. This is a useful feature
when you know the name of the object you wish to manipulate but
do not know its location in the environment.
Process Simulate.lnk
Object Hierarchy
Toggle Log Windows

(Command: ViewToggle Log Window)
This command will toggle the display of the Jack log file.
Toolbars
(Command: ViewToolbars)
This command allows the user to customize the display of the Icon
Toolbar.
Chapter 4 Tutorial: Changing Your View of Jack

This tutorial with allow you to move around in the Jack scene and
set the environment up to allow for optimum visibility of key areas of
interest using multiple viewing windows. Within this tutorial you will
also work with changing textures and visibility of objects in the
scene.
Exercise: Visibility
 Delete the scene
 Open the file Chapter4.env from the training folder
 Right Click on a crate and select DISPLAY > VISIBLE
 From the Object Hierarchy, turn the crate back on (make it visible) by right
clicking on the crate and then choosing DISPLAY > VISIBLE
 Change the Object selector to segment
 Turn off the segment human.bottom_head
 Turn off the segment human.lower_torso
 Turn off the segment human.right_upper_leg
 Turn off the segment barrel.barrel, and table.table
Segment Visibility
 Toggle the segment visibility from VIEW > TOGGLE SEGMENT VISIBILITY
This toggles visibility for all segments. Note the results in the
graphics window.
 Turn off the segment human.bottom_head
 Toggle segment visibility again
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Note: The head is now visible with the other scene.
 Make everything visible from VIEW > MAKE ALL VISIBLE
Note: MAKE ALL VISIBLE will make the whole scene visible.
Exercise: Shading Options

 Delete the scene and open Chapter4.env again.
 Now let’s change the shading options of the entire scene.
 Select the menu option VIEW->W IREFRAME SCENE
 You should now see the entire scene as wireframe.
 To get back to shaded mode, select VIEW->SHADED SCENE
Wireframe Scene
Exercise: Advanced View Control

 Next, open the VIEW CONTROL DIALOG
Note: The graphics Window is currently TJ_Window.
 Rotate and change the view
Note: While the Move Button in the VIEW CONTROL DIALOG is

selected you do not need to hold down CTRL.
 Click on the Move button to turn off the interactive move.

 Change the vertical field of view to 60
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Note: This changes the window perspective. As the field of view

increases the area seen by the camera increases.
 Change the horizontal field of view to 90

The horizontal and vertical fields of view can be changed
independently.
 Change the vertical field of view to 40
 Change the horizontal field of view to 60
 From the VIEW CONTROL’S Snap Drop Down Dialog select node
 Select a node on a human
Note: The view reference moves to the node. This command is

similar to Snap View.
Snapping the view to a node

 Now let’s attach the view to a node. Choose a node on the human head.
 Notice the view in the TJ Window has changed to the view from the node on
the human head.
 To detach the view from the node on the human head, select Detach.
Exercise: Window Parameters

This exercise will introduce you to different window and viewing
options within Jack. You will create new windows and edit
perspective views.
 Using the LMB shrink the TJ_W INDOW to about half the original size.
 Select the menu option VIEW->CREATE W INDOWS->NEW WINDOW and note the
different types
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 Create a new perspective window

A new window should appear on the desktop
 Pick a Window and use CTRL to change view. Notice the different perspective.
 Use the RMB to bring up the Window Context Sensitive Menus and delete
TJ_VIEW_2
 Create a non perspective window (X, Y or Z)
 Finally, select one of the preformatted layouts such as VIEW: W INDOW SETS:
FOUR PANELS
Exercise: Manipulating objects in the Object Hierarchy

This exercise is an introduction to the basic workings of the Object
Hierarchy.
 Create a human figure
 Open the Object Hierarchy
 You should see a list of all the objects in the scene.
 Right click on the human in the object hierarchy.
Context Sensitive Menu on the Human
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Note: The context sensitive menus from the GRAPHICS WINDOW

are duplicated in the OBJECT HIERARCHY.
 Select the hand selector from the MOVE FIGURE DIALOG

 Pick the human from the OBJECT HIERARCHY
 Move the human. Hit ESC when finished.
 You can also access other functions by expanding the figure.
 Click on the plus sign (+) to expand the human figure. You will see the options
segments and joints.
 Click on the plus sign (+) for joints. The hierarchy will show all of the joints in
the human figure.
The Plus and Minus Signs Expand the Figures

 Scroll down to an elbow joint
 Access the ADJUST JOINT DIALOG for the elbow using the OBJECT HIERARCHY
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Chapter 5: Working with Humans
The Jack human figure is built upon the basic modeling elements you
have learned in previous sections. However, Jack’s human models
are much more complex than anything you’ve dealt with up to this
point. Jack’s human model consists of 71 segments, 69 joints (many
of which are multi-axis and multiple degree of freedom joint
complexes), and 135 degrees of freedom! On top of that, behaviors
and constraints are at work in human figures, controlling realistic
human responses automatically. Although this chapter is only an
introduction to Jack’s human figure, it is probably the most important
in this course.
Jack and Jill Figures
Human Figure Types
The latest Jack and Jill figures are constructed of meshes that
deform as the figure moves, much like our own skin. There are
three variants of the figure; 1) Base male and female figures
dressed in form-fitting outfits that are well suited for detailed
accommodation studies. 2) Clothed figures, that feature typical
work attire including shoes, pants, and shirts. 3) Most recently, a
new figure variant was added featuring protective work boots and
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gloves. The thickness of the gloves can be adjusted as well as the

sole height of the boot.
When an accurate fit or clearance study is the objective, it is

recommended that the Base figures are used. The anatomical
landmarks used to scale the figure sit on the surface of the Base
figure, so it accurately reflects the desired anthropometric
dimensions. The clothing on the clothed figures has been modeled
to reflect a representative offset from the base figures skin surface.
The figures can be scaled to represent the breadth of populations

included in the scaling options, and can also be modified to reflect
different body shapes.
The clothed figures have been set as the default figures and can be
accessed by clicking on the Create default male/female icons along
the toolbar:
All other figures can be found in the Human Library: Human->

Create -> Human from Library
V7.0 Boots & Gloves figures

The male and female v70 Boots & Gloves figures are identical to
the existing v70 deformable skin figures, but include gloves and
boots. The thickness of the gloves and the height of the boot sole
can be independently scaled via the scaling dialog.
When scaling the anthropometry of the figure, the sole thickness

entered in the scaling dialog will be added to the figure height. This
allows for greater accuracy in reach studies and toe box clearance
assessments.
Glove thickness can be set in the scaling dialog. The hand will
scale according to the dimensions of the selected anthropometric
database, and then a glove thickness offset is added to the hand.
For example, if the glove thickness is set to 1.5mm, the hand will be
enlarged radially, by 1.5 mm to mimic the space claims needed for
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that glove. This allows for more accurate hand clearance studies to
be performed.
Segmented Figures
The segmented figures represent the original Jack figure type.
These humans are built of non-deforming geometry to represent
each segment. The segmented figures can be used for Advanced
Scaling, where the user has additional control over individual
segment dimensions.
v6.0 Figures
With the Jack v6.0 release, figures with deformable surface mesh
construction were introduced. These were the first generation of
this technology and have since been replaced by the v7.0 mesh
humans, who have improved visual realism and anthropometric
scaling fidelity. The v6.0 figures will load into Jack, if part of a
previously saved study, but can no longer be selected from the
human library.
Customized Skin, Hair, and Clothing Colors

For any figure type, if you wish to change the skin, hair or clothing
colors on your figures, this can be done by right clicking on the
human in the Jack scene, selecting Properties and going to the
Materials tab. Chose the material you would like to change from the
list (ie. Pants), and click on Properties to bring up the color palette.
Human Hands
Disembodied Hands
(Command: Object -> Create -> Figure from Library)
At times it may be expedient to only work with individual
disembodied hands as compared to posturing the entire body.
Therefore, disembodied hands have been introduced that can be
loaded from the Figure Library.
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These hands are have the same anthropometry detail as are found
on the new figure, and the new hand shape dialogs can be used to
posture them.
Note that the anthropometry of these disembodied hands currently
cannot be changed
Human Scaling (Anthropometry)

One of Jack’s most powerful features is the ability to accurately scale
human figures. This allows you to evaluate designs for a variety of
people sizes without requiring prototypes and test subjects.
5th, 50th, and 95th Percentile Statures
Anthropometry in Jack is particularly useful because of Jack’s ability

to quickly modify body dimensions “on the fly”. That is, you can build
an environment, create the human figure and define the
environmental constraints (such as “keep your foot on the brake
pedal”), and then modify the human figure’s measurements. You
don’t have to re-do your analysis for each different scale! This makes
performing studies with wide coverage of population percentiles very
straightforward.
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The Anthropometric Databases found in Jack are:
a) ANSUR : Anthropometric survey of US army personnel (1988)

b) ANSUR II: Anthropometric survey of US army personnel (2012)
c) NHANES:
a. 2011-2014 Anthropometric data from the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey
b. 1990 Anthropometric data from the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey
d) Mexican_Jalisco: Dimensiones anthropometricas, Poblacion
Latinoamericana, Universidad de Guadalajara, by Chaurand,
Prado-Leon, Gonzalez-Munoz, Data from 1993-1999 (Ages 18-
65).
e) CDN_LF_97: anthropometric data from the Canadian Land
Forces (1997)
f) NA_Auto: anthropometric data representing the North American
automotive working population.
g) CHINESE: anthropometric data representing Chinese adults
aged 18-60 (males) and 18-55 (females). Based on the
following report [GB 10000-88], 1989.
h) Asian Indian Anthropometric Database: Indian Anthropometric
Dimensions For Ergonomic Design Practice, Ahmedabad,
National Institute of Design - 1997
i) German Anthropometric Database: DIN 33402: German
Industry Standard, March 2008
j) Japanese:
a. International Standard: ISO7250-1 (2008). Basic human
body measurements for technological design, Part 1:
Body measurement definitions and landmarks.
b. Technical Report: ISO/TR 7250-2 (2010). Basic human
Statistical summaries of body measurements from
individual ISO populations.
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k) Korean
a. International Standard: ISO7250-1 (2008). Basic human
Body measurement definitions and landmarks.
b. Technical Report: ISO/TR 7250-2 (2010). Basic human
Statistical summaries of body measurements from
individual ISO populations.
l) Child Figures: Child Data: Snyder et al., Physical Characteristics
of Children. Consumer Product and Safety Commission, 1975
(UM-HSRI-BI-75-5).
Figure Scaling
The latest anthropometric scaling gives you control over not only
the stature and weight, but also the shape of the figure. There is a
Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) slider, which allows you to modify the
body weight distribution of your figure. Additionally, when using the
Boot & Gloved figures, you can also scale boot sole height and
glove thickness.
The scaling dialog can be seen below:
WHR Slider
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To measure Waist to Hip Ratio, it is generally suggested that you

measure waist circumference at the smallest part of the waist, and
hip circumference at the largest part of the hips, over the buttocks.
These values are then divided to produce a Waist to Hip Ratio.
However, in cases where individuals have large midsections or
bellies, the waist circumference should be measured around the
largest part of the belly.
Sample Calculation:
Waist Circumference: 33 inches  33/47 = 0.70
Hip Circumference: 47 inches
Boot and Glove Scaling

To load a figure with Boots & Gloves, go to Human -> Create ->
Human from Library
When scaling the anthropometry of the figure, sole thickness is

added to the figure height, which allows for greater accuracy in
reach studies and toe box clearance assessment. The boot sole
height can be scaled between 2.5 and 7.6 cm (1-3 inches).
The glove thickness is added to the hand dimensions after scaling

to a desired anthropometric database. Support for independent
glove scaling allows more accurate hand clearance studies to be
performed for situations where typical protective work gloves are
worn. The glove thickness can be scaled between 1 and 4 mm.
Notes about scaling:
 The Waist to Hip Ratio slider is only available for the latest
figures. All legacy figures will continue to scale using the
previous scaling methods. This is to ensure that workflows
which rely on older figures (and scaling) are not disrupted.
 If you are using a machine with low memory, try checking
the Conserve memory during anthropometric scaling
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check box in System Defaults->UI dialog. This will reduce

the memory foot print of scaling operations.
Create
(Command: HumanCreate)
Create Male and Female Icons
Basic
(Command: HumanCreateCustom)
This brings up the Build Human dialog, which allows the user to
create custom humans. From the default Build Human panel the user
can create male or female figures of a specified height and weight as
well as child sized figures corresponding to a specified age. You can
also select which anthropometric database you would like to use to
scale your figure.
Human Scaling Icon
The basic HUMAN SCALING PANEL lets you create manikins based on
custom or percentile values for height and weight. Statistical
algorithms are used to size the other human dimensions and create
the human manikin.
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Basic Human Scaling Dialog for segmented (left) and smooth

skin (right) figures
Advanced
(Command: HumanCreateCustomAdvanced Scaling)
The Advanced Scaling Panel allows for additional control over the
segmented human dimensions by letting the user specify a number
of anthropometric measurements for the human.
When using the segmented figures, Jack also allows you to model
humans of any dimension, not just “5th and 95th” models. The
advanced HUMAN SCALING PANEL lets you create manikins using
specific anthropometric dimensions.
Jack’s Anthropometric Dimensions

Stature Foot Breadth
Abdominal Depth Foot Breadth
Ankle Height Hip Breadth
Acromion Height Interpupil Distance
Arm Length Shoulder Elbow Length
Biacromial Breadth Sitting Acromial Height
Bideltoid Breadth Sitting Eye Height
Buttock Knee Length Seated Height
Elbow Rest Height Sitting Knee Height
Elbow-Fingertip Length Thigh Clearance
Foot Length Thumbtip Reach
Hand Breadth Head Height
Hand Length Head Length
Head Breadth
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Advanced Scaling Dialog

(For use with segmented figures only)
Beyond creating and scaling manikins, the panel serves the function
of measuring manikins. When a human figure is selected all of the
measures for that human will be displayed on the panel.
Note: To scale for multiple dimensions with a predefined stature

and weight, start with simple scaling and scale for stature and
weight first. Then use the advanced scaling dialogue to specify
other dimensions.
Human Copy
(Command: Human  Copy or RMB on Figure  Copy)
Often it is desirable to quickly copy postural, anthropometric or task
specific parameters from one human figure to another. For
example, you may want to test different sized individuals reaching
to the same location. The Human Copy functionality addresses
these needs.
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The Copy Dialog
The Source and Target fields allow you to select the participating
humans in the scene.
If the Copy posture checkbox is selected, a number of associated
options will become available. Either the Joint Angle-based or Goal-
based approaches can be used.
 Joint Angle based
 With this approach, joint posture values are copied
from the Source to the Target human.
 The Target human will be constrained to keep the
anchor site at the current location and orientation.
However, if the Copy location checkbox is checked,
the Target figure will be moved by the anchor site to
the same site on the Source Figure.
 Goal based
 With this approach, specific attention is paid to the
location of the hands, feet and gaze. This mode is
useful for Source and Target figures that have
different anthropometric dimensions. The functionality
copies the Joint Angles from the Source to the Target
figures, and then attempts to move the hand and feet
locations to match those of the Source figure. It also
attempts to have the Target figure gaze in the same
general area as the Source figure.
 Note that this option always assumes that the location
of the Source and Target figures is the same.
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Copy anthropometric properties

 This option will copy the anthropometric dimensions from the
Source to the Target figure
 Note that this option is not available if the Source and Target
Figures are of different genders.
Copy Loads and Weights
 If Loads and Weights are defined on the Source human, then
this option will become available, and will allow you to copy
these definitions to the Target figure.
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Caution should be exercised when Copying between different

generation human figures. It is generally not recommended to use
the Anthropometric Human Copy feature between figure versions.
However, if you do try to copy anthropometry between figure
versions, the following copy rules will be applied:
Anthropometric
dimensions to be copied
Copy Source Copy Target between figures
v70-base/clothed v70-base/clothed all
v6x-
default/segmented v70-base/clothed link lengths
v6x-
default/segmented v6x-default/segmented all
v70-base/clothed v6x-default not supported
v70-base/clothed v6x-segmented link lengths
Properties
(Command: HumanProperties)
In Jack, human figures are like other types of figures, except they
have pre-defined sites, segments, joints, and constraints. There are
also special ways of manipulating them and describing their motion
(see Human Control dialog). Properties in this dialogue that are
common to all figures will be further discussed in the next chapter.
Figure Properties Dialog
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Skeleton
(Command: Human PropertiesDisplay Tab)
Figures with joints have an underlying linkage structure that can be
displayed. Specifically, the joint locations and the segment structure
between these joints are displayed.
Human Skeletal View

Note: Making the human figure transparent or wireframe will
allow you to view the skeleton more clearly.
Human Behaviors
(Command: HumanBehaviors)
This dialog can be used to define specific behaviors for your human
figure. For example, balance control can be set using this dialog,
along with hand, foot and gaze control. Note, that the majority of
commonly used behaviors can also be accessed and set using the
Human Control Panel (described below).
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Human Behaviors
Human Control
(Command: HumanHuman Control)
The Human Control Panel offers a unified location to access the

various manipulation methods for the human figure. For users of
the separately license Task Analysis Toolkit, you will also notice
that the ForceSolver has been integrated into the Control Panel.
This enables a powerful workflow for assessing maximum exertion
capability and reflects the latest research findings. During a
Forcesolver Solve, the hand exertion forces are updated in concert
with the figure’s posture response, until the maximum capability
solution is reached. In addition, the Human Control Panel Loads &
Weights section was significantly revised with this release, making
the definition of forces on the human more intuitive.
The Human Control Panel can be launched from the main toolbar,
by clicking on . It is also available if you right-click on the
human in your scene and choose Control from the context menu.
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Human Control Panel
Posturing Techniques Available in the Control Panel

Force Influenced Posturing
Humans will posture themselves differently depending on the task
they are performing and the amount of effort (force) that is required.
The Human Control Panel allows you to posture a figure while
accounting for how much force needs to be exerted. To enter a
force, open Loads & Weights from the Control Panel and select
the left/right palm-center site(s). When the human is put into
manipulate mode or a reach/grasp is executed, it will account for
these palmcenter loads when predicting the posture. Note that only
palmcenter forces are recognized by the posturing algorithm, loads
on other hand sites will not have an influence.
Including the force requirements of a task allows for a more
accurate representation of human posturing behavior and ultimately
a more realistic analysis of task demands.
Bracing
In real world settings, people are often seen leaning on surfaces
with either their hands or thighs. This can provide support while
performing a task, or keep them in balance when reaching to a far
distance. In the past, these conditions posed a challenge to model
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accurately. However, recent research studies provide data on

postures and forces associated with braced task conditions. These
findings have been incorporated into the Control Panel so you can
include bracing surfaces in your scene, and predict a representative
posture for your human figure. Jack will look to see what hand
loads (if any) are on the figure palm-center sites, and will apply the
appropriate bracing forces as well as optionally update the task
hand force according to the research observations. Braced
posturing will improve your ergonomic analyses by generating more
realistic postures and associated forces acting on the human.
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Navigating the Control Panel

When first launched the control panel will appear like this;
Each menu option at the bottom of the UI is
described here:
Undoes the last operation
Launches the Save Posture function
Opens the Posture Libraries
Opens Loads & Weights
Opens the ForceSolver (subject to licensing)
Opens the Help document
Dismisses the Control Panel
For full details about menu options in the Control Panel, click on the
at the bottom right of the control panel.
Eye View
(Command: HumanEye View)
The EYE VIEW DIALOG can be used to create a first person view from
your human figures. This lets you see what your human is seeing.
You can choose to create the eye view in your existing window
(TJ_Window) or create a new window. Eye views can be created with
the Head Forward, for Both Eyes, or for the Left or Right Eye Only.
Eye View Dialog
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Notice that you can control which window has its view attached to
the human. The option to create new eye windows is also available
from the <RMB> context sensitive menus for the human figure.
Note: Control of the eye view window is through movement of

the head.
Between Eye View Window
View Cones
(Command: HumanView Cones)
View cones are a graphical extension of the Eye View Window.
These cones emanate from the eyes of a manikin and demonstrate
what the figure can potentially see. View cones are actually
transparent cones that represent a particular visual angle from the
manikin’s eyes. The default setting of 40 is taken from several
standards that define the ideal visual angle in which to position key
objects.
View Cones
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Chapter 5 Tutorial: Working with Humans

In this tutorial you will learn how to create, position, and manipulate
the human in Jack. In addition to basic human manipulation you will
learn how to create view cones, change hand shapes, and grasp
objects. Finally, you will also learn techniques to make working with
humans simple!
Exercise: Create a Human

 Open the file Chapter_5.env
 Add a default male figure and move the figure to one side
 Add a default female figure and move this figure to one side
Exercise: Human Scaling
This exercise will introduce you to scaling manikins and basic

anthropometry in Jack. You will create and edit the size of the Jack
manikin using basic and advanced scaling.
Visually note the difference in stature.
 Right click on one of your male humans
 Choose the scale option
 The scale dialogue will open
 Choose the option ‘Percentile’ for both Height and Weight and select 95th
percentile male
 You can also select an Anchor site (Heel, Eye Level, Hpoint) which will dictate
where the figure should begin scaling from.
 Hit Scale Existing
Scaling dialogue for segmented figure Scaling dialogue for segmented figure
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Human Basic Scaling Panel

 You should see your male update in stature and weight to a 95 th percentile
male
 Leave the scale dialogue open
 Choose Custom for Height and Weight
 Specify a Height and Weight
 Hit Scale Existing
 The human will scale to your desired custom height and weight
Scaled figures
 Right click on the segmented human in your scene
 Choose the scale option
 Choose the Advanced Scaling Button on the bottom of the menu
 You should see that you are able to change the dimensions of specific body
measurements
 Adjust the Arm Length dimension of one of your humans
 Once you have completed changing the size of your human from the advanced
scaling panel, let’s save the new humans dimensions.
 In the Save As field, name your human Fred (or any preferred name)
 Select Add to Menu
 Select Dismiss
 Open the menu Human->Create Human you should now see Fred as one of
the options
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Figure that has been advanced scaled and saved
Exercise: Human Postures

 Right click on Jill and select Control to launch the Human Control Panel.
.
 Click on the predefined postures icon .
 Scroll through the Full Body Postures list and click on Pull_Back. You may
be warned that some body parts are locked. Click Yes to proceed.
 Click to select ‘Hand’ for posture type, select Both from the Side dropdown
and scroll through the list to find Fist.
 Then click Set Start.
 Scroll to find Neutral. Then click Set End.
 Adjust the Interpolate slider to adjust Jill’s hand posture.
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 Click on the Save Posture icon .

 Select Full Body
 Fill in a Posture Name as “CustomPull”
 Click Save
 Go back to the Predefined postures list to find the newly added posture.
 Click Remove Posture
 Highlight “CustomPull” and click Remove.
 Dismiss from this menu
 Use the RMB on the human and select Default Standing Posture.
 Use the RMB on the human and select Postures.
 Select stand_overhead posture for the human from list.
 Choose other postures to see what they look like.
.
Context Sensitive Posture Menu
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Exercise: Skeletal Structure

 Using the segmented Jack figure, make the human transparent by right
clicking on the human and selecting the Display Transparent option
 Note: this option will only work for the segmented figures. If you wish to
use the smoothskin figure, select Wireframe as opposed to Transparent
 Right Click on the human again to select the Display Skeleton Option; You
should now see the skeleton under the transparent skin of the human
 Turn off the skeleton by right clicking on the human again and selecting Display
Skeleton
 Make the human shaded by right clicking on the human and choosing the
Display Shaded option
Viewing the human skeleton
Note: The menus for display can also be found in the Human
Properties Display Tab.
Exercise: Human Posturing

This exercise will introduce you to the features in the Human Control
Panel, including the latest methods of whole body posture prediction
and auto-grasping. Jack allows you to identify surfaces in your scene
for the human to brace or lean against. These surfaces will be
considered when a posture is generated. In addition, Jack will also
look to any loads applied to the hands and predict a posture that
reflects the required exertion level. The posturing options in the
Human Control Panel offer a repeatable way to quickly generate real-
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world postures for your figures. The posture prediction algorithms

within the Human Control Panel are influenced by the collection of
work from the University of Michigan’s Humosim laboratory.
For this exercise, we will compute the maximum acceptable push

force for the average female to move /push a barrel within an
industrial setting.
NOTE: A TAT license is required to complete some parts of this

exercise.
 Using a default female figure ( ), right click on the human and select
‘Move’. Relocate your figure so she is standing in front of the barrel.
 Right click again and select ‘Control’ to launch the Human

Control Panel.
 Load a Foot Restriction Zone by clicking on the grey surface
under Jill’s feet in the Control Panel.
 Right click on the zone, from the Jack scene, and select
‘Move’. Position the Zone so it is just behind the barrel.
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 In the Control Panel, click on the Left hand, and select

‘Grasp Figure’.
 Now click a location on the barrel for Jill to hold the barrel.
Once grasped, you may wish to select ‘Adjust Grasp’ from
the left hand context menu and fine tune the position of the
hand.
 Repeat the above steps with the Right Hand. When done,
the human should have both hands on the barrel.
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 Click on the Loads and Weights Icon from the Control Panel.
 Click to add a new load. From the ‘Site’ dropdown list

select the L Palm center.
 Click on the ‘Push Forward’ icon to assign a load to Jill’s

palm in this direction. (You only need to assign the force
direction, not magnitude. We will use the ForceSolver in a
moment to compute a safe push force)
 Use the same steps to assign a ‘Push Forward’ load to the

Right Palm Center.
 When both hand loads are assigned, the Loads and Weights
dialog should look like this:
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 You can hold ‘Shift’ + select both loads, and click on to

visualize the load vectors in the Jack scene (shown above).
 From the Control Panel, click the ForceSolver icon to
open this tool.
 At the bottom left corner of the ForceSolver, click to open
‘Preferences’. Lets assume Jill needs to move a barrel once
every 2 minutes. Click the checkbox next to Use
frequenncy/duration compensation, then enter 120 seconds
for cycle time. Now Dismiss the dialog.
 Back in the ForceSolver dialog, click Solve.
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 When you click solve, you will see Jill’s posture continuously
update as the hand forces are automatically increased.
When the maximum safe hand loads and corresponding
posture are computed, the ForceSolver will stop looping.
 In the bottom left corner of the dialog, you can find a
summary of the computed hand loads, and other relevant
information.
 Click on ‘Export Data’ to save the details of your study to a

file.
Exercise: Adjust Joint

Another way to move the human is to adjust single joints.
 Load a default male to the scene.
 Open the Human Control Panel.
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 Hold the Crtl. button + click on the Left Shoulder on the image of Jill in the
Control Panel. Click on Adjust Shoulder Angles
 Adjust the Elevate slider to change the shoulder angle.
 Click Keep Symmetric and adjust the slider again.
 Click to close the Control Panel.

Exercise: View Analysis
 Move your human so that they are facing the toolbox. (See Image Below)
Position Human for Eye View
 Use Human->Eye View command to access the Eye View Dialog.

 Open a “head forward” view window.
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Between Eye View of Toolbox
 Place the window in a convenient location on your screen. Tip: you may need
to resize your TJ Window in order to view both windows concurrently
 Use the Eye View Dialog to create a left eye view window and manipulate the
eyes without moving the head.
Note: The eye view can help you identify any obstructions in the
design.
Exercise: View Cones

 Open the View Cones Dialog using the HUMAN->VIEW CONES menu option.
Click on the Display View Cones button and Hit Apply.
 Move the head around some more to get a feel for the view cones.
 Change the length of the View cone and hit Apply
 Toggle the Display View Cones button off in the VIEW CONES DIALOG and hit
Apply to turn off the view cones.
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View Cones Displayed
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Chapter 6: Creating & Displaying Objects

Jack uses a simple polygonal geometry format to represent objects
in the scene. All objects are represented by surface geometry
composed of flat (usually triangular) faces. Faces are defined by
connecting three or more nodes together. Nodes are simply points in
space (specified by a X, Y, Z location). The line connecting two
nodes on a face is called an edge.
Note that Jack does not require complex mathematical

representations of surfaces or solids. This simplifies geometry
translation to Jack.
Create
(Command: ObjectCreate)
The object create command will allow you to create sites, joints,
nodes, faces, etc.
Site
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Site)
This dialog lets you specify the location of a site with respect to its
segment.
Joint
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Joint)
With this dialog, the user selects two segments or sites one fixed and
the other moving to create a joint between them.
Node
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Node)
This dialog allows the user to create, move, or delete a node.
Face
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Face)
This dialog allows the user to move, create, delete, reverse, or fix a
face.
Light
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Light)
Much of a designer or engineer’s job when using Jack is centered
upon presenting analysis results for use in reports, design reviews,
company intranets, documentation, and even marketing. Jack
provides a number of options to control what is displayed in the
environment. These options are more than just nice visual effects.
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Making objects transparent or invisible is useful for clearing the view

and highlighting objects of interest.
Create Light
Jack provides a flexible lighting and display model. It allows you to

set object colors, rendering and display modes, modify light colors,
move lights, map textures to objects, and even “animate” lights,
colors and scaling for interesting visual effects.
You can create lights of various colors and intensities using the LIGHT
PROPERTY DIALOG. You can move the light icon around the
environment as you would any other object.
Note: Lights in Jack are actually point sources and therefore

have no direction.
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Light Source and sphere
CAD Objects
(Command: OBJECTCREATECAD OBJECT)
You can create basic CAD primitives in Jack. Use the CREATE CAD
OBJECT to create general objects such as; sphere, ellipsoid, cone,
cylinder, hollow cylinder, toroid, and gear.
Create Cad Object Dialog

Rectangular Solid
(Command: OBJECTCREATERECTANGULAR SOLID)
Use the CREATE RECTANGULAR SOLID for basic cube shapes.
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Figure from Library

(Command: OBJECTCREATEFIGURE FROM LIBRARY)
Miscellaneous Jack Library Objects
The OBJECT LIBRARY is a useful way to keep often used files easily
accessible. You can use the OBJECT LIBRARY to start to build up a
library of objects that you use often. In addition, many useful objects
are contained in the OBJECT LIBRARY by default. These include objects
that are part of the basic Jack distribution.
Factory Equipment Library
The Object Library includes a variety of factory equipment for use in

mocking up factories and factory workcells.
To load any of these into the scene execute Object->Create-

>Figure from Library... to bring up the Load Library File Dialog. The
factory equipment files can be listed by clicking on Factory
Equipment in the list of libraries.
Types of equipment include:
 A sheet metal bender

 A control computer
 Conveyor belts
 Elevators
 A fixture
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 A motor
 A wooden pallet
 A roller table
 Roller surfaces
Some of the factory equipment has articulation for use in

simulation. Joints for use in workcell tasks have names that are all
in upper-case. Joints for adjustment such as height adjustment
have names that begin with a capital letter and have the remaining
characters lower-case. Dummy joints for just connecting parts are
named all in lower-case letters.
Factory Library Dialog
Modify Geometry
(Command: ObjectModify Geometry)
Editing Segment Geometry

(Command: ObjectModify GeometryEdit Psurf)
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You can also edit the geometry of any segment to create even more
complex objects. This is accomplished with the EDIT PSURF DIALOG.
You have the option to edit or create new nodes, edges, and faces.
Note: These changes are not saved in Jack’s .env or .fig

formats. The segment must be saved as a psurf.
Psurf Editor Dialog
Merging Segment Geometry

(Command: ObjectModify GeometryMerge Segment
Geometry)
You can also merge the geometry of any segment to another
segment within the merge segment geometry dialogue.
Splitting Segment Geometry

(Command: ObjectModify GeometrySplit Segment Geometry)
You can also split the geometry of any segment from another
segment within the split segment geometry dialogue.
Fix Segment Orientation

(Command: ObjectModify GeometryFix Segment Orientation)
You can also fix the segment orientation of a segment to any node,
edge or face in the environment.
Reroot Figure
(Command: ObjectPropertiesFigure PropertiesConstruction
Tab)
The root site is the point that the figure is moved from. Every segment
has at least one site. The site located at the figure origin (or local 0,
0, 0) point on the geometry and labeled as base, is automatically
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created. The base site is used as the default root, or local reference,
for the figure. If more than one site exists on a figure, this local
reference can be changed.
Visible
(Command: ObjectPropertiesDisplay Tab)
A basic function in Jack is the ability to turn specific objects “On or
Off.” This disables the display of the object so that it is invisible. This
is different from actually deleting the object in that all behaviors
associated with this object still exist – only the rendering is disabled.
In large environments, turning objects that are not being used off will
help improve processing time.
Shaded/ Wireframe/ Transparent

Jack also allows you to control the drawing method for these objects.
Wireframe mode draws edges between the nodes that create a face.
Shaded mode fills in all faces making up individual segments.
Transparency mode shades the object but objects behind it can still
be seen.
Wireframe, transparent and shaded display settings
Smooth Shading
In addition, you can choose how to render an object’s faces - Smooth
or Flat. Smooth shading uses a shading algorithm for the rendering
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that calculates different normals based on the normals of adjacent

faces. The actual location of nodes and faces does not change.
Flat shading takes less computation time, so permits faster

rendering. Smooth shading provides a more realistic looking
segment, but may result in slower animations and system response
to segment movements.
Note: The smooth and flat shading options control how the
object is rendered.
Flat and Smooth shading
Trace
Another convenient analysis tool is a trace of where an object has
been during a motion. A trace is a graphical trail that objects leave
behind as they move through the scene. Jack provides for the
capability of tracing sites, and segments.
Note: A trace captures an object’s position at specific intervals.

A trace does not represent the actual path of an object.
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Trace on a Tool Segment During Removal
Figure Ghosts
Ghost figures are images of figures in specific postures. The ghost
will look exactly like the original figure except it will all be one color.
Ghosts cannot be saved, moved, or manipulated. They serve only to
mark a posture temporarily for future use.
Note: Smoothskin figures cannot be ghosted.
Figure Ghost
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Chapter 6 Tutorial: Creating and Displaying Objects

In this tutorial you will learn how to create and modify objects within
the Jack scene. Objects can be imported from other programs,
created within Jack or opened from object libraries. You will also
learn how to change the visibility of your objects.
Exercise: Creating a Site

We will now create a new site on the figure (we will use a barrel).
 Move your view over to one of the barrels in the scene.
 Open the SITE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>CREATE>CREATE SITE
menu.
 In the Segment Entry select the barrel as the segment.
You will then be sent into MOVE for the new site. Notice that your move
button in the upper toolbar is red.
Move Highlighted for the New Site
 Move the new site by using the MOVE CONTROLLER and snapping it to a
NODE of the top of the barrel.
 Hit escape when you are finished moving the site, and then hit CREATE.
 There is now a new site on the top of the barrel.
New Site on the Top of the Barrel
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In order to verify that you have a new site, let’s display the sites of the barrel.
 Dismiss out of the Create Site Window.
 Right mouse click on the barrel.
 Choose DISPLAY>TURN SITES ON
You should now see the new site on the top of the barrel.
 In order to turn the sites off right mouse click on the barrel and choose
DISPLAY>TURN SITES OFF.
Note: A site is referenced from a segment NOT a figure.
Exercise: Create Joint

You will notice that the Chapter6.env file you have open in your
scene has a crane near the top of the facility. We are now going to
create Joints in the crane so that we can move the segments.
 Select the OBJECT->CREATE ->CREATE JOINT menu option
 The option Create Between Segments should be selected
 Pick the Crane.Crane_base as the fixed segment
 Pick the Crane.Crane_mid as the moving segment
 You will then be in MOVE mode for the Joint Center (look in the toolbar).If
you are not in MOVE mode for the Joint Center, then Hit SET LOCATION
in the Create Joint Window.
Lets move the Joint Center. You should see it in the center of the screen.
 Using the Snap to Site Move command, snap the Joint Center to the Site
Crane.Crane_mid.center_of_mass
 Hit Escape once you have the Joint Center where you want it
Let’s make the Middle of the Crane move along the X-Axis
 Choose T(x) as the DOF (Degree of Freedom)
 Input -5000(mm) as the Lower Limit
 Input 1000(mm) as the Upper Limit
 Hit Create
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Joint Dialogue for Crane
You have now created a joint between the Crane Middle and the Crane Base. Lets
adjust the joint to verify it has been created.
 Choose the Adjust Joint Icon from the Toolbar
 Select the Crane (both the Middle and Base should highlight in Yellow)
 Adjust the Joint by using the Left Mouse Button to click and drag
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Exercise: Lighting
 Select the OBJECT->CREATE ->CREATE LIGHT menu option
 Set the color of the light to white
 Hit Create
 Move the light in your scene. It is a figure that you can move like any other
figure
Note: Rotating the light icon will not have an effect. Lights are
actually points source and thus don’t have direction.
 Increase the intensity of the light

 Hit Apply
 Select a different color for the light
 Hit Apply
 Click the visible option off
This simply turns off the display of the icon. The lighting effects are
unchanged.
 Hit Apply
 Click the visible option on
 Hit Apply
2 Lights in the Scene
 Select the OBJECT->CREATE->CREATE LIGHT menu option and create a 2nd light.
Give it a different color and intensity from the first. Move it into a position where
it also shines on the ball.
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 Use the RMB to the figure context sensitive menu for one of the light figures.
Select the delete option
Exercise: Modify Geometry
This exercise will introduce you to editing geometry. You will use an
object from the library and change its shape in Jack.
 Select the menu option OBJECT->CREATE->FIGURE FROM LIBRARY
 In the OBJECT LIBRARY DIALOG, choose the file cube.pss from the Primitives
Library
 Hit the Load button
You should now see a large cube at 0,0,0
 Select the menu option OBJECT->MODIFY GEOMETRY->EDIT PSURF
 Set the Entity Type to NODE
 Select the MOVE option
 Pick a NODE on the cube you just loaded in
You will then be in MOVE mode for the NODE you just selected
 MOVE the node. Notice that the faces also move (or stretch)
Moving a Node
Now lets modify a face on the cube

 Set the Entity Type to FACE
 Select the MOVE option
 Pick a FACE on the cube
 Move the FACE
 Hit Dismiss to close the Modify Geometry Menu
Exercise: Re-rooting an Object
First delete the cube you modified in the last exercise.
 Make sure you are in Figure Mode
 Right mouse click on the cube
 Hit Delete
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 Select the move controller (from the top toolbar or by right clicking on the object
and selecting move) and move one of your barrels. Notice the barrel moves
from a root site that is located at the center of the barrel’s base.
 Open the Figure Properties Dialog from OBJECT>PROPERTIES>FIGURE
PROPERTIES
 Select the construction tab.
 Using the selector choose one of the barrels in the scene.
Figure Properties Dialogue for Barrel
 Notice the Root Site says barrel.Barrel.base. This is the root site of the barrel.
 Lets change the root site to the center of mass.
Note: All objects have an existing site at the center of mass.
 Select the arrow under the Sites section of the figure properties dialogue from
the barrel. You should see two sites. Select barrel.Barrel.centerofmass and
select “Set Root”.
 Hit APPLY
 You should now see the root site in the construction tab has been updated to
barrel.Barrel.centerofmass
 Move the barrel.
 The barrel is now moving from the center of mass. You changed the root
site from the center of the base to the center of mass.
Note: The object’s original root was at the center of the base.
By changing the root site the object now moves about the new
root site.
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Exercise: Object Library

This exercise will introduce you to Jacks Object Library.
 Select the menu option OBJECT->CREATE->FIGURE FROM LIBRARY
 In the OBJECT LIBRARY DIALOG, type cube.pss in the entry box
 Hit the Load button
 Highlight the tools library and note the contents in the list
 Add other objects to your scene
The next several exercises will take you through some of the
display options for geometry in Jack.
Exercise: Visibility
You can turn objects on and off in the scene.
 Use the RMB on the Human and choose DISPLAY->VISIBLE
You should see the human turn off.
 In order to turn the human back ON, go into the OBJECT HIERARCHY
 Right Mouse Click (RMB) on the human you turned OFF
The same Context Sensitive Menu comes up as you saw in the TJ window
 Choose DISPLAY->VISIBLE .
You should see your human in the TJ window.
Exercise: Shaded, Wireframe, and Transparent

You can change the way an object appears in the scene
 Move over to one of the barrels in the scene
 Use the RMB on the barrel and choose DISPLAY->W IREFRAME
 Use the RMB on the barrel and choose DISPLAY->TRANSPARENT
 Use the RMB on the barrel and choose DISPLAY->SHADED
Exercise: Shading Options

 Use the MMB to switch the OBJECT SELECTOR to segment mode
 Use the RMB context sensitive menu to select the option DISPLAY->FLAT.
Notice the segment display does not change. The default shading is flat.
 Next, open the SEGMENT PROPERTY DIALOG for the barrel.
 On the display page choose the smooth for the shading mode. Hit Apply.
Again notice the display change.
 Notice you can change the display from smooth to flat from either the context
sensitive menus or from the segment properties dialogue.
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Barrel with Smooth Shading and Barrel with Flat Shading
Exercise: Trace segment

 Load a segmented figure from Human-> Create -> Human From Library.
Select v6.1 Segmented Female.
 Move your segmentedhuman at the table with tools
 Open the SEGMENT PROPERTY DIALOG for the right upper arm by right mouse
clicking on the upper arm and choosing Properties (make sure you are in
Segment Mode)
 Go to the display page in the SEGMENT PROPERTY DIALOG and select the trace
option
 Hit Apply
 Repeat for the lower arm and the palm segments
 Move the arm
 The path of all three segments is traced out
Click on the trace option and the delete trace button to delete each
of the traces.
Note: You may have to use the OBJECT HIERARCHY to pick the
segments if they get hidden behind the tracings.
 Close the SEGMENT PROPERTY DIALOG
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Moving arm with trace palm segment
Exercise: Create Ghost

Creating a ghost allows you to view your human as a ghost frozen
in time. You cannot move a ghost, or change the posture of a
ghost.
 Posture the segmented human within your scene
 Open the HUMAN FIGURE PROPERTY DIALOG by right mouse clicking on the
human and choosing PROPERTIES
 Go the display tab in the HUMAN FIGURE PROPERTY DIALOG and select the option
create ghost
 Hit Apply
 Move the human and re-posture him
 Click on the create ghost option again
 Hit Apply
 Repeat
 Click on the option delete all ghosts and hit Apply to get rid of the ghosts
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Human figure ghosts
Page - 111
Chapter 7: Working with Objects

In this chapter advanced interaction with objects will be covered. All
of the object properties dialogues are covered as well as creation of
joints, attachments and paths.
Attachments
Attachments allow you to connect one figure to another figure within
an environment by defining a given offset between the bases of the
two figures. It is a convenient way to attach objects without
combining them into one assembly. It is important to note that this is
a “one way” attachment in which the parent figure controls movement
for both figures. The child figure can still be moved independently.
This tab defines what figure this human/object is attached to and if
any figures are attached to this human. If the human is not attached
to any figures, the attach box will say “world.base”.
Attachment Tab
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Properties
(Command: ObjectProperties)
Each of the different entity types has a property dialog. The
selections are located in the OBJECT MENU under PROPERTIES or in
the context sensitive menus for that object type. Property dialogs
display information about the structure and status of an entity. From
the property dialog you can also create, delete, rename or change
the characteristics of an entity.
These options apply to figures, segments, individual sites and nodes.

Specific display options can be found in the each object type’s
PROPERTIES DIALOG (<RMB>PROPERTIES).
Figure Properties
(Command: ObjectPropertiesFigure Properties)
The FIGURE PROPERTY DIALOG includes many options available for

specific figures as well as access to lower level property dialogs
associated with the figure.
Display Properties for a figure
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Segment Properties
(Command: ObjectPropertiesSegment Properties)
The SEGMENT PROPERTIES DIALOG is available for any object in the
Jack environment. You can view construction information and
display options from this dialog.
Segment Properties Dialog
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Site Properties
(Command: ObjectPropertiesSite Properties)
Jack uses the concept of “Sites” to define specific coordinate
locations in 3D space. More specifically, Sites are triad axes that
define position and orientation relative to a segment’s local
coordinate frame. They are the mechanism that allows you to specify
constraint goals, joint centers, or even measurement points.
Each segment also contains what is termed a Root Site. In a figure

file, this site can be named anything; however, it is normally called
“base”. It is the point from which the object is constructed and
represents the segment’s local coordinate (0,0,0). The root site will
never change locations relative to the segment. However, as the
segment is moved around, the site will have varying global
coordinates to reflect its position in the world.
You can view information regarding a particular site or create a new

site through the SITE PROPERTIES DIALOG.
Site Properties Dialog

Joint Properties
(COMMAND: ObjectPropertiesJoint Properties)
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Articulated figures are created in Jack using Joints. Joints allow you
to define the type of articulation between two segments by specifying
the type of DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF) and the origin of this
articulation. You can view, create, and edit joint information through
the JOINT PROPERTY DIALOG.
When you create a joint, you must define the connection point. You
have a choice of defining this point with the create joint between
segments or the create joint between sites option.
Joint Properties Dialog
With the create joint between segments option a new site is

automatically created for each of the two segments. The Set
Location button lets you set the location of these two sites. With the
create joint between sites option existing sites are used to connect
the segments. In this case, the moveable segment will be
repositioned to bring the two sites into the correct relative position.
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Face Properties
(Command: ObjectPropertiesFace Properties)
The next important piece of geometry in Jack is the “face”. The list
of vertices or “nodes” is used to define polygonal “faces.” The FACE
PROPERTIES DIALOG contains construction information for a particular
face. It displays the material assigned to the face, the list of nodes
that form the face, the local and global coordinates of the face center
and the face normal.
Face Properties Dialog
Within the face properties dialog is the option to make a face

reflective. By checking the reflective box a face will reflect other
figures in the environment. It is important to note that reflections will
not be saved with the environment (.env) file
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Reflection
(Command: ObjectPropertiesFace Properties)
Reflection Maps can be created for any polygonal surface or face in

Jack. They can be use in Jack to analyze planar mirrors. It is
important to note the quality of the reflected image is determined by
the quality of the graphics card. You can create a reflection map by
turning on an objects projections under the Object Properties
dialogue.
Note: Light does not reflect so the location of the light source is
an important consideration when reflections are used.
Reflective Face
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Edge Properties
(Command: ObjectPropertiesEdge properties)
The “edge” in Jack is the connection between two “nodes” within a
“face”. Edges determine the “look” of an object when it is displayed
wireframe. The EDGE PROPERTIES DIALOG contains construction
information for a particular edge. It indicates which faces are on
either side of the edge and which nodes are at either end.
Edge Properties Dialog
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Node Properties
(COMMAND: ObjectPropertiesNode Properties)
The lowest level of geometry is the “node”. Nodes define specific
coordinates in 3D space used to define faces and edges. In a Psurf
(.pss) file they are the first list of numbers. The NODE PROPERTIES
DIALOG contains construction information for particular vertices. It
displays the local and global coordinates for the node as well as the
edges and faces the node contributes to.
Adjust Joint
(Command: ObjectAdjust Joint)
A joint can be manipulated using the ADJUST JOINT DIALOG. When you
are in the adjust joint command you can move the slider bar, enter
a numerical value, or dynamically adjust the joint with the mouse in
the graphics window. The joint order determines the corresponding
mouse button. First in the list is the <LMB>, second in the list is
<MMB>, third in the list is the <RMB> etc.
When you dynamically adjust the joint with the mouse, an adjustment
arrow or rotation wheel will appear that specifies the current
adjustment type and direction. The arrow indicates a translation and
the rotation wheel indicates an orientation adjustment. In addition,
the rotation wheel will appear with sections of red and green. The
green section defines the range through which the joint can be
rotated.
Adjust Joint Dialog
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Note: When degrees of freedom (dof) are created for a joint, the
order in which they are created determines the corresponding mouse
button. First in the list is the <LMB>, second in the list is <MMB>,
third in the list is the <RMB> etc.
Motors On/Off
(Command: ObjectMotors On/Off)
This allows you to turn on or off all motors in the scene.
Create Motor Tab
A separate motor can be made for each Degree of Freedom in a joint

by highlighting the available DOF in the list. Adjusting the frames per
cycle rate can control the speed for each motor and the reciprocal or
constant radio buttons will effect the motor’s direction..
Joint Motors
(Command: ObjectCreateCreate Joint)
Motors are an alternative way to add motion to an environment
without using the animation system. The motor continuously
exercises a joint through its entire range of motion and does not
require any interactive manipulation except to start and stop it.
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Interactive Reach
(Command: ObjectInteractive Reach)
An Interactive reach is similar to an ordinary constraint, except that
there is no fixed goal. The goal is a global transform which you
manipulate interactively. Also, the relationship type is automatically
set to point-to-point. Interactive Reach can be applied to any jointed
figure and to manipulate any kinematic chain within a human figure.
This dialog lets you select a site or node on a segment of a figure as

the point that you want to move into position. You also define a
starting joint for the figure's motion (similar to those discussed in the
constraints section of this chapter). Jack will use its inverse
kinematics to determine the figure position as you move the end site
or node.
Paths
(Command: ObjectPaths)
Use this dialog to either create or edit a path in the Graphics Window
to be used with the animation system.
Paths can be used to have an object follow along, or to have a human

walk along during a simulation. This will be covered more in the
Animation System Chapter.
Path
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Chapter 7 Tutorial: Working with Objects

In this tutorial you will learn how to work with objects. You will learn
how to adjust joints of objects, create motors, and paths. You will
also learn how to work within the properties menus for each of the
types of objects.

Exercise: Figure Properties

This exercise introduces you to the .fig file properties menu.
 Open the FIGURE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>PROPERTIES>FIGURE
PROPERTIES menu and select the barrel. Review the properties dialogue box.
Choose the different tabs to review the available information on the face.
 Click on the Sites Button on the Construction Tab
The list shows the predefined sites, and any new sites you created earlier, on the
figure.
 Click on the Segments Button on the Construction Tab
This list shows the segments of the figure barrel.fig.
 Dismiss the Figure Properties Dialogue Window
Exercise: Segment Properties

This exercise introduces you to the segment or Psurf.
 Open the SEGMENT PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>PROPERTIES
>SEGMENT PROPERTIES menu and select the barrel in the GRAPHICS W INDOW
Note: The naming convention in the entry box is

Figure.Segment
 Open the NODE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>PROPERTIES >NODE

PROPERTIES menu and select a node on the barrel.
Note: The naming convention in the entry box is

Figure.Segment.Node#
 Open the EDGE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>PROPERTIES>EDGE

PROPERTIES menu and select an edge on the barrel. Review the properties
dialogue box. Choose the different tabs to review the available information on
the edge.
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Note: Remember the properties of the different file types.
A Psurf (pss) only contains information defining a segment's

geometry.
A Figure File (fig) includes information about which segments

make up the figure, sites, colors, and joints connections. (Joint
connections and limits are retained when a figure file is saved.
Joint angles information is not contained in a figure file)
Exercise: Face Properties

 Load a cube into your environment from the object library
OBJECT>CREATE>FIGURE FROM LIBRARY
 Open the FACE PROPERTIES DIALOG from the OBJECT>PROPERTIES>FACE
PROPERTIES menu and select a face on the cube. Review the properties
dialogue box. Choose the different tabs to review the information on the face.
 Move to the Display Tab in the Properties Dialogue
 Check the Box Reflective
You should now see a reflection on the face of the cube.
 Dismiss the PROPERTY DIALOGS when you are finished
Reflective Face
Exercise: Adjusting a Joint

In this section you will learn how to adjust single joints of a figure.
 Move your view over to the Robot in the scene
 Open the ADJUST JOINT DIALOG from OBJECT>ADJUST JOINT menu
 Select Robot_Jack5.JO from the GRAPHICS W INDOW
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Note: Each DOF has its own slider with an upper limit, a lower
limit, and a text entry box.
 Adjust the joint by moving the Slider Bar.
Note: The Entry Box value changes as the slider is moved.
 Type in a value in the Entry box. Hit <Enter> when finished.

 Now try this with other joints on the robot.
Hit ESC to complete the command and dismiss the dialog.
 Finally, move over to one of the humans in your scene.
 Open the ADJUST JOINT DIALOG and select the manikins Left Elbow
 Adjust the joint by moving the slider bar.
Joints can be adjusted on objects and humans.
Exercise: Joints and Motors

In this section you will learn how to create joint motors.
 Open the JOINT PROPERTIES DIALOG OBJECT: PROPERTIES: JOINT PROPERTIES
 Select the joint Robot_Jack5.J2
 Move to the Motors Tab in the Joint Properties Dialogue
 Choose R(x) in as the Degree of Freedom (this is the rotation of the motor we
are creating)
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Robot Motor Properties
 Choose Create Motor

 Currently Active should be checked
 30 Frames Per Second should be input
 Reciprocal Should be checked
 Hit Apply
The motor should be adjusting the joint.
 Change the Motor Properties to Constant
 Hit Apply
Notice the change in the way the joint is adjusting
 Uncheck the Box Currently Active
 Hit Apply
The motor should stop.
 Dismiss the Joint Properties Dialogue Window.
Note: The human manikin is also a jointed figure!!
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Exercise: Interactive Reach

In this section you will learn how to adjust multiple joints within a
figure. You will again be using the Robot in your scene
 Open the INTERACTIVE REACH DIALOG from OBJECT>INTERACTIVE REACH
Interactive Reach Dialog
 Select Robot_Jack5.seg4.seg4 as the End Effector Site

 Select Robot_Jack5.J3 as the Starting Joint
You will now be in MOVE mode for the end effector of the Robot
Interactive Reach Moving End Effector
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 Move the end effector of the Robot using your Mouse Buttons
 Rotate the end effector.
Note: Interactive Reach allows you to adjust multiple joints at

once.
Exercise: Creating & Editing a Path

In this section you will learn how to create a path. In a later Chapter
you will learn how to use paths with humans and objects.
Try to create your path on the floor of the facility so we can use it to
have the human walk the path in a later Chapter.
 Open the CREATE PATH DIALOGUE from OBJECT>CREATE>PATH>CREATE PATH

You will notice a site has been created in your scene at 0,0,0
 Hit the Add After option in the Path Dialogue Window
Another site has been created on top of your 1st site
 Using your MOVE CONTROLLER Move the site away from the 1st
 Hit the Add After option once you have your second point where you want it.
 Continue to move and add sites on the path until you have a path on the floor
of your facility
 Dismiss out of the Path Dialogue
Creating a Path on the Facility Floor
You can also edit the points of the path if you need to move one
after you have created it.
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 Open the CREATE PATH DIALOGUE from OBJECT>CREATE>PATH>EDIT PATH

 Choose the path you would like to Edit (Tip: you may need to choose the path
from the OBJECT HIERARCHY)
 Choose the site on the path that you would like to change
 Using your MOVE CONTROLLER Move the site to its new location
Notice the path change as you change the new site.
 Hit Apply
 Dismiss out of the Path Dialogue Window
Note: Paths are a figure in your scene. You and use Context
Sensitive Menus to edit and change the visibility of the path.
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Chapter 8: Measuring & Checking Utilities:
In general, measurement provides a way to begin to move beyond

subjective analyses to very precise and objective ones. For this
reason, Jack provides several measurement methods. Some allow
for exact measurements between objects or sites. Others provide
ways to monitor distances between objects.
Using Rulers to Measure

Collision Detection
(Command: UtilitiesCollision Detection)
Collision Detection is an analysis tool which aids in identifying the
proximity of objects/humans to one another. This tool allows you to
define multiple collision sets and it provides feedback as to whether
collisions have occurred. Collisions can be checked between
combinations of humans, JT objects and native Jack geometry.
For step-by-step details on how to use Collision Detection, click on

the Usage in the bottom right corner of the dialog.
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Constraint
(Command: UtilitiesConstraints)
Constraints specify conditions between figures that the simulation
system must try to reach. In other words, constraints are desired
relationships that are met as closely as possible. These relationships
can be described in terms of Position, Orientation, or both. Jack uses
inverse kinematics to manipulate multiple joints in a figure to satisfy
the constraints as closely as possible. As with Joints you can view or
edit constraint information through the CONSTRAINT PROPERTY DIALOG.
Since this is associated with environments rather than objects this
function is accessed from the UTILITIES MENU under CONSTRAINT
(UtilitiesConstraintConstraint Properties).
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Constraint Dialog
A constraint is a desired geometric relationship. It also refers to all

information that collectively defines that relationship. Jack solves
constraints using an inverse kinematics algorithm, which means that
the appropriate joints of articulated figures are positioned so that the
desired relationships are acquired. Jack allows you to create multiple
constraints of various types.
The constraints dialogue should be used to create a constraint that

defines a valid motion. When creating a constraint, an objective type,
a goal, end effectors, and a set of joints to which the constraint
applies. Descriptions of these items are as follows:
Type of Goal
 Closest Node: Use this type of goal to pick a segment as the
goal. This constraint applies to the closest node on the
segment.
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 Face: Use this type of goal to select a face goal. When you
select a face goal, the end effectors is directed toward any
point on the face.
 Hold: Use this type of goal to specify that the end effectors
should remain in its current location. The position and
orientation of the goal is taken from the current location of the
end effectors when you create the constraint.
 Node: Use this type of goal to specify a point that is on a site.
 Relative Transform: Use this type of goal to specify a point in
space relative to a segment goal and then click the Set
Transform Location button to set the location relative to the
goal.
 Site: Use this type of goal to specify a point that is on a site.
 Transform: Use this type of goal to specify a point in space.
When you select this type, there is no goal edit field. Click the
set transform button to set the location.
Goal
This edit field and its associated pick button exist to select the end
effector based on the type of goal. For hold and transform goals,
this edit field isn’t visible.
Set Transform Location

This push button is only available for Relative transform and
Transform goal types. Click this button to set the graphics window
using normal mouse controls.
End Effector Type

Use this option menu to select one of the following as the end
effector:
 Closest Node: Use this type of goal to pick a segment as the
end effector. The constraint applies to the closest node on
the segment.
 Node: Use this type of goal to specify a point end effector
that is a node.
 Site: Use this type of goal to specify a point end effector that
is a site.
End Eff. Seg/Node/Site

Depending on the Type of End Effector option you select, this edit
field and its associated pick button let you select a segment, site, or
node on a figure (for example, human.left_palmcenter).
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Starting Joint
After selecting an end effector site, select a starting joint for the
figure's motion (for example, human.waist). This field is available if
you select the Rooting Constraint check box.
Rooting Constraint
Select this check box to create a rooting constraint for the figure.
This connects one figure to another. Moving a figure with a rooting
constraint creates a temporary constraint between the figure’s root
and the transform created by moving.
Orientational Relationship
Use this option menu to select the desired relationship between the
orientation of the goal and the orientation of the end effector. The
available relationships are:
 Aim: the relative position of the goal and end effector define
the aiming direction, so the position of the goal influences
the orientation of the end effector. The orientation of the goal
is ignored. Positional Relationship is unavailable for this
orientation type, so the end effector is free to move in space
in any way so that it can achieve proper orientation.
Selecting this option displays an Aim Vector edit field for you
to specify a vector that is local to the coordinate frame of the
end effector. The constraint attempts to position the end
effector so that this vector is aimed at the goal.
 Align_direction: the goal and end effector must be aligned in
the same direction. Selecting this option displays a two
additional edit fields, End Effector Vector and Goal Vector
that let you define vectors in the local coordinate frame of
the end effector and goal, respectively. The constraint
attempts to align these two vectors in space.
 Align_frame: attempts to align the orientation of the end
effector with the orientation of the goal. The X, Y, Z axes of
the end effector will be aligned with the X, Y, Z axes of the
goal.
 Planar_direction: the goal and end effector must be aligned
in the same planar direction. Selecting this option displays a
two additional edit fields, End Effector Vector and Goal
Vector that let you define vectors in the local coordinate
frame of the end effector and goal, respectively. The
constraint attempts to align these two vectors in space.
 View: similar to aim with the additional restriction against
twist along the aiming direction. Positional Relationship is
unavailable for this orientation type.
 None: there is no orientation relationship between the goal
and end effector.
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Positional Relationship
Use this option menu to select the desired relationship between the
position of the goal and the position of the end effector. The
available relationships are:
 limit_spring: used to push away from a joint limit.
 point_to_line: position the end effector along a line.
 point_to_plane: position the end effector along the plane of
the goal. Selecting this option displays a Plane Normal
Vector edit field. The normal vector you enter is local to the
coordinate frame of the goal. The plane is assumed to pass
through the origin of the goal.
 point_to_point: position the end effector at the point of the
goal.
 rest_angle: used to pull towards a rest angle.
 none: there is no positional relationship between the goal
and end effector.
Orientation <---->Position Weight

Use this slider bar to change the weighting used to optimize the
figure's position. Zero represents fixed orientation; 1.0 represents
full weighting given to the figure's position.
Relative Constraint Weight

 Use Current Orientation Offset: Select this check box to use
the current orientation of the goal and end effector to define
an orientation offset.
 Use Current Position Offset: Select this check box to use the
current position of the goal and end effector to define an
position offset.
 Active: Select this check box to make this constraint active.
Simulation Updates
(Command: UtilitiesSimulation Updates)
SIMULATION UPDATES turns off the simulation engine and frame
updates, so that constraints, motors, and anything else that updates
over time is stopped. Direct manipulation, like adjusting joints, still
functions normally. Probably the most common use is with motion
tracking, where it allows users to modify the scene without
constraints constantly moving things around. It’s a quick way to
change attachments and other qualities on constrained or motorized
figures without having to turn off constraints individually or delete all
of the motors.
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Measure Distance
(Command: UtilitiesMeasure Distance)
Scalar
MEASURE DISTANCE is a convenient way to obtain static dimensions
between two points in space. This command lets you position to
endpoints in a line and then calculates the scalar distance, XYZ
component vector distances, and the XYZ rotational differences.
Measure Distance Dialog
Advanced Rulers
Taking measurements in the Jack scene is commonly used to help

arrange geometry, as well as when assessing and communicating
issues such as hand clearance and reaching. The Advanced Ruler
tool allows you to quickly create and customize rulers within your
scene. You can select from various line styles and thicknesses as
well as visibility options. The rulers can be saved with your
environments and captured in images to help communicate
dimensioning concerns with others.
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The Advanced Ruler tool can be found in the Utilities menu ->
Advanced Rulers -> Create/Edit.
You can also find a list of all the rulers you have created or saved
with your scene in the Utilities menu -> Advanced Rulers - >
Current Rulers
A full description of how to use this utility can be found by clicking

on the Usage button in the Advanced Ruler dialog.
Rulers
(Command: UtilitiesRulers)
A ruler allows you to dynamically display the distance between two
segments or sites continuously, even when the objects have been
moved. The endpoints for this ruler are attached to a segment and
can be offset to a particular point in space relative to that segment.
Create Ruler Dialog
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Rulers are drawn as white and red lines between points. These ruler
“ticks” change color every 10 units by default, however, the tick
distance as well as the display units can be changed. The current
distance is always displayed at the center of this line.
Ruler Between two cubes

Minimal Distance
(Command: UtilitiesMinimal Distance)
Use this dialog to determine the minimum distance between two
convex segments in the Graphics Window. The dialog displays the
scalar distance and the vector between the two closest nodes on the
segments. The computations are based on the Gilbert, Johnson and
Keerthi algorithm, which computes the vector (Distance Vector)
between the closest nodes of two segments and the module of this
vector.
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Minimum Distance Dialog
Logging
(Command: UtilitiesLogging)
Jack maintains a log of all operations it performs. This is useful for
generating macros by capturing interactive commands and creating
Tcl script files. Use this dialog to select a log file; start or stop the log
file; edit the current log file; and select what appears in the log file.
The default log file name is “.jk_log.tcl” and it is stored in the user’s
settings file directory (e.g. $HOME/jack_4.1).
System Geometry Info

(Command: UtilitiesSystem Geometry Info)
This option displays information related to the number of Jack objects
present in the current environment.
Reach Zones
(Command: AnalysisReach Zones)
Advanced Reach Analysis

The Advanced Reach Zone tool is part of the standard Jack
functionality. It helps you generate zones that depict the areas of
maximum and comfortable reach for your figures. With this tool, you
can generate:
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 Joint-driven maximum reach zones depicting full movement of

both shoulders and the waist.
 Constraint-driven maximum reach zones factoring in such

constraints as seat belts, steering wheel hand positions, head
locations and more. *Note: Constraint driven reach zones can
only be created when the human is oriented in the +Z direction.
 Comfortable reach zones for the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee
and ankle joints based on the industry's most recognized sources
of comfort data.
Sample Reach Zones
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Chapter 8: Measuring, Checking Utilities, and Analyzing Jack

In this tutorial you will learn how to check for collisions and work with
constraints between objects within the Jack scene. In general,
measurement provides a way to begin to move beyond subjective
analyses to very precise and objective ones. You will become familiar
with measuring using rulers and distance commands.

Exercise: Collision detection

In this section you will learn how to use Jack to evaluate collision
detection between figures or segments.
Let’s start by using collision detection on a figure and a segment (the human
squatting to lift a crate off the shelf).
 Move your view to the Jack figure near the shelf.

 Select the menu option UTILITIES->COLLISION DETECTION
 Next to Create, type ‘Set1’. Then click Create
 Under Collision Set Properties -> Check, select FIGURE, from the Add drop
down list. Then from the scene, pick the Crate, using the picker .
 Under Collision Set Properties -> With, select SEGMENT, from the Add drop
down list. Then from the scene, pick Jacks right palm and all thumb segments
using the picker .
This will add figures or segments to your Active Collision Set.
 Move the Human Hand using the CONTROL PANEL until it collides with the
Crate
You should see the palm and the crate highlight in red.

Collision Detection
Now lets make ‘Set1’ inactive.

 From the Active Sets list, highlight Set1.
 Use the arrow to move this set to Inactive.
 Highlight Set1 from the Inactive Sets list.
 Click Remove
 Dismiss the COLLISION LIST DIALOG
Exercise: Constraints
 Load in the file smallcube.pss from the OBJECT LIBRARY
OBJECT>CREATE>FIGURE FROM LIBRARY
 Load in the file chain.fig from the OBJECT LIBRARY OBJECT>CREATE>FIGURE
FROM LIBRARY
 Open the CREATE CONSTRAINT DIALOG from UTILITIES>CONSTRAINT>CREATE
CONSTRAINT
 Move the chain and small cube in the scene so they are not loaded on top of
one another
 Select a site on the cube as the Goal Site
 Select chain.arm2.top as the End Effector Site
 Select chain.basejoint0 as the Starting Joint
 For the Orientational Relationship Drop Down Box select None
Note: The Orientation Position Weight Slider is automatically

set to 1.0

 Check the Active Box and hit the Create Button

A constraint has now been created between the bow and the chain.
 Move the box
 Hit Begin Move in the Interactive Reach and manipulate the goal
Note: The two constraints can work across the same joint
structure.
Active Constraint Between the Chain and the Cube

Exercise: Scalar Measure
 Move your view over to the Jack human working at the Computer Station on
the Mezzanine
 Select the menu option UTILITIES->MEASURE DISTANCE
 Click on the button labeled Position Point 1
 Use the snap to options on the MOVE CONTROLLER to position the
measurement point on a node at the base of the desk
 Click on the button labeled Position Point 2
 Use the snap to options to position the second measurement point on a node
on the top of the desk.
Note: The linear distance, the translation and rotation that

define the relative transformation between the two sites that you
select are displayed in the dialog

Scalar Measure
 Click on the Position Point 1 button and select a different location for the end
point
Note: The information displayed is updated to reflect this new

point.
 Dismiss the MEASURE DISTANCE DIALOG
Exercise: Create Ruler

 Select the menu option UTILITIES->RULERS
 Pick a site on the humans face to create the ruler from
 Pick a site on the computer screen to create the ruler to
 Click on the offset button and snap the ruler end points to nodes or faces on
the figures

Ruler Dialogue Window
Note: You can use all the tools you normally would use to locate
sites or objects relative to other objects to place the end point
of the ruler. The point you choose will determine which segment
the ruler end points move with.
 Hit Create
 Move one of the figures
Notice that the ruler dimensions change as the distance between the
two endpoints changes.
 Move the other figure
 Hit the Delete button to remove the ruler completely
Multiple Rulers in a Scene
Exercise: Minimal Distance

 Select the menu option UTILITIES->MINIMUM DISTANCE
 Pick a segment on the table
 Pick a segment on the computer
 Hit Compute
You will see the minimum distance between these two segments
Exercise: Maximum Reach Analysis

 Move over to the Jack human standing in front of the table with tools
 Select the menu option ANALYSIS: REACH ZONES
 Select the option Joint Angle Driven From Shoulder
 Select the Human figure you wish to analyze

 Select a site on the right palm as the Traced Site

 Hit the Generate button
A reach zone is a figure in your scene. You can change the display or move the
reach zone.
Transparent Reach Zone
 Right mouse click on the reach zone and choose DISPLAY->TRANSPARENT

 Now create another reach zone using Joint Angle Driven From Waist
 Set the Waist Flex Angle to 85 degrees
 Set the Waist Lateral Angle to 40 degrees
 Dismiss out of the Reach Analysis Dialogue Window
Reach Zone Driven From Waist Dialogue Window

Chapter 9: Animation System Module

(Command: ModulesAnimation System)
Up until now, you have been primarily working with Jack’s interactive
tools to create scenes, manipulate the figure and evaluate aspects
of your simulation environment. However, Jack also provides
another powerful capability: 3D motion definition, scripting, and
playback.
While Jack offers a powerful (yet easy to use) animation tool, a

person using Jack needs to realize that animation is a very time
consuming endeavor and patience is required to do involved
projects.
This chapter covers what is typically referred to as Jack’s ‘traditional’

animation system. In recent years we have also introduced a tool
called the Task Simulation Builder (TSB), which moves away from
the traditional key framing approach to human simulation, and allows
you to command the human figures using high level task descriptions
(ex. Get nails / Use hammer). These get translated ‘behind the
scenes’ into the appropriate human motions. For more information
on TSB, go to Help-> TSB Manual.
3D Motion

Animation Window
The Animation Window contains all the functions necessary to create
and playback motions in Jack. It consists of a menu, toolbar, and
timeline.
Jack’s Animation Window
Menu
The menus in the Animation window contain all of the commands
available to create a simulation in Jack. They are organized into
basic File and Control operations, Motion Primitives, and Timeline
Options.
Animation Window Menus
Animation Window Icons

(Command: Animation System Control)
The Animation Icons provide quick access to common Animation
functions.
This function generates the frames for playback.

This function must be used to view any edited or
newly created motions.
This icon stops generation of frames.

This sets the initial frame for the animation. The

file contains all the objects that will be animated
and also indicates their starting postures and
positions.
Rewind to Start
Step backward one frame
Stop Playback
Playback a generated animation.
Step forward one frame
Fast Forward to end.
This icon controls the cycle style during playback.

It displays a pop-up menu with the following
selections: forward, backward, loop forward, loop
backward, and swing.
This icon controls the speed of playback. When

the realtime box is checked the animation skip
frames so that playback is displayed in realtime.
You also have the option of changing the realtime
multiplier. This allows you to view double, half, or
any desired speed.
Timeline
The Timeline graphically represents each motion within a time grid.
You can delete, move, resize, and edit these motions using the
<RMB>. You can also interactively move and resize specific motions
by dragging them with the <LMB>. Finally, you can modify the size
of the timeline using the + or - Button at the bottom of the animation
window.

Example Motion Editing Menu
Mouse cursor Command
Interactively move motion <LMB>
Interactively resize motion<LMB>
Interactively step through

motions<MMB>
Motion Basics
Motions in the Jack animation system require several basic
parameters: a motion name, a weight, a velocity, a start time, a
duration, and an objective or goal. Notice that a motion initial state is
NOT required. In Jack the initial location is grabbed from the previous
motion. This makes editing Jack motions very easy. There is only
one state per motion that needs to be changed and this automatically
updates subsequent motions. This format does require a starting
position at time zero, however.
Generate
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemControlGenerate)
Jack uses key framing to create motions. The starting frame is
defined from the last position of the previous motion. When a new

motion is created, you will only need to define the last position of the
previous motion and Jack will figure out how to translate between the
end position or the last motion to the newly defined position (after the
motions have been generated).
Complex tasks typically consist of many motions overlapping each

other. Jack provides the capability to generate these motions
interactively, using all of the power of the realistic human movement
and behavior that is built in to the human figure model. You don’t
have to manually generate every joint motion and track the
sequencing - Jack does all the hard work of motion generation and
playback.
Jack Walking
Set Frame 0
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemControlSet Frame 0)
The starting position for all objects in the environment is
automatically specified when the ANIMATION MODULE is first created.
It is possible to change this. It is also necessary to explicitly set the
starting positions when new objects are added to an animation by
setting frame 0 using the icon or by following the path above.

Create Figure Motion Dialog
Motion Name: Each motion will have its own unique name.
Weight: Each motion describes movement of a part of a figure

through a kinematic constraint. Consequently, it is possible to have
two motions affect the same part at the same time. The weight
function describes the constraint’s strength over an object relative to
another constraint.
Velocity: Each motion in the Animation Window has a predefined

velocity profile described through a kinematic constraint. The speed
of the end effector along the path between the starting and ending
positions is controlled through the velocity function:
Start: This parameter specifies the starting time for the motion. Note
that the time will be either listed as seconds or frames. There are 30
frames in a second on the animation timeline.
Duration: This parameter specifies the overall duration for the

motion. Note that the time will be either listed as seconds or frames.
There are 30 frames in a second on the animation timeline. You do
not explicitly set the ending time for a motion; rather, end time = start
time + duration.
Group: Specifies which motion group to add the motion to. Typically
there is only one motion group (named "default"). The motion group
must already exist to be specified in this field. You can create a
motion group by right clicking (<RMB>) on the group icon and
selecting "New" from the menu.

Figure Motions
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemGeneralFigure)
Figure Motions provide an easy way to translate and rotate a Figure
around the environment. In fact, you use the MOVE CONTROLLER to
reposition the figure. When you are finished, the motion dialog
captures the current location of the figure and uses it as the goal in
the animation.
Note: Figure motions record the position and orientation of the

figure. Joint angles are not recorded.
Joint Motions
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemGeneralJoint)
Joint motions provide a convenient way to specify goal positions for
many joints at once. Specifically it is possible to create a joint motion
that moves one joint in a figure, several joints in a figure, or all the
joints in the figure to specified goal positions.
You can do any interactive manipulation to set the goal location for
the joints. Every joint in the list will be animated by the motion.
Note: The position of every joint in the list at the time the Create
button is hit will be taken as the new goal. Only this final
position is recorded, not the path of the movement.
Timed Attachments
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemGeneralRelational-
Timed Attach)
Time attachments let you control the movement of one figure by
attaching it to another.

Timed Attach
Constraints
(Command: ModulesAnimation
SystemGeneralRelationalConstraints)
Constraints define a constraint for a set duration of time during a
portion of your animation.
Path Motions
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemPathsFigure Path)
Path motions let you attach objects to predefined paths in space. The
site path1.paths.point will move along the path over the time interval
of the path motion. The motion of this site can be used to control an
object’s translation and orientation.

Figure Path Motion
Human Motions
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemHuman)
Human Motions in Jack are just Basic motions using all of the human
manipulations and behaviors available in the Human Control Panel.
Just like Figure Motions, the Human Control Dialog is used to
manipulate the human. The Motion Dialog then saves the new
human position.
Timed Behaviors
(Command:ModulesAnimationSystemHumanTimed Control)
The behavior setting of the human affects what motion results when
you create motions for the human. It is possible to explicitly control
(and change) the human behavior settings during the course of an
animation.
Like timed attachments, timed behaviors are a useful way to control

the motion of one figure through the motion of another figure.
Consequently, you can generate animation of the human using the
motion of other objects. Timed behaviors are also useful for
situations where the most appropriate behavior changes over the
course of the task being animated.
Camera Motions
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemSceneCamera)
Camera motions allow you to change view during an animation.
When you create this motion the camera doesn’t move. It is already
at the goal position. By default the initial frame doesn’t contain
camera information. As a result, the first camera motion becomes the
initial location for the camera.
Channelsets
Channelset files are a way to save multiple motions or channels (joint
angles and positions for each frame) into one motion. Channelset
files can be read back in and added to your animation.
Creating Channelsets
(Command: ModulesAnimation SystemChannelsetsSave
Channelsets)
A channelset can be created for any time frame and for any figure in
the environment. In addition, a single channelset file can contain
motions for multiple figures.

Write Channelset Dialog
Replaying Channelset Motions

(Command: ChannelsetChannelset Motion)
To replay a channelset, load the file from either FileOpen or in the
Animation Module ChannelsetLoad Channelset. Next, assign the
figure animations from the channelset to figures in the current
environment.
Notice you can load many channelset files and can select any of
these. Also, the duration option in the dialog is grayed out. Unlike
other motions, a channelset’s size is specified in the channelset file.
Otherwise, the motion can be deleted or moved like any other motion
in the timeline.

Create Channelset Dialog
Channelset Editor
The editor allows individual joint and figure motions saved within a
channelset to be included or excluded. The channelset file can be
loaded into the editor from CHANNELSETLOAD CHANNELSET. The
new channelset can then be saved and used to create a new
animation.
Movie Export
Movies that can be played back outside of Jack are useful for sharing
simulations with others. These are very easy to create with Jack. The
Export Animation dialogue is located under ModulesAnimation
SystemFileExport Animation.

Movie Export
Jack will generate images for each frame and compile them into an
animation file. Images for this animation can be rendered the same
as individual screen captures. Finally, the screen saver should be
deactivated during the entire export process. Windows or other
activities that interfere with the animation will be recorded into the
subsequent movie. The movie will be automatically saved to your
home directory.
Resolution
The resolution determines how large the movie image is and also
how big the resulting file is. Use the smallest resolution you can get
away with. If you try to resize a movie created at a low resolution to
make it larger you will notice the lack of resolution. The image will be
very coarse.
Animation Options
The start and stop time allows you to crop the beginning and the end
of your timeline. In other words, Jack allows you to select a portion
of an animation to export. The default times in the dialog are the
actual beginning and end frames of your animation.
Output Options
Jack’s animation system allows you to output a finished movie in AVI
or MPEG format, environment files (saves object positions) for every

frame, or individual images of every frame. These image files can be

used with external movie utilities to create complex fades or merge
with existing footage.
Video Compression
When AVI format is selected for video export, you will be prompted
to select a video compressor and quality setting, to optimize the file
size of your video.
It is important to note that the selection and use of codecs for .avi
movies is a function supported/controlled entirely by Microsoft.
Jack cannot edit any of the codecs provided in the selection dialog,
nor can the software control the success of using any particular
codec. Furthermore, the construction of .avi movies can have a
heavy memory footprint. Very long/large videos may not export as
expected.
Compression Dialog
Animation Tips
Constraint Vs Joint Motions:
Joint motions tend to be smoother than constraint motions in
animations. Constraint motions required a considerable amount of
computation for figures with a number of joints and the motions may
therefore be less fluid when constraints are used. It is recommended
that you use the constraints to position the figures for the motions,
but record the joint positions in the motion file.
Constraint based motions do have an advantage over joint based
motions in terms of their ability to react to changes in the scene or
animation. For example, if an arm motion is used to reach a box in
the scene, the animation will automatically change appropriately if
an earlier motion is modified top put the box in a new location. If a
joint motion had been used, the figure would continue to reach for

the old location of the box, since only the joint displacements (and
not a constraint/behavior goal) are recorded.
Generation:
Disabling the TJ_Window during generation will generate the
motions faster. Simply right click in the TJ_Window and select
Disable.
Handprints and Footprints:

This tool brings in hand and footprints and automatically constrains
a human to them. In some cases, this can be an easier method for
positioning the human within the scene.
_Motcs File:
The _motcs (also referenced in this document under Quickstart) file
is automatically created when you save the _motions file from the
animation panel. This file will open automatically when the _motions
file is loaded. This has two benefits.
1. Generation is not required unless changes are made to the
motions.
2. Packet size is greatly reduced during collaboration. Loading an
_motions file that has an associated _motcs file will automatically
load the motions on all participants and then only the frame,
rather than all the motions, will be collaborated.
Motion Times (Motions not being generated):

Motions, including attachments, need to be at least .03 seconds. This
is equivalent to one frame. Motions less than .03 may or may not be
generated.
Pose Figure Vs Joint Motion:

It is recommended that you use the pose figure to position the figure
for the motions, but record joint motions and the figure position rather
than the pose figure. The pose figure command contains joint
positions and a figure position. Therefore, if you reposition the figure
with the pose, the figure motion and the pose motion will need to be
recorded in parallel. If the pose motion and the figure motion are
recorded in parallel, you will essentially have two figure motions on
the same figure recorded in parallel and Jack may or may not use
the figure motion that you intended.
Quickstart:
Animations can now be loaded and played without requiring users to
generate the motions. This has been integrated into Jack 6.0 and will

work as long as no changes have been made to the motion files. In

order for quickstart to work, animation files must be loaded
directly from the animation panel. If the motion files are loaded
from the main File>OPEN dialog, the motions will need to be
generated. See _motcs for more information.

Chapter 9 Tutorial: Animation System Module

This tutorial will guide you through Jack’s basic animation features
such as manipulating the human and moving objects. You will also
learn more advanced animation techniques and tips for creating
realistic animations.
Exercise: Animation Window

This exercise will introduce you to the basic features in the animation
window.
 Delete the scene and read in the Sphere.pss from the Object Library
(Object—Create---Figure from Library---Primitives)
 Scale the ball to make it smaller by right clicking on the ball and selecting Scale
 Reduce the scale by all axes to .2
 Move the ball away from 0,0,0
 Create a human
 Open the ANIMATION W INDOW
 Examine the available menus.
Note: The timeline is empty.
Scene for Basic Animation

Exercise: Basic Animation

This exercise will introduce you to some basic animation features.
You will move the sphere and human.
 Set Frame Zero in the Animation Window
Set Frame Zero Icon
 Create a Figure Motion. In the Animation Window General---Figure

 In the FIGURE MOTION DIALOG leave the Weight and Velocity at Constant.
 Set the Start time for 0. (The motion will begin at 0 seconds)
 Set the Duration for 1 second. (The motion will last for 1 second)
 In the FIGURE MOTION DIALOG select the sphere as the Figure and hit Move.
Figure Motion Dialogue
 Move the sphere to a new location for the move animation. When finished hit
Create, Apply and dismiss the dialog.
This will create a motion in the Timeline.

Note: The motion will replay as it generates the frames. The

playback controls can then be used to control the generated
motions.
 Hit the Play button.

 Move and resize the motions in the timeline by using your mouse button over
the timeline and clicking/dragging the time. When you are finished hit generate
again.
 The time should have changed.
Exercise: Group manipulation

This exercise will demonstrate moving an object multiple times.
 Create another Figure Motion for the sphere by selecting General---Figure, in

the Animation Window.
 Set the start time after the first motion.
 Apply a duration of 2 seconds.
 When finished hit Create and dismiss the dialog.
This will create a second motion in the Timeline.
 You should now see the sphere move two times.
Note: Both motions are resized to the new size of the default
group.
Exercise: Human Linear Walk

This exercise will demonstrate how to have a human perform a
walking motion.
 Now we will have our human perform a walk motion.
 Rewind the motion to frame 0 using the icon

 Select Human---Linear Walk from the Animation Window
 Leave the Weight and Velocity set to constant.
 Set the Start Time at 0 seconds.
 Set the Duration for 2 seconds.
 Choose Forward, Swing Arms for the Mode. (Notice the other Mode Types).

 Choose the Human figure.

 Move the Human to a new end location for the walk. (i.e Move the human to
the side).
 Hit Apply and Dismiss.
 Notice the new figure motion in the animation timeline.
Multiple Motions in the Timeline
Note: Animations contain an object’s final destination only.
 Generate the Animation .

 Notice the ball motions and the human motions.
 Modify the timing on the motions.
 Hit Generate .
Exercise: Human Pose

This exercise will demonstrate how to have the human take a posture
motion at the end of the walk created in the last section.
 Select Human---Pose from the Animation Window

 Leave the weight and velocity set to Constant.
 Set the Start Time to be at the end of the Human Linear Walk created in the
last section.
 Set the Duration to .5 seconds.

 Select the Human Figure.

 Select the Pose Standing Working from the drop down list. (Notice these are
the same saved postures available on the human in the Human Context
Sensitive Menu)
Human Pose Motion
 Notice the addition of a Pose to the timeline.
 Generate the Animation .

 Play the Animation.
 Check the Realtime Box in the Animation Window. And set it to .5.
Realtime Playback
 Hit Play
 The animation plays back at half the time.
Exercise: Saving the Animation

This exercise will demonstrate saving an animation file and replaying
saved animations.

 Choose File---Save from the Animation Window

 Name the File.
 Select Save.
 Select Save again.
 Notice there are two files saved. The first is the Environment File, and the
second is the Animation File associated with the environment.
 Close Jack.
 Reopen Jack.
 Open the new Environment file you created File---Open.
 Open the new Animation file you created (it should be the same name as the
environment file with the addition of ‘_motions’ in the filename). This
automatically brings up the Animation Window.
 Notice the motions are in the animation window.
 Playback the animation.
Exercise: Human Path Walk

This exercise will demonstrate the human walking along a defined
path.
 Delete your scene (Edit---Delete Scene). This should also clear the animation
window.
 Open the File Chapter10.env
 Open the File Chapter10_motions.env. (This will bring up the Animation
Window)
 Rewind and Play the Animation.
 Review the motions in the timeline.
 Notice that there are several Motions in the timeline. There are human walking,
posture and Robot Joint Motions. There is also a support motion and a figure
motion.
 In the Animation Window, select File---Clear Animation---Yes
 The Animation Window should now be empty.
Now you are going to create a path for the human to walk along. The human needs
to walk to the monitor station near the robot.
 In the Object Hierarchy, delete the existing Path in the list by Right Clicking on
the Path and Selecting Delete.

Deleting a Path from the Object Hierarchy
 Rewind the Animation Window.

 Set Frame 0.
 Select Paths---Create Path
Path Point #1
 You will see the Path Dialogue open and the first path point has been created
at 0,0,0. Keep the first point at 0,0,0.
 Hit Add After to add another point. This point has been created in the same
location as the last point. (See image below for a sample of locations for path
points).

 Move this second path point. Be sure to have all path points created on the
floor (Y=0).
 Once you have the second path point where you want it, hit Add After again.
Another point has been created on top of (in the same location) as the last point.
 Move this third path point to its desired location.
 Keep adding points until you have a path that ends in front of the monitor
station. See image below.
Path Creation
 Once you have completed the path, hit Create and then Apply. Finally, Dismiss
the Window.
 Now that you have added a path to the scene, you need to reset frame zero.
Hit Set Frame 0.
 In the Animation Window, select Human---Path Walk.

Human Path Walk
 Now that you have added a path to the scene, you need to reset frame zero.
Hit Set Frame 0.
 In the Animation Window, select Human---Path Walk.
The Path Walk Dialogue will open.
Human Path Dialogue
 Leave the weight and velocity set to constant.

 Set the Start Time at 0 seconds.
 Set the Duration for 2 seconds.
 Select the Male Human near the path.
 Select the Path.
 Tip: You may need to select the path from the Object Hierarchy (or type in
path name into the text entry).

 Hit Create, Apply and Dismiss the window.

 Hit Generate.
The human walks the path to the monitor and robot control.
Note: Objects can also follow paths. Paths can be created at any
location in space.
Note: The path is a figure in the Object Hierarchy. This object

can be made invisible for presentation or viewing purposes.
Right click on the path and Select Display Path to turn the path
visible and invisible.
Exercise: Human Motions

This exercise will demonstrate having the human reach out for
controls.
Create a human motion for the human to reach out with the left hand and turn on
the Robot using the control.
 In the Animation Window select Human---Arm Motion
 Leave the weight and velocity set to constant.
 Set the Start Time at 2 Seconds. (The end of the path walk)
 Set the Duration at .5 Seconds. Select the Human.
 Choose the Right Side (or you can select Left if it is closer to the botton).
 Leave the Starting Joint as the Shoulder.
 Leave Include Wrist selected.
 Hit Adjust.
 The human control dialogue opens and you can adjust the human hand to the
desired location. Move the hand to the red control button on the control box.

Arm Motion
 Once you have completed moving the hand, Hit Create, then Apply and finally,
Dismiss the window.
 A new arm motion has been added to the timeline.
 Hit Generate.
Create a head motion at the same time as the arm motion.
 In the Animation Window select Human---Head
 The head motion dialogue window will open.
 Leave the weight and velocity set at constant.
 Set the Start Time at 2 Seconds (the end of the path walk).
 Set the Duration at .5 Seconds (the same as the arm motion).

Head Motion
 Select the human.
 Hit Adjust.
 The Human Control Dialogue will open.
 Move the head to the center of the computer monitor. (Use the Snap To Face
Center feature)
 Hit Create.
 Dismiss the window.
 Hit Generate.
The head and arm motion happen at the same time in the timeline.
Exercise: Joint Motions, Interactive Reach and Timed Attachments

This exercise will demonstrate having a robot move multiple joints to
pick up a box and place it on the conveyor.
You will now finish recreating the animation you reviewed in the previous exercise.
 Using the Adjust Joint Icon in the Jack Toolbar, select some of the joints on
the robot to understand where they are located. Do not adjust the joints.
 Notice that there are several joints located in the Robot.
 Make sure you are at the end of the Timeline in the Animation Window. You
should see a red line at the end of the timeline.

End of the Timeline
You will now move the robot to pick up the box on the table.
 In the Jack Toolbar select Object---Interactive Reach
 Select a site on the end of the robot for the End Effector Site.
 Select the base of the robot (Robot_Jack5.J4) as the Starting Joint.
 Begin Move.
 Move the head of the robot to the cube.
Interactive Reach
 Create a Joint Motion to capture this move.

 in the Animation Window choose General---Joint Motion
 The joint motion dialogue window will appear.

Joint Motion Dialogue
 Leave weight and velocity set to constant.

 Set the Start time at 2.5 seconds (The end of the human motions)
 Set the duration at 1 second.
 Choose the Figure Tab.
 Choose the Selector in the Add all Joint from Figure.
 Select the Robot as the Figure. (This will add all the joints from the figure to
the new motion).
 Hit Create.
 Hit Generate.
 The robot moves to the cube.
 Create a Timed Attachment for the cube to attach to the Robot.
 In the Animation Window select General---Relational---Timed Attach

 Set the weight and velocity at Constant

 Set the start time to 3.5. (You want the attachment to begin at the end of the
first robot motion)
 Set the duration for 3 seconds.
 Choose the cube as the Figure
 Choose a site on the end of the Robot as the point to Attach to.
Timed Attachment Dialogue
 Create another Robot motion to move the cube off the table and to its new
location. Use the Interactive Reach and Joint Motions to create multiple robot
motions.
Once you have the Robot Motions and the Cube Moved to the conveyor, add a
figure motion for the cube to move down the conveyor.
 General---Figure
 Choose the Cube
 Specify a Start time and Duration.
 Move the Cube to its new location.
 Apply and Dismiss the window.
 Generate.

Exercise: Timed Control

This exercise will demonstrate timed controls on the human.
You will now finish recreating the animation you reviewed in the previous exercise.
 Move the timeline in the Animation Window to 2.5 Seconds (This is at the
beginning of the Robot motions)
Time Line at 2.5 Seconds
 In the Animation Window select Human---Timed Control---Head

We will create a timed control telling the head to fixate on the cube during the
remainder of the animation.
 The Head Control dialogue will open

Timed Control Head Dialogue
 Leave the weight and velocity set at constant

 Set the Start time at 2.5 seconds
 Set the Duration to happen until the end of your animation. (If you animation
ends at 9 seconds then the duration would be 9-2.5= 6.5)
 Select your Human.
 Select Fixate as the Type.
 Select a Site as the Goal Type.
 Choose a site on the cube for the human to fixate on.
 Hit Apply and Dismiss the window.
 Hit Generate.
Open an Eye View window for the Human. You should see what the human can
see during the walk and while he is watching the cube.

Chapter 10: Other Modules
Task Simulation Builder (TSB)

(Command: ModulesTask Simulation Builder)
TSB represents a different way to create high-level, reusable

simulations in Jack. It will allow you to create simulations and
animations much more quickly than the standard Jack animation
system, and the results will be very flexible for use in "what-if"
scenarios involving changing environments, varying human models,
and even different numbers of people involved in a task.
Because simulations are defined at a high level, changes to the

humans or environment are not only reflected as differences in the
details of the motions (such as a different reach location), but in the
timing and content of the results: if an object is moved out of reach,
TSB will automatically insert an obstacle-avoiding walk to get it. If a
small object is replaced with a large object, TSB will switch from a
one-handed to a two-handed grasp.
A detailed TSB Manual can be accessed from:
Help  TSB Manual
This manual includes a TSB Tutorial, and it is recommended that all

new TSB Users work through this exercise.
Motion Capture
(Command: ModulesMotion Capture – Real-Time)
The Motion Capture (MoCap) Module allows you to capture and
playback motions using Virtual Reality (VR) hardware with Jack
human modeling and simulation software.
The MoCap module is a separately licensed component of

Tecnomatix Jack.
The following VR tracking systems are natively supported with this

module:
 Vicon (www.vicon.com)
 Motion Analysis (www.motionanalysis.com)
 Cybergloves (www.cyberglovesystems.com)

Third Party Communication

As part of the distribution, thorough documentation can be found to
assist our Motion Capture partners who wish to develop an
interface to Jack. While this is not new functionality, the revised
documentation is expected to ease the process of interfacing with
Jack in order to take advantage of our Motion Tracing solution. In
addition to this, a new User Interface has been developed for users
of third party motion capture devices. This interface is also
furnished with Usage documents and follows the standard Jack
User Interface design, to ensure familiarity.
The Third Party Motion Capture Communication Protocol manual

can be found in your Jack distribution in the /Jack/Docs folder.
The Third Party MoCap tracking setup dialog can be found under
“Modules- > Motion Capture -> Communication Protocol ->
Tracking Setup”.
Third Party Mocap Tracking Setup Dialog
For licensed users, complete MoCap Usage documents are

accessible from:
Help -> MoCap Help

Plug-ins
(Command: ModulesPlug-ins)
The Add-on Module system is configured via the Plug-In manager
available on the Modules menu. The module system allows you to
add capabilities to Jack selectively as they fit your needs. The ADD-
ON MODULES DIALOG box appears in the figure below. By moving
Modules to the ‘Auto-Load’ list, they will automatically appear in the
Modules menu each time you start Jack.
Plug-in Dialog
This Dialog box allows you to see all of the currently available
modules as well as add any custom-developed modules to the
menus (using the Browse button).
Modules currently available for Jack include the following:
CPort
This is a tool for socket communication between Jack and other
applications. Jack receives Tcl strings and interprets them. Added
are a number of easy to use script functions to make scripting easy.
CableGenerator
This tool creates cables and cable like figures using joint chains.

CameraTracking
This allows the camera to be synchronized with either a figure
bounding box center or a site. A constant offset is maintained
between them. It has both dolly mode which maintains a fixed
height, and boom mode, which follows the height of the entity.
Disembodied Hand Module

Often when conducting a clearance study, the focus of an analysis
can be purely on the hand. In these scenarios, posturing the entire
body to get the hand into place can represent unnecessary
overhead. In place of this, the Disembodied Hands Module can be
used to posture a hand only, offering feedback on clearance
requirements more efficiently.
For a full description of this module and a sample use case, click on
the Usage button at the bottom of the module’s dialog.
ElevationTransition
The Elevation Transition module allows you to compute and
visualize a trajectory for climbing up and down stairs and ramps.
Using this module you can easily define the layout of your staircase
or ramp, and Jack will automatically compute the steps necessary
to ascend/descend. These footsteps, along with Jack or Jill’s
motions, can be visualized, edited, and exported to the animation
system for use in creating a simulation.

 To access full documentation for this module, click on the

‘Usage’ button from within the modules’ user interface.
GridGenerator
This is a tool for generating wireframe rectangular and hemispheric
grids. Users have been asking for the ability to move our grid and
for tools to help determine where objects are in the field of view.
Grid Generator
JackCollaboration
The Jack Collaboration module facilitates communication between
multiple instances of the Jack application running on separate
machines. The position and joint angles of figures from one Jack
process (server) can be shared with other Jack processes (clients)
in real-time. This can be useful when working with colleagues in
various locations. You can share your working session in real time
while others are directly viewing the motion and positional updates
you are making to the Jack figures.
For more information, click on the Usage button within the Jack
Collaboration dialog

Kinect
An interface has been developed between Jack and the Kinect tool.
This exploratory module can be found in: Modules – Plug Ins –
Kinect. This modules offer two modes of subject tracking: Scene
Navigation and Human Posturing. Navigation looks at your arm
gestures to maneuver the Jack (or Jill) figure through the scene.
Posturing mode tracks your gross body postures and maps those to
Jack (or Jill). Additional documentation can be accessed from the
Kinect Module User Interface, and we encourage you to review this.
PrintToJack
This tool generates movable, scalable, modifiable, 3D text from a text
editor in the Jack scene.
PrincipleComponentManikins
This generates boundary manikins which samples of different
extreme anthropometric proportions for testing.
Sample
This is a well commented and documented module that shows how
to use Python and Tcl together to create add-on modules for Jack
Sweeps
This generates geometry for a list of segments for every location that
they were at during a motion. Continuous mode hulls out the volume
for a continuous surface.
SyncSwim
This tool synchronizes joint angles between two human figures. This
is most useful in VR scenarios where someone wearing sensors or
markers would be able to manipulate a human figure model of a
different size and proportions.

Sync Swim
TATReporter
This outputs the results of the 3DSSP, LBA and Fatigue Analysis for
every frame of an animation. It allows for setting hand load changes
in the animation.

APPENDIX

Appendix A: System Defaults

Direct Model
Version 9.0 uses the DirectModel(v10) rendering engine that

supports JT file versions through v10. This version of DirectModel
is designed to work with graphics cards using OpenGL 3.0 or
higher. Certain features, such as reflections (mirrors), may not work
on older graphics cards.
Jack also has the ability to make use of the Graphics Processor
Unit (GPU) for certain computations. In particular, the smooth-skin
deformation can be pushed to the GPU. As this is a fairly costly
computation, but highly parallel in nature, switching to the GPU can
significantly improve performance, especially in situations where
the main processor (CPU) is tied up with other computations.
By default this ability is disabled, however users are strongly

encouraged to give it a try by enabling it via System Defaults-
>Graphics->Enable Shaders. Performance will vary. Systems with
older or low end graphics cards, such as those found in laptops, are
likely to see performance degradations. Systems with certain high-
end/multi-core CPUs may not see any performance gains. The
shading model is slightly different when this setting is enabled; this
will be addressed in a future release.
When shaders are enabled, users are encouraged to remain in
VCO mode. This is set by default, but it can otherwise be achieved
by using the TCL console and typing:
jiViewer_setRenderOpt [jiViewer_current] 3
If you switch to other render modes while shaders are enabled,

artifacts may appear. The following rendering modes are available
and can be set in the TCL console by typing:
jiViewer_setRenderOpt [jiViewer_current] [0/1/2/3]

Where the values are:
0 1 2 3
VCO Mode
(Vertex Cache
VBO Mode optimized
DisplayList (OpenGL Vertex OpenGL Vertex
Mode Index Mode Buffer Objects) Buffer Objects)
Faster to
Random Fastest Render
Fastest Render Standard Render Performance
Performance Performance Performance usage
3x memory standard 1x to 2x 1x to 2x
usage memory usage memory usage memory usage
Color:
This page of the System Defaults dialog defines colors used in the
Jack environment. Use this group box to select or modify the color
used for the selected object. Use the radio buttons (defined below)
to identify the object whose color you are changing. The group box
includes a color sample that interactively shows changes you make.
You can select from among the pre-defined colors or materials in the
scrollable list at the bottom of this group. You can then use the
Custom group to modify the color as desired.
Custom: This group box consists of slider bars for Red, Green, and
Blue. You can also specify numeric values for R, G, and B in the
text edit fields below the respective slider bar.
Background color: Determines the color of the Graphics Window

background.
Major grid color: Specifies the color of the major grid line divisions
for the ground plane.
Minor grid color: Specifies the color of the minor grid line divisions
in the Graphics Window for the ground plane.
Site color: Specifies the color of sites.
Node color: Specifies the color of nodes.
Inside wheel color: Specifies the color of interior segments of a

rotation wheel. This color indicates valid rotation within defined joint
limits.

Outside wheel color: Specifies the color of exterior segments of a

rotation wheel. This color indicates rotations that are outside of the
defined joint limits.
Graphics:
This page of the System Defaults dialog specifies how objects
appear in the Graphics Window.
Display Constraint Glyphs: Use this check box to enable display of

glyphs showing the difference between constraint goal and
endeffector location.
Show Backfaces: Use this check box to display backfaces of
objects.
Reverse Stereo Left/Right: Checking this box will swap the left and
right eye buffers used for stereo windows. This is necessary in
certain hardware configurations. This should not be used for 2-
channel stereo operation.
Set Grid/Glyph Scale: Use this edit field to enter the grid/glyph
scale.
Set Line Width: Use this edit field to enter the grid line width.
Near Clipping Plane: Use this edit field to enter the position of the
near clipping plane.
Far Clipping Plane: Use this edit field to enter the position of the far
clipping plane.
Solver:
This page of the System Defaults dialog defines constraint solver
parameters used by Jack. Use caution when making changes to
this page. These parameters affect the solution of user defined
constraints and also human behaviors and manipulations that make
use of built-in constraints.
Solver Parameters: Use the parameters in this group box to change

how constraints are solved. The parameters are:
Time Limit (ms): Jack uses an iterative numerical procedure

to evaluate the constraints. The amount of time Jack spends
solving this problem during one iteration before giving up
and accepting a less than optimal solution is controlled by
the constraint time limit.

Step Factor (m): The motion determined by constraints is

likely to be smoother and less prone to being caught in local
(not global) minima if the distance that the goal moved in
one iteration is small. The constraint step factor provides a
limit on the distance between the end effector and the
goal. Instead of using the actual goals, Jack uses
intermediate goals placed in the direction of the end
effectors but only a fixed distance away. This will cause the
end effector to move more smoothly towards the real goal
when the goal is far from the end effector but because the
constraint is solved at intermediate step points more time will
be required to reach the goal.
Constraint Throttling: Use the parameters to control what
happens when a solution to a constraint cannot be found:
Active: Select the Off or On radio button to disable or enable
constraint throttling. By default, this option is on. Constraint
throttling controls whether or not Jack continues to try to
solve the constraints even when there is no
improvement. With the constraint throttling on, if there is no
improvement greater than delta in the number of iterations
specified for history size than the current solution is
accepted and no further iterations are attempted until the
goal moves.
History Size: Use the slider bar or edit field to enter the
number of iterations.
History Delta: Use the edit field to specify delta
Simulation Mode: Use this to indicate whether the solver
should be active.
Environment Update Optimization: When active, this
improves the performance of some manipulations and
motions, and allows faster loading of large environment files.
UI:
This page of the System Defaults dialog specifies options for the user
interface.
Ignore Library File Warnings: Select this check box to ignore

warning messages due to data read from the Library File.
Dialogs stay on top of main graphics window: Select this check box
to have all Jack dialogs remain on top even when you click on the
Graphics Window. If you unselect this option, you can bring dialogs
to the top by pressing <Alt+Tab>.

Open option dialog when importing files: This check box is used to
indicate whether the import options dialog should be automatically
opened when importing a file.
Remember window layout between sessions: Select this check box

to save window placement and size information when exiting. This
information will be used to give the same layout the next time you
run Jack.
Help Browser: Use this radio buttons to select the browser to use to
display on-line help. The default is an internal browser. Other
options are Netscape and Internet Explorer (Windows only). The
Netscape and Internet Explorer options require that you already
have the selected browser be installed on your machine.
Maximum Number of Recent Files: Use this edit field to enter the
number of files you want to appear in the list of files most recently
opened. This list appears in the File menu above Exit.
Default Male Filename / Default Female Filename: These indicate

the files used when creating a default male or female figure. The
fields can be changed to override the Jack default figures.
Units:
This page of the System Defaults dialog defines the units of
measure used in the Jack environment. You make selections from
the drop-down list for the type of measure you want to modify. If
desired, enter an increment in the associated edit field.
Angle: Select either degrees or radians from the drop-down list.
Density: This drop-down list provides selections for metric and

English units in various scales.
Distance: This drop-down list provides selections for metric and

Force: Select either Newton’s or lbs.
Mass: Select gram, kg, or lbs.
Torque: This drop-down list provides selections for metric and

Volume: This drop-down list provides selections for metric and


Viewers:
This page of the System Defaults dialog defines parameters for the
Graphics Window viewer. Specifically from this page you can control
the display of performance information, default lighting, and the
sensitivity of the view control.
Show Frame Rate: Use this check box to turn off or on the display
of frame rate information in the upper right hand corner of the
Graphics Window
Show Frame Information: Use this check box to turn off or on the
display of a frame count in the lower left hand corner of the
Graphics Window
Camera Light: Use this check box to determine whether the default
light located on the camera is on or off
Horizontal View Control Gain: Use this edit field to define gain for a
horizontal change of view
Vertical View Control Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for
a vertical change of view
Zoom View Control Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for
zoom
Horizontal Slide View Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for
horizontal slide change of view
Vertical Slide View Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for a
vertical slide change of view
Horizontal Pan View Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for a
horizontal pan view change
Vertical Pan View Gain: Use this edit field to define the gain for a
vertical pan view change
LOD (Level of Detail ) Quality: This can be used for JT data only.
Data must be loaded (not IMPORTED) AND requires the "level of
detail" nodes to be pre-defined. The higher the level of detail for a
part, the slower the rendering. Low LODs are useful for faster
rendering when detail is less important.

Note: the .jt file must to be generated with the different levels of
detail per part as Jack cannot generate them on the fly.
The slider goes from 0.00 (in which the highest LOD will be
defined) to 1.0 (the lowest one). Unfortunately, this is opposite to
convention where a higher value would represent a higher LOD.
The point on the slider at which a different LOD takes effect is pre-
defined in the .jt file construction. This is not exposed nor controlled
in Jack.
Screen Size Culling: Use this check box to indicate whether screen
size culling should be used to prevent the rendering of small
graphical objects during object or view manipulation.
Minimum Coverage: This edit field is active when screen size

culling is enabled. This indicates the minimum screen coverage
required for rendering; objects smaller than this will not be
rendered, often increasing the frame rate in complex environments.
Draw Final Frame Full: Use this check box to specify whether
screen size culling should be bypassed when redrawing after a
manipulation or view change. This allows screen size culling to
optimize the frame rate during manipulations without compromising
the appearance of the scene during static viewing.

Appendix B: Snap Definitions

Cursor Point:
The object you are moving will snap to the location of the cursor. The
first piece of geometry in line with the cursor is used to define the
location of the cursor.
Site:
The object you are moving will align to both the position and
orientation of the site picked (combines the snap to site position and
snap to site orientation options described below).
Site position:
The object you are moving will snap to the location of the site you
pick while keeping the original orientation.
Site orientation:
The coordinate axes of the object you are moving will snap to the
coordinate axes of the site picked, with as little rotation as possible.
That is, Jack finds the coordinate axis of the thing you are moving
that is closest to the orientation of the selected site and then aligns
the two axes. The position of the object being moved will not change.
Only its orientation will change.
Node positions:
The object you are moving will snap to the location of the node that
is picked, keeping its original orientation.
Edge line:
The object you are moving will then snap to the closest point along
the line defined by the selected edge. That is, the object will move
along a path perpendicular to the line defined by the edge. The final
position of the object being moved may or may not lie between the
endpoints of the edge. The orientation of the object will not change.
Edge Position:
Same as Edge line except position snapped to must be between the
endpoints of the edge selected. If the closest point to the line defined
by the edge is not between the endpoints, the object will move to the
closest endpoint.

Edge orientation:
The object you are moving will snap to the orientation of the selected
edge. As with the snap to site orientation, Jack aligns the coordinate
axis that is closest in orientation to the edge with the edge.
Face Position:
Same as Face plane except the position snapped to must be within
the selected face. If the closest point to the plane defined by the edge
is not within the face, the object moves to the closest point on an
edge.
Face Center:
The object you are moving will snap to the center point of the
selected face. The orientation of the object does not change.
Face plane:
The object will move to the closest point in the plane defined by the
face. The orientation of the object will not change.
Face orientation:
The object you are moving will align to the orientation of the face
normal.
Square orientation:
The orientation of the object is changed to align with the global
coordinate system.
Ground Plane:
The object is moved so its lowest node is at the ground plane (i.e., y
= 0).

Appendix C: Additional Jack Resources
Siemens PLM Website for Jack

Collateral on the Human products within the Siemens PLM portfolio
can be found on the Web here:
www.siemens.com/plm/jack
Jack is part of the larger Tecnomatix brand within Siemens PLM. You
can learn about the other products in the Tecnomatix brand on the
Web here:
www.siemens.com/tecnomatix
Jack User Community
Jack users have a new social media community site where to ask
questions and get answers regarding use of Jack. You can join that
community here:
www.siemens.com/plm/community/tecnomatix
Support and Feedback
The Siemens PLM Global Technical Access Center (GTAC)

provides application support through telephone and electronic
access. You will need your WebKey (or SoldTo ID) to access the
GTAC system. You can contact them here:
www.siemens.com/plm/support
You can also download the latest version of the application, or any
patches, from the GTAC product download site here:
https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/download.php
Once you logon to the site using your webkey, click on “Product
Downloads” and scroll down to the Jack section.

Appendix D: .JK File Definitions (Advanced):
These are files that are in the user’s home directory and
save settings within Jack.
.jk4.install:
Refers to where to find files if environment has no path in reference.
If the file that Jack is looking for is in your working directory, it will
use that first.
.jkrc:
Jack variable that you want to persist from session to session.
Includes information on units, recently used files, location of
windows. Additional variables may also be set by modifying this file
(located in %HOME%/jack_9.0).
.jk.log:
log file similar to .jk.log.tcl, except that it can’t be run as script. This
is just the messages minus the code to repeat steps
.jk.views:
All saved “named views”
.jk.log.tcl:
Log file. Prints log viewer. Will persist until Jack is restarted. This file
is continuously written (located in %HOME%/jack_9.0).
.jk.log.tcl~:
This is a back up of the previous runs log file: .jk.log.tcl.
.jk.humans.simple:
Contains information on human models that have been created and
scaled using the standard scaling dialog. This is used by the ‘Add to
menu’ option in the Simple Scaling dialog.
.jk.humans.complex:
Contains information on human models that have been created and
scaled using the advanced scaling panel. This is used by the ‘Add to
menu’ option in the Advanced Scaling dialog.

jack801-win64.bat / jack801-win32.bat:
Start up script. Includes information on directory paths and install
directory (this is located in the root of the Jack Installation).

Appendix E: Extending Jack through Scripting
Basic Scripting
(Command: ViewToolbars – Consoles)
Jack provides powerful capability to extend the product functionality

using Tcl and Python scripting languages.
Details on the Python based JackScript language can be found under

the Jack Help menu  JackScript.
An example is provided in the installation to illustrate how to use

the Tcl/Tk and Python languages to create an add-on module for
Jack. You can find this in your Jack installation in the
\library\user_module directory.
Details on language versions
The following scripting language version updates occurred with the

v7.0 release and are still used in v9.0:
Tcl/Tk is now at version 8.5.8

Python is now at version 2.6.6
Note: If you write scripts or modules to work with Jack, these
upgrades may impact you.
Scripting Language Resources:
Python:
Python homepage: http://www.python.org
Python v2.6.6 documentation: http://docs.python.org/release/2.6.6/
Books: http://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonBooks
License: http://docs.python.org/release/2.6.6/license.html
Tcl/Tk:
Tcl/Tk homepage: http://tcl.tk
Tcl/Tk v8.5.x documentation: http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5
Books: http://www.tcl.tk/doc/
License: http://www.tcl.tk/software/tcltk/license.html
Tix License: http://tix.sourceforge.net/dist/current/license.terms

Glossary
Ambient: Determines the color of the surface when it is not

illuminated by a light source.
Balance Polygon: The display of the area considered to define

balance. The area is a line between the toes and heels, down the
foot center. If the composite center of mass of the human projects
within this area, the figure is in balance.
Channels: Channels are interpolated (in-between) frame data

created during animation. Each channel holds interpolated data for
an individual (or set) of parameters for each frame in an animation.
For example, each figure in the environment has a channel
associated with it. The figure channel holds the root site and global
transformation matrix for each frame in the animation. If the
animation is 60 frames long, each figure channel has 60 units. The
data in all channels at a particular time represents the frame data.
Check box: In a GUI, a square box next to a description of an option

that you can turn on and off. A check box contains a check mark if
the option is selected (turned on).
Collision Queue: Defines the list of objects in the scene which are
checked for collisions. You can add segment members to the queue
via the collision detection utility interface.
Constraint: A constraint is a desired geometric relationship. It also

refers to all information that collectively defines that relationship.
Jack solves constraints by the inverse kinematics algorithm, which
means that appropriate joints of articulated figures are positioned so
that desired relationships are satisfied. The constraint facility uses
an iterative optimization algorithm to compute a set of joint angles
that satisfy the constraint by placing the figure in a desired posture.
We sometimes use the term reach because it is easy to visualize in
terms of a reaching human arm. Jack allows you to define multiple
constraints of various types. Constraints are geometric connections
between objects, similar in some ways to joints, although the two are
intrinsically different in two important ways. The first arises when a
figure is over-constrained, meaning that all of its constraint
relationships cannot be completely satisfied. The types of
relationships modeled with joints, in human figure models and robot
models, can never be violated, even just a little. Joints as we know
them are not desired relationships: they are absolute relationships.

Constraints are more flexible. The second distinction between joints

and constraints is that in practice the desired relationships commonly
expressed by the two fall into different classifications. Joints are
typically rotational and/or translational. The transformation across a
joint consists of a set of rotations or translations along predefined
axes. Constraints can be much more general and vague; such has
point-to-plane, direction, etc.
Constraints and motion: The purpose of a constraint is principally

to describe the position of a figure so that it satisfies some geometric
condition. Constraints express desired relationships. The constraint
evaluation procedure is the process by which joint angles of a figure
are set so that proper relationships are achieved. The inverse
kinematics algorithm is iterative, and each iteration generates a new
set of joint angles which describe a new posture for the figure. Taken
collectively, these positions can be viewed as motion: as the
constraint is solved, the figure moves from its current posture into a
posture which satisfies the geometric relationships of all constraints.
However, this is not motion in the sense of animation or simulation,
but is an illustration of the execution of the numerical algorithm.
Because of the problems with local minima and redundancies, the
inverse kinematics algorithm is not good at generating motion
sequences. We often refer to the influence of constraints, and speak
of figures moving under the influence of constraints. The constraints
themselves are not the primary cause of motion, but they allow a
figure to reach to motion initiated by other means. If we measure the
desired relationships described by the constraints with potential
energy, then the process of evaluating constraints is the search for
equilibrium. The animation or simulation of articulated figures
consists of the explicit movement of certain elements of the
geometric environment. The process of evaluating constraints
generates desired motions as a side effect.
Degree of Freedom: For a kinematic joint, the degree(s) of freedom

(or "DOF") define the allowable motions for the joint. There are
maximum three translational and three rotational DOFs possible for
any joint.
Diffuse: Determines the color of the surface when it is illuminated by

white light.
Drop-down list: A drop-down list appears next to an edit field with

an associated drop-down arrow button. An edit field with a drop-down
list displays the current choice, which you can change using either of
two techniques:

Click on the drop-down arrow button. This displays a selection list.

Choose an option by clicking on it.
Click in the edit field, and type the desired option.
Edge: A psurf represents the geometry of each segment. Psurfs are

graphs of nodes and edges. Two nodes define an edge and an edge
is part of the definition of two adjacent faces.
Edit field: A rectangular box in a GUI into which you type

information, such as a figure name.
End effector: The end effector is the reference point on the figure
which is constrained. The positional component of the end effector
must be a single point. Currently, the end effector may be a site or a
node. The significant part of the end effector is one dimensional —
Jack does not yet have the ability to define multi-dimensional end
effectors, such as lines or planes.
Environment (env) file: An env (environment) file defines all figures,

camera locations, and lighting in a scene. It defines names for all
figures, and reloading an environment file will reset the scene as
opposed to creating duplicate figures.
Face: Each segment has a geometry associated with it that is

represented by nodes and faces. The outside of a face is defined by
a clockwise walk of nodes and the application of the right-hand rule
to determine the outward pointing normal to the face. The opposite
side of the face is the inside.
Face Orientation: Jack assumes that all faces have a consistent

orientation. It determines orientation using a right hand rule:
Traverse all nodes of a face in a counterclockwise direction.
Applying the right hand rule to these nodes yields an outward-
pointing normal to the face.
Only the outside surface of faces have shading. The reverse side of
a face always appears with ambient light shading. Reversing a face
changes the direction of the normal, so the face will change from
shaded to transparent and vice versa. The Fix All command in the
Geometry Editing dialog with the Face entity type selected attempts
to correct the shading of all faces using the right hand rule described
above.
Face goal: When you select a face goal type, the end effector is
directed toward any point in the face. With a face goal, you may have
a position relationship of point-to-point, point-to-line, or point-to-
plane. The orientation relationships use the orientation of the

segment to which the face belongs. With a point-to-point position

relationship, the potential energy of the constraint is the shortest
distance between the end effector and the face. The relationship is
a piecewise function. If the point on the face closest to the end
effector is a vertex of the face, then it acts like a point-to-point type.
If the closest point is along an edge of the face, then it acts like a
point-to-line type. If the closest point is in the interior of the face, the
it acts like a point-to-plane type. With a point-to-line relationship with
a face goal, the line is allowed to pass through anywhere on the face.
The direction of the line is a parameter that you must enter. The
default value is the normal to the face. With a point-to-plane
relationship, the plane passes through the center of the face. You
must enter the normal to the plane. The default value is the surface
normal of the face. With this value, the plane is the plane of the face.
Figure: Figures are composed of one or more segments. If there is

more than one segment in a figure, the segments are usually
connected by joints to allow movement. The location of segments
and joints are identified by sites. Each segment has a geometry
associated with it that is represented by nodes and faces.
Figure (fig) file: A fig (figure) file defines all the segments and joints
of a figure. This is a generalized template of a figure that you can
load with different names.
Glossiness (Gloss): Specifies the distribution of the specular

highlights. A large value (approximately 50) indicates small and
focused specular highlights. Smaller values define broader
highlights. By default this value is zero, which indicates that there is
no specular highlight. A value of 30 is typical for a shiny surface.
Goal: The goal is a geometric location that describes the desired

position for the end effector. Currently, the goal may be a site, a
node, a face, or a general homogeneous transform. The goal itself is
a geometric entity — how the goal defines the desired position of the
end effector is defined by the objective type. The positional
component of the goal may be more than a single point, such as an
unbounded line or plane.
Goal site: A site that is the goal for the end effector. The goal site
defines the desired position of the end effector at the completion of
a motion.
Graphics window: The main application window in Jack. All

manipulations and animations occur in the Graphics Window.

Ground plane: The ground plane is the XZ grid that appears in the
Graphics Window. The Y-axis points up, orthogonal to this plane.
Inverse kinematics: An iterative optimization algorithm used to

compute a set of joint angles that satisfy constraints by placing the
figure in a desired posture. Each iteration of the inverse kinematics
algorithm generates a new set of joint angles that describe a new
posture for the figure. Taken collectively, these positions appear to
be motion because the figure moves from its current posture to a
posture that satisfies geometric relationships defined by constraints.
However, this motion is not the same as animation. It is simply the
result of computations made to position the figure so that it satisfies
the constraint relationships.
Joint: The angles at the joints of a figure define its posture. Joints
connect sites on different segments within a figure. These joint
angles may be manipulated in Jack with Human>Adjust joint. For
convenience, this command is bound to <Ctrl-e>. Joints in Jack may
have specific degrees of freedom. A degree of freedom (DOF) is a
rotation around a specific axis. This rotation describes the relative
orientation of the two sites that the joint connects. Joints may also be
prismatic, in which case they translate along the axis. The
transformation between the sites that a joint connects is formed by
the product of the simple rotations and translations associated with
each degree of freedom in order. If a joint has no degrees of
freedom, it means that no axes of rotation or translation have been
defined. Such joints represent arbitrary transformations between
segments. When you adjust such a joint, you can manipulate the
transformation across the joint the same way as with the move figure
command.
Library file: One of the file types supported by Jack contained in a

directory in the search path for the library.
Node: A point on a segment defined by local X, Y, and Z coordinates.

(Also known as a "vertex".) Collectively, the nodes of a segment
define its geometric shape. Two nodes define an edge. Nodes and
edges define a psurf, and a psurf represents the geometry of each
segment.
Objective type: The objective type describes the type of geometric

relationship between the end effector and the goal, i.e. position,
orientation, direction, etc. This describes the distance or potential
energy between the end effector and the goal. The inverse
kinematics algorithm is based on the minimization of the value
described by the objective function. The objective type comes in two

parts: the position component and the orientation component. The

two are evaluated separately and summed with the help of a
position/orientation weight which describes their relative importance.
For the position component, the objective type may be point-to-point,
point-to-line, or point-to-plane. Note that everything is point-to...
because the end effector must be a point. The orientation objective
may be full 3D orientation, direction, or the hybrid types aim or view.
With the aim type, the orientation of a reference vector on the end
effector is directed to be aimed towards the goal point. The view is
similar except with the additional restriction against twist along the
aiming direction (this is useful for camera positioning where the
camera should not twist but should maintain its horizontal axis
perpendicular to the world vertical axis). The position of the goal then
does not describe the desired position of the end effector but rather
is used to describe its orientation. Therefore it is not allowable to
have a position component when the orientation component is aim
or view. The goal is a geometric entity: a site, a node, a face, or a
global transform in space. The objective type specifies what element
of the goal is important to the objective function. With the objective
types point-to-line and point-to-plane, the location of the reference
point defining the line or plane is taken from the point of the goal,
whether it is a node, site, etc. The direction of the line and normal of
the plane are additional parameters. Therefore, it is possible to
match different objective functions with different types of goals.
Option menu: Option menus appear when you press an option

button. To use an option menu, follow these steps:
Point to the option button and press the left mouse button. This
causes the option menu to appear.
Drag the cursor selection (indicated by the highlighted entry) to the
desired option.
Click the left mouse button with the desired option highlighted.
Phi resolution: An integer specifying the polygon resolution along

the phi axis.
Pick button: A special pointing-finger button used throughout the

Jack GUI. When pressed, this button appears highlighted (usually in
yellow), and enables selection of an object in the Graphics Window.
As your mouse pointer passes over candidate objects in the
Graphics Window, they appear highlighted. Clicking on a highlighted
object selects it and places its name in the edit field associated with
the Pick button. Pick buttons are context sensitive and only highlight
objects in the Graphics Window that are of the desired pick mode
(i.e., figure, site, node, or joint).

Pick mode: The current Pick Mode is indicated in the Jack toolbar
by the special Pick Mode option menu. The items in the Pick Mode
option menu include "Fig" (figure), "Seg" (segment), "Site", "Jnt"
(joint), "Con" (constraint), "Hum" (human), a face icon, an edge icon,
a node icon, a viewer (eye) icon, and "Mat" (material). This Pick
Mode option menu will automatically switch temporarily to the
appropriate pick mode if you press a Pick button. For example, if
you press the Pick button on the Node Properties dialog, the Pick
Mode option menu will automatically switch to the node icon during
the pick, and will switch back to the previous pick mode when the
pick is complete.
The current Pick Mode also determines which type of pop-up menu
will appear in the Graphics window when the right mouse button is
pressed. Note that only the first four "primary" pick modes (Fig, Seg,
Site and Jnt) have their own pop-up menus... you should never need
to explicitly select any of the other types from the Pick Mode option
menu. A shortcut method exists for switching between the four
primary pick modes simply by clicking the middle mouse button in
the Graphics window.
Property Sheet: A user interface element that defines specific

properties of a figure, segment, site, or joint. The property sheet
provides a single interface for setting all characteristics for the
chosen entity.
Psurf (pss) file: Defines the geometry of a segment. This includes

the coordinates of all the nodes, and the grouping of nodes into
faces.
Radio button: In a GUI, a circular button that selects an option from

a list of mutually exclusive items. The selected option contains a
black dot. You click on an option button to select a different option.
Rename: You can rename objects by using the Rename button

(designated by a "R" on the small button) located by an object name
field. For example, to rename a figure, bring up the figure properties
sheet for the figure. Select the Rename button, type in the desired
new name (followed by a carraige return), then hit Apply.
Root Site: The root site is the "ground" location of a kinematic chain.
It is the beginning site for the kinematics definition, and acts as the
"handle" for a figure. For example, the root site of a seated human is
the "lower_torso.proximal" site. That means that all kinematics are
calculated outward from that site and that when you move the figure
your location reference is that site.

Rooting constraint: A rooting constraint controls the location of a

figure. This allows a figure to be connected to another figure. Rooting
constraints are just like other constraints except that no joints are
affected by the constraint. The constraint variable is the figure
location. Moving a figure with a rooting constraint creates a
temporary constraint between the figure's root and the transform
created by the moving process. The position the figure assumes is a
weighted average of the two constraints as determined by the
inverse kinematics algorithm.
Rotation wheel: A graphical representation of the plane of rotation

about a joint in the Graphics Window. The rotation wheel has colored
segments that show in green the amount of rotation permitted by joint
limits and constraints. A set of local coordinate reference axes
appear to show the orientation of the joint as you use the mouse to
drag the moving segment to a new position. The axes will follow the
mouse even through non-valid rotations, but the moving segment
won't travel beyond its specified limits.
Ruler: A ruler may be visible or invisible. You can have the ruler
show fixed increments in different colors, and you can optionally
display the distance between the two sites in the Graphics Window.
Scene: A scene or environment consists of a collection of figures.
Segment: Figures are composed of one or more segments. If there

is more than one segment in a figure, the segments are connected
by joints which define the structure of a figure. The location of
segments and joints are identified by sites. Each segment has a
geometry associated with it that is represented by nodes and faces.
Set of joints: The set of joints define which joints apply to the
constraint. These joints are the variables of the constraint. The goal,
end effector, and objective type collectively describe a desired
geometric relationship, but the set of joints associated with the
constraint define which part of the geometric environment is allowed
to ``move'' to satisfy the relationship. Internally, the joints are the
variables to the inverse kinematics. There are two reasons for
explicitly defining this set of joints. The first is efficiency: it is best to
limit the number of variables which the inverse kinematics algorithm
controls. The second and more important reason is control: giving
explicit directions about which joints move to satisfy a positioning
task provides much more local control over the behavior of the figure.
The set of joints is specified by the designation of a single ``starting
joint.'' The sequence of joints between the end effector and the

starting joint defines the joint set. The set of joints of a constraint
must be completely contained within a single figure.
Slider bar: A slider bar provides a control that you drag along a
horizontal or vertical track between pre-set minimum and maximum
values. Slider bars generally have an associated edit field that lets
you select the current entry and directly modify or overtype the
current value.
Site: A site is a location on a segment relative to the coordinate

frame of the segment. The location of joints is identified by sites.
Specular: Determines the color of shiny parts of the surface.

Specular highlights occur when light reflects off a surface toward the
view. The default specular highlight is white.
Spin button: A spin button (or spin box) provides up and down arrow
buttons that let you select a numeric value. Spin boxes let you select
the current entry and directly modify or overtype the current value.
Tcl/Tk scripting language: The programming language used to

create the Jack GUI environment. It provides a system independent
platform that provides cross-platform operation of Jack on UNIX and
Windows systems. This scripting language is available for custom
user programming.
Texture: A texture object is an image file that you map to one or

more faces of a figure. Texture mapping permits the addition of visual
detail to a scene without adding extra geometry. This can add
significant realism to a scene without increasing model complexity
and degrading simulation performance.
Theta resolution: An integer specifying the polygon resolution along

the theta axis.
VRML: Virtual reality modeling language (VRML) is a standard

language used to define three-dimensional spaces. VRML worlds let
users "walk" through defined spaces as if they were physically
present.

Index
/t See Joint Motors, 135 Force, 41

Animation, xi, 121, 122, 147, 149, 150, Ghost, 101
151, 152, 153, 155, 157, 158, 160, Graphics Window, 1, 30, 40, 120, 190,
161, 185, 200, 201, 204 203, 206
Camera Motions, 155 Grasp, xi
Human Motions, 155 Head, xi, 51, 79, 140
Path Motion, 154 Hot Keys /t See Key Bindings, 40
Timed Attachments, 153 Human
Timed Behaviors, 155 Anthropometry, 64
Anthropometry, 36 Behaviors, xii, 1, 61, 99, 155, 189
Attachments, 8, 135, 153, 160 Force, 191
Human, xi Head, 69
Balance, xi Manipulation, 1, 3, 7, 30, 121, 135,
Behaviors, xii, 1, 61, 99, 155, 189 153, 193
Camera, 8, 9, 22, 49, 50, 51, 52, 155, Shoulder, 69
182, 192, 202, 205 Torque, 191
Camera \t Also See View Control, 8, View Cones, 79
9, 22, 49, 50, 51, 52, 155, 182, 192, Icon Toolbar, 2, 3, 55
202, 205 IGES, 24
Center of Mass, 200 Import, 19, 191
Change View, 9, 155 Joint Motors, 135
Classic Jack, xii Joint Properties, 115, 116
Collision Detection, xi, 200 Joints, xi, xii, 10, 11, 19, 21, 22, 54, 61,
Color /t See Material Properties, 21, 73, 74, 131, 135, 140, 153, 159, 200,
37, 38, 101, 138, 188, 189, 200, 201, 203, 204, 207, 208
208 JT, 25
Constraints, xi, 19, 20, 22, 61, 64, 73, Key Binding, 40
131, 135, 140, 159, 189, 190, 200, Left Mouse Button, 5, 205
201, 204, 207 Lighting, 37, 94, 192, 202
Context Sensitive Menus, 10, 54, 79, Lisp, xii
113 Manikins, 68, 69, 70, 184
Control Bar, 1, 2 Manipulation, 1, 3, 7, 30, 121, 135, 153,
Edges, 30, 48, 98, 99, 120, 202, 204 193
Environment, 20 Material Properties, 21, 37
Export, 27, 28, 157, 158 Menus, xii, 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, 12, 39, 148,
CAD, 27, 38, 95, 97, 98 205, 206
Images, 29, 30, 52, 101, 158, 159 Message Area, 2, 4
Movies, 157 Middle Mouse Button, 5, 206
Eyes, 51, 79 Modules, 2, 181, 184
Faces, 39, 93, 98, 99, 117, 119, 120, Move Controller, 2, 5, 6, 7, 153
202, 203, 206, 207, 208 Movie Export
Field of View, 50, 51 Resolution, 158, 205, 208
Figure, 21 Nodes, 10, 93, 98, 99, 100, 113, 117,
Flat Shading, 100 119, 138, 188, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207

Object Hierarchy, 1, 3, 54, 55 Shoulder, 140

Objects Site, 12, 40, 51, 54, 93, 98, 115, 116,
CAD Primitives, 95 122, 154, 182, 194, 195, 196, 202,
Object Library, 96 203, 205, 206, 208
Plug-ins, 181 Site Properties, 115
Projections, 118 Snap, 7, 51, 194, 195
Properties System Requirements, xv
Joint, 115, 116 Texture Map, 49
Site, 115 Timed Attachments, 155
Psurf, 37, 98, 202, 204 Timed Behaviors, 155
Psurf /t Polygon Surface, 37, 98, 202, Tools, x, xv, 29, 183
204 Torque, 41
Python, xii, 184, 199 Torso, 206
Rendering, 94, 99, 100, 193 Trace, 100
Right Mouse Button, 5, 206 Transparent, 79, 94, 99, 202
Root Site, 115, 200, 206 View Cones, xii
Save, 20, 21, 22, 30, 40, 48, 155, 160, View Control, 49, 192
191 Visible, 207
Scaling, xi, xii, 25, 36, 37, 64, 70, 94, VRML, 24, 28, 208
189 Window Paramenters, 53
Scripting, 199 Wireframe, 48, 119, 183
Session Log, 1 Workspace, 47
Shading, 48, 99, 100, 202

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JACK

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitations on Liability

THIS DOCUMENTATION AND THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM(S) REFERENCED IN THE

Restrictions on Government Use

Jack is a complete system for generating 3D environments or “virtual

Some of the areas where Jack excels are:

Creating and visualizing “digital mock-ups” of designs: Jack gives

Analyzing human factors in designs: Occupant or operator reach,

Studying humans in the “simulated workplace”: Jack can tirelessly

Evaluating maintenance operations: The maintenance phase of the

Training: Your design simulations can serve double duty: training

Research: Jacks is a detailed link segment model with biologically

Things we haven’t even considered yet … Jack provides the tools

This sort of modeling, simulation, and analysis requires a powerful graphical

Jack gives you:

A System for modeling ANY articulated figure: a full hierarchical

Human Bodies: anthropometric scaling based on a database or your

Real-time viewing environment: interactive viewing, multiple

Complete animation and task simulation systems: goal based

Powerful extensions: macro language, customizable menus, even

Full VR system: complete, immersive capabilities; supports stereo

What are the Jack Products?

Teamcenter Visualization Jack (TcVis Jack)

Utilizing the functionality of Teamcenter’s advanced collaboration,

Based on the same Jack technology, NX Human Modeling helps

The embedded human simulation functionality extends the validation

Process Simulate Human

What’s new in Jack 9.0?

Updated Whole Body and Hand Posture Libraries

Task Simulation Builder

Task Analysis Toolkit (separately licensed)

Motion Capture Toolkit (separately licensed)

Additional detail about these and other enhancements can be found in

How do I use this Manual?

What is the Course Objective?

Who is the Audience?

What are the System Requirements?

Version 9.0 has a DirectModel rendering engine that supports JT file

Processor 1GHz 2GHz

Memory 2GB 4GB

Free disk 400 Mb 600 Mb

OpenGL Support 3.0 3.0 or higher

Jack 9.0 minimum recommended configuration

Chapter 1: Jack’s Interface

Open File Import File

Save Current Scene Toggle Log Window

View and Center Zoom To

Manage Named Views Toggle Object

Move Figure Adjust Joint

Open Advanced Rulers Create Male Manikin

Create Female Scale Human

Open Human Control Copy Human Attributes

Object Level Selector

All above icons perform an immediate action or pull up the

Note: It is always good practice to verify that the expected

SENSITIVE MENU is displayed when you <RMB> on the object or the

Pick Mode searches for specific object types in the GRAPHICS

NOTE: Watch the MESSAGE AREA for useful information in many

LMB Translate along the x-axis

Note: Simultaneously holding down two of the mouse buttons

JT figures do not have native Jack geometry, and in particular, no

Global vs. Local Transformations

Cursor Point Cursor Position Only