Dominant Versus Subordinate Joints

When a joint which has one or more attached sections is repositioned, the effect on those sections depends upon whether or not the joint has been defined as dominant or subordinate, as defined by the setting of the joint’s Joint Freedom (JFRE) attribute.

If JFRE is set to False (the default for a new joint), the joint is said to be subordinate (also described by saying that the section is dominant). If JFRE is set to True, the joint is said to be dominant.

Consider these effects, where the joint’s owning section is moved thus:

The standard default is for joints to be subordinate. The default can be changed by the selection of Settings > Tolerances from the main menu toolbar to display the Section Tolerances window.

Joint freedom can be changed after the joint is created by the selection of Connect > Joint Subordinate or Connect > Joint Dominant from the main menu toolbar. You are prompted to select the section ends to apply the chosen setting to.

Note: If required, you can undo the connect procedure, from the main toolbar click Edit > Undo.