PRIME MOTIONParameters
A parameter is a named value, such as thickness = 18 mm, that dimensions and operations can use instead of a number. Change the parameter and everything that uses it changes with it: make the board 12 mm thick and the slots, the pockets that receive it and the cut depths follow.
Parameters belong to the design. They are listed on the Parameters tab.
The table
| Column | Holds |
|---|---|
| NAME | The name you use in expressions |
| CATEGORY | A group, such as Stock or Joinery |
| UNIT | mm, in, deg, or No Units (shown as —) |
| EXPRESSION | A number, or a formula using other parameters |
| VALUE | The result, worked out for you |
| ↗ | Shown when other parameters use this one; tap for Referenced by |
| COMMENT | A note |
Each category has a header: tap its chevron to fold it, its eye to hide its parameters from the ƒx picker, its name to rename it, and + to add a parameter to it.
Add and edit
- Tap + Parameter. A row named Parameter1 appears with expression
0and unit mm, and its name opens for editing. - Type the name and press Enter. Names start with a letter or
_, use letters, digits and_, and must be unique. - Tap the expression and type a value or a formula, such as
18orthickness * 2 + 1. - Tap the unit to choose it.
Tap any cell to edit it with the keyboard; Enter or tapping elsewhere saves, Escape cancels. + Category adds a category to rename. A row's ⋮ offers Duplicate (as ‹name›_copy) and Delete. A parameter something else uses cannot be deleted.
Renaming a parameter renames it everywhere: in other parameters' expressions and in sketch dimensions.
The filter field (Filter…) and the category chips narrow the table.
When an edit is refused
An edit that cannot be accepted — a name already used, an expression that refers to itself through other parameters, an unknown name, a formula that does not parse, a unit that does not fit — is refused with the reason, and the cell keeps its previous value.
Using a parameter
In any number field that offers it — a sketch dimension, a feature's distance, many operation fields — tap the field to open the keypad and tap ƒx to choose a parameter, or type its name. The field then shows the parameter as a pill. ⛓ in the keypad replaces the parameter with its current number, unlinking the field.
When a value changes, everything downstream updates in order: parameters that use it, sketch dimensions, the sketches, the features and bodies, and operation fields bound with ƒx.
Import and export
Export writes the table as ‹design›-parameters.json to a folder you choose. Import reads a .json table from Prime Motion or a .csv parameter table exported from Fusion (columns Name, Unit, Expression, Value, Comments, Favorite). Rows are added in the order they depend on each other; a name that already exists, an unknown reference or a cycle is skipped, and the result says how many were imported and which were skipped and why.