MBSD simulations start with coordinate choice

A multibody simulation starts before the solver runs: it starts when the modeler chooses coordinates.

The same mechanism can be described with minimal generalized coordinates, absolute/reference coordinates, or redundant coordinates plus constraints. Each choice moves complexity to a different place: fewer variables often mean harder derivations, while more variables often mean a larger but more systematic equation system.

This is why coordinate choice is a design decision, not a notation detail.

Related:

• Programatic Mechanisms
• 2D Kinematics and Dynamics
• The physics of Mechanisms in the SPACE