This tutorial is the starting point for new users. Its purpose is to allow users to get the first model up and running fairly quickly.

The AnyBody Modeling System can be approached on a number of levels depending on the amount of detail the modeling task requires. Listing the approaches in top-down order may produce the following:

• Loading a model defined by somebody else and changing simple parameters like the applied load or the posture. For instance, the so-called StandingModel from the model repository allows for addition of loads to certain predefined points on the model, and the system will compute the muscular reactions.
• Modifying a model made by somebody else but similar to what you want to obtain. For instance, one of the bicycle models from the repository could be changed into a recumbent bike.
• Building a new model by taking a predefined collection of body parts from the repository and equipping it with boundary conditions and an environment to interact with. For instance, it is rather easy to create a model of a gymnastic exercise on the floor this way.
• Constructing a model from single predefined body parts in the repository. This allows for detailed control of which body parts are included in the model and may be useful for, for instance, detailed investigations of the internal forces in a single limb.
• Constructing a body model and its environment bottom-up. This is recommended for users interested in development models that are not covered by the current model repository. This could either be detailed models of missing body parts or perhaps single joints, or it could be models of various animals. The basic steps of such bottom-up model construction are described in the tutorial Getting Started with AnyScript, which is a good place to start for new users, even if you do not plan to build models bottom-up.

These various levels of model building complexity are covered in The Building Block Tutorial.

As you can see above, the more detailed approaches are covered by other tutorials. To get you up and running quickly, we shall take the top-down approach in this tutorial and use the model library to accomplish the following:

1. Load the predefined standing model, place it in a given posture, and apply an external force to it.
2. Modify the predefined standing model to carry a hand bag.
3. Create a new model and import a predefined collection of body parts from the library to obtain a model of a simple gymnastics exercise.

This entire tutorial relies heavily on the body model repository. It is a library of predefined models and body parts developed by scientists as a research undertaking. The models are placed in the public domain and are therefore totally open to scrutiny and are consequently improved and changed constantly. The effort is coordinated by the AnyBody Research Project at Aalborg University in Denmark. If you are a new user and unfamiliar with the structure of the repository, then it is strongly recommended that you pop over to the scientific homepage for a short interlude to familiarize yourself with the structure an idea behind it. When you feel familiar with the ideas, come back here and continue the tutorial. The link to the repository on the scientific homepage is here: www.anybody.aau.dk/Repository/.

Before you continue you must download the entire repository and save it on your hard disk. A selection of models from the respository are included in the demo collection which is installed with AnyBody. These demo models should be sufficient for your work with this and other tutorials, but because the repository keeps geting updated it may be a good idea to download and unpack the newest version from www.anybody.aau.dk/Repository/ before you start any serious modeling work.

The demo models, including the Standing Model to be used in this tutorial, are available from the Demo tab of the AnyBody Assistant dialog box.

When you open AnyBody for the first time, the Demo tab does not contain any models, but only a short guide on how to extract the demo models. After having done this, brief descriptions and links to the models are available in the tab. In addition, it is easy to reinstall the demo models later, which may be useful when you have been playing around with them for a while; this way you can reset all the changes you have made. You can also reinstall them to a new location, if you wish to keep your own changes to the first installation.

Now you are all set to go, and you can proceed with the lesson 1: Using the standing model.