How do I close a link of chains while building model?

[Wilsonator]

When building my model I have a closed parallelogram type chain of links. The problem is when I want to close this chain with two dummy links at the ends of the separate open trees I do not know how to get the model to orient itself properly to close the chain.

If I run a simulation with dynamics off and GCS on I can close the chain, but how can I do this while building my model so that it is permanently closed?

Edit: More details


As you can see in the image, in my model my chain of links is not correctly closed. I have a dummy link in the ball joint of the upper arm, and a linked dummy link in the spherical joint. I want these to coincide.

When I run the simulator with the geometric solver on they will coincide. But I want this to be the case in my model pre-simulation. How can I get these to be positioned properly (without a lot of tedious guess and check of modifying the angles of all the joints in my model)?

[Wilsonator]

Update so far on my solution.

When I run the simulator with dynamics off and GCS on, I get the joints to conincide properly. When I stop the simulation they revert to their previous un-linked states.

However, if I go edit>undo (or cntrl-z) they will revert to the simulation orientation where they have been linked together properly by the GCS!

While this allows me to correctly link the joints, it feels like quite a hacky solution. Does anyone know of a better way to achieve this?

edit: This solution is pretty involved since all joints have to be converted to IK mode, and dummy links to GCS overlap. Then once orientated from edit>undo, all the joints must be converted back to force/torque, and dummy links to dynamic overlap.

[coppelia]

Hello,

when you stop a simulation, the objects will revert to their initial position/orientation/parents automatically, by default. But you can change that behaviour in the simulation settings dialog: you can temporarily uncheck Reset scene to initial state.

Cheers

[Wilsonator]

Thanks for the response. Still pretty involved just to snap together a geometrically constraint set of links, but more intuitive than undo.

[Wilsonator]

Just in case people are searching this and find this post I thought I would post the solution I realized I should have been using.

I commented before that I would set all joints to 'inverse kinematics' mode, then turn on the GCS overlap constraint for the dummies to solve. While this tends to work, it is much simpler and easier to just use the dynamic overlap constraint.

Thus to close kinematic chains I now do the following:
-Change model base from dynamics to static (ie. un-check dynamic under rigid body dynamic properties)
-Ensure all joints are in torque/force mode and dummy links for loop closure are set to dynamic overlap constraint
-Turn on simulation (kinematic chains should close)
-End simulation and perform a single 'undo' step

If kinematic chains do not close, I will manually manipulate joints to position the linked dummy's spatially closer together and retry. This procedure is much easier and faster than what I was previously doing.