Library PlanarMechanics is a free Modelica package providing 2-dimensional mechanical components to model mechanical systems, such as robots, mechanisms, vehicles, where MultiBody library is too complex to use. The main features of the library are:

• Much more compact than MultiBody library, which means fewer parameters to be set, shorter time to build up a model-based system, in the meanwhile containing important information as much as possible.
• A PlanarWorld model could be used to set up almost all global parameters, such as visualization of global coordinate system, animation parameters of joints, parts, sources etc., and gravity definition as well as its animation. Note that, in most cases the animation parameters set in PlanarWorld model can be also overwritten in individual model.
• Built-in animation properties of all components, such as joints, forces, bodies, sensors. It enables an easy visual check of the constructed model. What's more, in all models animation can be disabled respectively, while in the PlanarWorld model animations of all models are able to be switched off.

Developed 2010 at the DLR Institute of System Dynamics and Control