SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [191]
Another way is to use the storyboard technique employed by professional video houses. In this method, you create a series of images to represent the state of the animation at specific points in time. You can use static screen captures from SolidWorks or hand sketches to do this, depending on the complexity of the geometry and animation.
In general, even for simple animations, the better you plan, the better the final product will be. The animation tools in SolidWorks tend to perform much better when you follow a clean workflow, without a lot of major editing. This is something you could probably say about almost any process, but the animation tools seem to be particularly sensitive to this kind of editing flow.
Identifying elements of the MotionManager
The parts of the interface that you will use the most are the key points, the design tree, and the timebar. The filters help you select or view limited sets of items, and the tabs at the bottom enable you to set up alternative studies. Playback speed enables you to change the rate of playback to either view a long animation more quickly or see motion in one area in more detail. The timeline zoom tools enable you to rescale the time interval on the timeline. Figure 23.1 identifies the major elements of the MotionManager.
FIGURE 23.1
The major elements of the MotionManager
Using display options
When recording an animation to a movie file or a series of still images, you can choose from several types of display output. The first and easiest type is the default SolidWorks display, without RealView. This is most appropriate for fast, technical presentations. You might want to use this to demonstrate the function of a particular mechanism or to simply rotate around a model to demonstrate the model in 3D rather than as a flat image or an eDrawing.
You can also turn on RealView and record the animation. If you do this, you should have appropriate appearances in use for individual parts. RealView appearances enable you to use reflective or textured materials on your parts.
The highest-quality images come through the PhotoView 360 renderer. Using PhotoView 360 takes much more time than the other options because each individual frame must be rendered just like a normal PhotoView 360 rendering. PhotoView 360 is beyond the scope of this book.
Using the MotionManager interface
You can access the MotionManager interface in the lower-left corner of the graphics window. The Model and Animation1 tabs enable you to toggle the interface on and off. The Model tab shows the normal SolidWorks interface. You can add tabs to create multiple motion studies. Figure 23.2 shows the lower-left corner of the SolidWorks window with each of the buttons activated. If you cannot see this interface, you may need to turn on the MotionManager. To do this, right-click a toolbar and select MotionManager from the list of toolbars.
FIGURE 23.2
Accessing the MotionManager interface
Formatting output
The MotionManager enables you to create animations within SolidWorks and output movies as *.avi files or a series of *.bmp or *.tga still images. You can use it with the default (OpenGL) SolidWorks display, RealView display, or in conjunction with PhotoView 360 to create more realistic rendered animations.
Note
PhotoView 360 replaces PhotoWorks in SolidWorks 2011, and should have all of the animation capabilities that PhotoWorks had previously.
You can control the pixel size and frame rate of the recorded animation to help control finished file size, movie quality, and the amount of time it takes to record the animation. You can rotate or fly through single parts or assemblies. You can also make assembly mechanisms move through animating mates, driving them with motors or manually positioning the parts in space.
One of the beautiful things about SolidWorks