SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part VII: Working with Specialized Functionality

Using Interpolation modes

When you play the animation, it doesn’t look very smooth. When the MotionManager interpolates

between key points, either for changing views or part positions, the default interpolation mode is

linear. That means that it changes between points at a constant speed. This creates the jerkiness

because the motion starts and stops abruptly.

To remedy this, MotionManager offers several interpolation modes. Right-click one of the key

points that you have created, and select Interpolation mode at the bottom of the list that appears.

Another menu flies out, as shown in Figure 33.10.

FIGURE 33.10

Selecting Interpolation mode

The icons for the modes should be self-explanatory. My only complaint is that the Ease out icon

seems upside down. In any case, curves make smoother motion than lines. Ease in/Ease out create

the smoothest motion; Ease in works best at the beginning of a change, and Ease out works best at

the end of a change. Snap and Linear should be self-explanatory.

The default is linear, so if you want to change all four of the key points, you have to go through

this selection four times, right? No, there is an easier way. You can box+select all four key points,

then right-click any of the selected key points, and change them all to the Ease in/Ease out mode.

Now play the animation again. Notice how much smoother the view changes are.

Correcting mistakes

When you start to use the MotionManager, you will probably make mistakes. MotionManager does

you the favor of recording them all for you in the form of adding key points to the change line for

either the part position or view orientation. One way to troubleshoot these types of mistakes is to

drag the timeline through the key points, identifying which key points need to be removed. To

remove a key point, just click on it and press Delete.