Chapter 33: Animating with MotionManager
If want variable speed, say for the scope head coming out of the holder (for example, it starts com-
ing out slowly and then speeds up), you need to add at least one more key point. To do this, posi-
tion the time bar to the left of the middle of the first scope head change bar, and click Place Key.
This adds a key point in the existing change bar. This is shown in Figure 33.18. Then move the
key point to the right. Make sure the new key point uses the Ease in/Ease out interpolation mode.
Recalculate, and run the animation again.FIGURE 33.18Adding and moving a key point in an existing change bar
If you decide that the entire animation is too fast or too slow, you can also adjust this easily. Drag
the right-most key point on the very top row with the Alt key depressed. This scales the entire ani-
mation up or down.Getting output
Once the animation suits you, click the Save Animation toolbar button. This brings up the Save
Animation to File dialog box, shown in Figure 33.19. The options for output formats are .avi,
or a .bmp or *.tga series of still images. You could combine the still images to make an ani-
mated GIF to use on a Web site. Other types of output like Flash or QuickTime are not available
directly from the SolidWorks software. Movie format converters are available on the Web for this
purpose.
The options for the renderer are simply the SolidWorks screen or PhotoWorks. In this example, I
used RealView and the SolidWorks screen renderer, which provides sufficient quality for my pur-
poses. The main advantages of PhotoWorks over RealView are it offers a better choice of back-
grounds, anti-aliasing, and more shadow control.Other options
Image Size and Aspect Ratio options are available only when you do not use a camera. Without the
camera, you are at the mercy of the size and shape of the SolidWorks graphics window until you
save the animation to a file.The Schedule button enables you to schedule the output for a more convenient time. You would
normally use this option when using the PhotoWorks, because rendered animations can take many
hours to complete depending on render settings, length of animation, and the frames per second
setting.