×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Animation software using solidworks assembly

Animation software using solidworks assembly

Animation software using solidworks assembly

(OP)
Hello everyone,

I am wanting to animate a solidworks assembly or part for marketing purposes.  What software can people recommmend and what are their merits?

Thanks in advance..

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Is the SolidWorks Animation module not suitable for your needs? I've seen some very impressive animations done with it.

cheers

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

(OP)
I have had a little play with the animation side of solid works and found it a "jerky" but then I am using a 2004 version.  And I haven't discovered how you can produce a rendered animation.  Plus I've been advised there are better programs for animation..

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

If you are refering to the animation itself being jerky, that is just the preview. When you actually go to save the animation it will save at what ever frame rate you specify. As far as the rendering, if you have photoworks enabled then when you save your animation you will have the option to save it using the photoworks buffer.

Karl Kuchs
www.wayneautomation.com
SW 2006 SP2.0

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

SW 2004 for animation is a bit tough.  Lots of enhancements to the interface came along in 2006, with a few more in 2007.  Final motion can be a tad unpredictable in 2004 (such as random axial switches, etc. along a path).  After SP 1 I've found 2007's Animator to be quite good.

Otherwise, I've been looking into Maxwell as a rendering package, but it seems to have problems plugging into SolidWorks 2007.  Maxwell has some sort of animation gig, but the site is a bit cryptic in its overviews of what they've got.  Maybe check it out?

Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all.  And awe trumps reason.

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Hey Jeff,

I'm no expert but I think animations in Maxwell are pretty tricky (with SolidWorks anyway).  Rendering with Maxwell can produce some amazing results.  There is a learning curve however.

I'm in the process of setting up interviews with SolidWorks and Next Limit (Maxwell) for some SolidWorks World blog posts I'm doing.  I'm hoping to get both companies to elaborate on their relationship with each other as well as what the future holds for their rendering packages.  It should be interesting.  Look for them at my blog around SolidWorks World.  http://designsmarter.typepad.com/rob_rodriguez/

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group
www.robrodriguez.com (updated 8/12/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0 / SW 2007 SP 0.0

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Thanks, Rob--I'll have to check it out, as I'm very impressed with the images on the Maxwell site--almost as good as my own PhotoWorks stuff.  wink  Seriously, it looks amazingly capable.

Hey, have you been able to get the Maxwell plug-in to cooperate with SW 2007 or is that just me?  The Maxwell guys didn't have much of a solution for this problem, stating that some stuff in the new SW code is causing the problems.  (SW crashes when I select anything from the Maxwell menu within SW.)

Regarding the animation, I haven't been able to play with Maxwell at all yet, but wondered what they had in terms of animation capacity.  It almost seems as though a SW model could be exported in STL (or whatever format) for use within the Maxwell animator package, but I don't know what their stuff really requires.

Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all.  And awe trumps reason.

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Have you tried disabling the Photoworks add-in before trying to run Maxwell?
Maybe they don't want to play nice together ... sibling rivalry??

cheers

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

On my system you have to load up SolidWorks and the model with the Maxwell add-in turned off.  Once SolidWorks is up and running you can turn Maxwell on and things will work normally.  

To be honest, the Maxwell/SolidWorks plug-in isn't all that good.  You're better off exporting your SolidWorks file (which is done using the plug-in) as an mxs file and using Maxwell Studio to do the work.  Maxwel isn't terribly easy to learn and the documentation provided by next Limit isn't that good.  My opinion anyway.

I don't believe Maxwell has an actual animation package.  Maxwell has the ability to render out scenes one after another automatically and they do talk about how you could create an animation sequence this way but it doesn't work anything like SolidWorks Animator.

I will be asking the question about integration with SW animator during my interview.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group
www.robrodriguez.com (updated 8/12/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0 / SW 2007 SP 0.0

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Thanks for the replies.  Yes, the Maxwell folks told me to disable the PhotoWorks add-ins before trying to use the Maxwell add-in (after I told them of the crashing).  I tried that and got the same result.  Since then, I've applied SP 2.0 and haven't tried it again.  Maxwell said they have another plug-in version they plan to release by year-end, so I might just hang out and wait for that. ..or trying Rob's suggestion of exporting into .mxs format to play around (which I'd rather not do in case I need to move a camera or part or whatever).  I think the key to adoption is going to lie not only in render output quality, but in interface (PhotoWorks' biggest problem until 2007).

billywhizz001, other than this stuff, I don't know of other animation options.  I'd recommend upgrading to 2006 or 2007 if you can.

Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all.  And awe trumps reason.

RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly

Studio is a full package.  Once you have the maxs file you can add cameras, lighting, move parts, etc.  It's like importing your geometry into 3DStudio, etc.

If you are going to apply anything other than a basic material you'll have to use Maxwell Studio anyway.  The SW plug-in doesn't support decals :(.

I'm learning as I go so some of my info may not be reliable :)

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group
www.robrodriguez.com (updated 8/12/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0 / SW 2007 SP 0.0

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources