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..
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
RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly
RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly
h
RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly
Karl Kuchs
www.wayneautomation.com
SW 2006 SP2.0
RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly
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
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
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
Maybe they don't want to play nice together ... sibling rivalry??
RE: Animation software using solidworks assembly
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
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
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