SolidWorks Animator Mates ?

[ddelzel]

Is it possible to change the mate status of a part along the timeline? I am trying to learn Animator to make a presentation for our sales department. I want to animate the motion of a component being moved by a jib crane. Lift it straight up, travel along an arc the radius of the jib and set it on a platform. Then it needs to travel along a linear path with the plaform. The lift rotate and set down all can be done with the same set of mates. I need different mastes to make it travel with the cart. Another option might be to hide the component when it reaches the correct position on the platform and make an identical part with necessary mates become visible coincident with hiding the 1st part. Any ideas?

 

[Theophilus]

I tried to do that, too, and couldn't figure it out.

My work-around is to pre-position a set of parts where you want the first set of parts to travel to, and hide them. So in your timeline, the second-position parts are hidden, the first-position parts move up to the hidden second-position parts and fade out as the second-position parts fade in. If you have a slight pause, you can make one fade in and then fade out the others--so you cannot see anything happening.

Then use your second-position parts to complete the animated sequence. It's a hack, but I've made it work.

Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.