Solidworks Animator question 1

[Alex4]

Hi
I've just spent most of the day trying to get my head around Solidworks animator and it's now driving me nut's.
I followed the online tutorial (oil pump) and saved it as an avi. file, Which took forever (low spec machine).
The movie it created though didn't show the pump housing fade out like it did in solidworks.
Why not?
I want to use this fade feture (transparency setting) in my model for work is it possible to do this in an avi. file?
Regards
Alex

 

[rockguy]

Yes the fade effect does work. I'm not sure why it didn't from your tutorial avi but it should if done correctly. It does not work with PhotoWorks materials however (if you use the PW material buffer you can't fade materials)

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 5/01/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0

 

[Alex4]

It did a rendered animation of the pump.
It rendered the animation frame by frame, and took half an hour to calculate it.
Does that mean that it was using the PhotoWorks material buffer?
Can you create an avi. file of the assembly not rendered? as the solidworks assembly is good enough.
Is it a matter of turning off the PW buffer?
If so How's it done?

Alex.

 

[rockguy]

When you save the avi you will have a number of options (frames per second, aspect ratio, etc.) and one of the options is the "Renderer". In the drop down list you have (2) choices, the "PhotoWorks Buffer" or "SolidWorks Screen". You will want to choose the "SolidWorks Screen" option. This option will also save much faster.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 5/01/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0

 

[Alex4]

Nice one!
Thats sorted it
Thanks

Alex.

 

[Theophilus]

I've faded out textured materials in a rendered animation before (using PhotoWorks). I think the trick is to set all your transparency and reflection/refraction settings to render through an increasingly-transparent material, but I did get it to work and create a smooth animation. My client called me yesterday and said his client didn't know the animation was "virtual"--he thought it was a video--HA! With things fading in and out like that (I guess it's possible to composite, but that would be crazy).

Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.

 

[rockguy]

I would be interested in seeing how you did this Jeff. I didn't think it was possible.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 5/01/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0

 

[Theophilus]

Yeah, and this wasn't just a material, but a textured bitmap applied to a material in PhotoWorks. I did that one way back in September, so I don't remember many of the details (in fact, I think I'd have to consult the tutorial again on some of the things I did--got very complicated in animation).

Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.

 

[rockguy]

I know it works if you apply a SW material (in SW itself) and set PW to use the SW materials. That may be what you did? If you applied an actual PW textural material I'm not sure it would work (I don't beieleve so anyway). I'll have to give it a try.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 5/01/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0

 

[Theophilus]

Yes, it was a PW material in PW. Again, I think the trick is to have the rendering settings ready to cope with a disappearance trick. So the rendering takes a much longer time to calculate shadows through transparent objects, the shadows are set for transparency, reflections/refractions are set.

I think I moved the time line to mid-way through the disappearing act and kept tweaking the settings until it rendered properly--but it did work.

Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.

 

[Alex4]

I would like to add annotaions in an animation?
I've manged animate a machine showing it's operation cycle.
I would like to add some text about half way through indicating the secondary phase of the machines operation.
Is this possible?
How's it done?

Cheers
Alex

 

[rockguy]

You would have to model the text and have it fade in and out. Probably not the way to go. The only other way is to add it to video file after its created using a editor like Windows Movie maker etc. These are the only ways I know of.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 5/01/06)
SW 2006 SP 4.0

 

[Alex4]

Yeah figured as much.
I'll have a go at that on Monday.
Thanks Again

Alex