Assembly Explode

[macduff]

Is there a way to rotate a part in assembly explode? I know you can move in the x,y & z, but would like to rotate a part 90 degrees.

Thanks,

Colin Fitzpatrick (aka Macduff)
Mechanical Designer
Solidworks 2010 SP 3.1
Dell 490 XP Pro SP 2
Xeon CPU 3.00 GHz 3.00 GB of RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB
3D Connexion-SpaceExplorer

 

[JMirisola]

Short of creating a config in the assembly where the part is rotated 90°, there isn't a way.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[macduff]

Thanks Jeff.

Colin Fitzpatrick (aka Macduff)
Mechanical Designer
Solidworks 2010 SP 3.1
Dell 490 XP Pro SP 2
Xeon CPU 3.00 GHz 3.00 GB of RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB
3D Connexion-SpaceExplorer

 

[JMirisola]

Colin,
Maybe with motion you could do it? I'm not sure what your end need is, but that may be a way.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[RDZN]

You need to create a motion study, after you have created your explosion. This will bring you into a separate window. You can toggle between your model and the motion study at the bottom of the screen.

In the motion study options there is a little icon with a camera on it. It will allow you to explode and rotate your part individually over the time period you have specified. You will need to apply the rotation and the explosion separately. These will then both show up in your timeline.

The interface is rudimentary and a little clunky but you can work with it. In the explosion each step (individual part movement) is shown as a key frame(little diamond), which can be moved on you timeline.

The default expression in the timeline with all the keyframes creates a step-by-step animation of your explosion. I have found that by deleting the all the middle key frames, it creates a much smoother and graceful explosion.

once you have you explosion the way you want it, then apply your part rotation...

Once you are satisfied then you can create the sequence as the view from your screen or by using the "Photoworks buffer"(this will render the sequence with textures and lighting you have designated)

You can in a few different ways, all of which are not very helpful, but again you can work with them. I have found the best way is to export a series of Jpegs, then import them into as image sequence, in an another program like aftereffects, which gives you a lot more control of the look of your animation. Check out this video I made, where there are a few examples of this, among other techniques. The SolidWorks explosion/rotations in bothe buffered, and wireframe can be seen right as the major beat drops in on the video.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPT8LCI4DeE&fmt=22

Hope this was helpful.

---->RDZN