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edrawings and animations? 3

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K3RSH

K3RSH

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Sep 27, 2007
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Hi all.

Im trying to use Solidworks animator to create an interactive product guide so the user can get all the usulal functions of edrawings (model tree, exploded views, measure ) etc but also see animations of the assembly being built up. Ive had no training on animator but relativley good progress so far.

Then comes the trip up!

I wanted to use 1 configuration in my model and creat 10 animations from it!

Each animation will show different nuts and bolts being fit with different tools. Im using the animation title to describe the torque and tool setings so they bleed into edrawings :)

The problem i find is when i generate the edrawing from the perfect working assembly in SW. The edrawing does not maintain the different display properties for the Tools i have shown. eg

Animation 1

screw driver shown

Animation 2

wrench shown

so in each animation feature tree the tool in use is show and the tools for the other animations are hidden!

All works in SW - as you pick each tab along the bottom the animations display with the correct tools shown and the correct tools hidden.

Whe published to edrawings it hides all tools in all configurations!!!!

Im pulling my hair out.

please Help!

MArk Kershaw
 
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Configurations don't work in Animator. If you need to create animation that you need to show components, just simple unhide them. Be sure to unlock the creation of new Keys so you can add new keys as needed.

See the help and make some basic animations, before trying to do a complex animation.

You have to learn the basics before you can do advanced stuff.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
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I here you. walk before runing :(

When you say configs dont work in edrawings do you mean for everything of just animations?

I seem to have them working for both just not multiple animations?
 
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Configs in animation don't work. Meaning when you change the time line and then Configs it won't work (record the addition or Config change).

Configs should work in Edrawings, but I don't think Edrawings will retain the animation from the file.

Maybe I miss understood your initial question, but hopefully that helps.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
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If you do what your doing, but change things so you're not using configurations for the animation, I think it will work. Animator is a confused module and has lots of shortfalls--but you CAN (if you spend loads of time, and lose lots of hair) get some decent results sometimes.

When I do animations, I add all sorts of components to my assembly. I create a script that details exactly when I hide or show components, exactly when something moves and for how long. I put everything in it's starting state and begin programming the animation. My animations start with lots of things hidden, and ends with lots of other things hidden.

For instance, I've done some animations for TommyGate. Piece of cake, right? Fold a gate down, lower it to the ground. Easy motion paths. However, that doesn't even remotely work. I need a gate to fold down, a gate to unfold the flipper (gate plus flipper, locked in space to isolate flipping motion), a gate to go to the ground and back up, then reverse everything. (See simple file linked below). Then there's the camera operation, which is a whole separate motion management (which it sounds like you might not need in this case).

To use the hide/show trick, I show my next component (which starts in exactly the position the other leaves off) and hide the old component within 1/10th second or so. The result is invisible changes of components.

If you don't need PhotoWorks (rendered) frames, you can also fade components in and out of view--in PhotoWorks, this won't work unless you use non-PhotoWorks materials for everything (lame).

The NICE thing is that motion displays very smoothly in eDrawing animations--and that means you won't need PhotoWorks materials, so you can get part fades if you like.

Good luck. I suggest wearing a helmet when using Animator (might also save some of your hair).



Jeff Mowry
Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.
 
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Thanks Jeff. your avi is nice. shame it isnt an edrawing! lol

I cant get it to work i 1 single configuration. thats what im describing. i have a single configuration and multiple animations in it. each animation uses different tools so each one has different tools hidden or shown. it works great in solidworks but wont work in edrawings. Edrawings wont recognise the different hide settings for each animation!! :(
 
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Well, the most direct way to solve that would be to save your assembly into several different file names (Save As) and then delete each of the animations you don't need for each assembly. The problem is that you'd have several eDrawing files.



Jeff Mowry
Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.
 
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Well Edrawings will not recognize an Animation if your trying to view it through that.

But you can take all of the animations and combine them into a single Animation if you needed to. You simply window select all the key frames and copy them and select some where you want inside the other animation tab and simply Paste it there.

You can get a large animation mind you, but its a single animation and you can save it out to a AVI file and send to someone instead.

Here is a recent AVI file... its a hard one to make. But the one I wanted to upload is missing.

Rotate

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
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Scott, eDrawings do contain animations--but only one per eDrawing (I think). I discovered this a while back--the animation appears as a little film icon on the left--I think in the same place as the exploded view button appears. The cool thing is how smooth the motion is when viewed in eDrawings--but no PhotoWorks/rendered stuff.



Jeff Mowry
Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.
 
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Guys Edrawings has supported animations for a while and Jeff it does support more than 1!! it lists them down under the film tab! be sure to turn it on Scott. save as Easem - options then tick the box for animations in edrawings.

It does not support Camera views though:(

I think im going to end up with 1 animation per configuration which means each time you select the animation you also have to select the correct configuration tab at the bottom of edrawings. I did not want to do this but i dont think i have a way round the problem.

Thanks for all your help guys
 
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SW08 - Animator is now going to be part of all packages (bundles) of SW. You don't have to have office or higher to have Animator any more... now its called Motion Study... Still Animator to me.

Thanks for the insight guys... I learn a bit here.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
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I just looked at Edrawings... maybe I still don't understand what the problem was... sorry slow this week I guess.

I do see the animation that goes between front, right, left etc... - I do see Explode\Collapse - But what I don't see is the ability to see an animation in edrawings that I made inside SW Animator... I don't see this possibility... what am I missing?

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
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Ok. Lets start at the top

1. Open an assembly with an animation in it

2. File/save as/Edrawing assembly(easm)

then stop - before pressing save look in the options button bellow cancel

3. In options you see the toggle box for allow measure and allow export to STL etc. The last one is for allowing animations in edrawings!! :)

Tick it!

4. now save the assembly and open it

5. look down the tabs on the left hand side, below mark up and section you should see a new icon with a movie symbol!

Bingow

6.press this icon and you see a list of and animations in the file when you created it and a new set of play stop loop controls.

Enjoy

Notice the great graphics as standard in edrawings. miles easier than using AVI with photoworks buffer

Best regards

mark kershaw
 
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Hang on Hang on! i see your problem

Open the assembly in Solidworks and then follow my instructions. Your trying to save-as in Edrawings!!

I should have made myself clear

sorry
 
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