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The Beginners
Guide to Animation

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Vis Products

The Beginners Guide to Animation

Last revision:
03/27/02

ii

Introduction

This Guide was designed to enlighten users to the ins and outs of that mysterious
and sometimes complex tool we call the Animation System. It provides a simple look
at the features of the tool and discusses some aspects that may be confusing for
the novice user.
This document is divided into three parts:
! Animation Features at a Glance
o
o
o
o
o

What is it?
How do I get started?
The Actions
What are those preferences for?
Other important stuff

! Tips, Tricks, and How to Get Around Those Annoying Things

! Step-by-Step Exercises - How to Create a Simple Animation
It is recommended that those users with no prior knowledge of the animation
system go through the Step-by-Step Exercises first to understand the overall
layout and then read through the first two sections.
This guide refers to the Animation Creation and Playback functionality provided as
part of the 4.0 Release of the VisMockup Assembly Module. It is not intended to
replace the Help documentation provided as a part of the product nor is it intended
to satisfy the outstanding enhancement requests and problem reports logged for
this feature. It is merely intended as a guide to assist the user with some of the
commonly used features of the animation system as it exists today.

Animation Features at a Glance

This section will discuss some of the general animation concepts and touch on the
commonly used features. It is not a complete reference but is intended to introduce
the user to the animation functionality and to clarify the more commonly used
features. For more details on a particular feature, setting, or dialog, please refer to
the Animation help files found within VisMockup.

What is it??
The Animation System comprises all of the features within VisMockup that allow a
user to create and playback animations. These animations are stored as .van files and
can only be opened and modified from within VisMockup. A .van file stores a reference
to a model, actions that act upon the model, an organization of these actions through
grouping into events, and start, stop and time duration for each action. The Animation
System also provides the user interface elements necessary to create and modify .van
files and to control the playback of these files.
The event is the basic unit of ordering within the animation. Events are executed in
the order that they exist in the animation tree. Dependencies can be added to an
event that cause one event to be executed conditionally upon completion of a previous
event.
Actions are contained within events. Their ordering is based on each actions start
time within the event that contains them. Thus, the animation can be viewed as a
timeline-based system at the action level.
Visualizing and controlling these two types of ordering is done from the Event
Properties dialog. This dialog can either show the states for a particular event and its
execution dependencies or it can show the order and duration of the actions within
that event. (Timeline). Toggle the Timeline- Show for Events checkbox in Animation
Properties, User Interface page to switch between the dialogs.
In summary, the animation system consists of actions that can be applied to a part or
parts, events to group sets of actions and control over when and for how long the
actions are applied. These are all persisted in a .van file that can be opened and
executed (playback of the animation) or further modified.
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How do I get started??

A new animation can be created in one of two ways. Both of these methods associate
an animation with a model file, providing the necessary pairing required to successfully
create and playback an animation.

Method 1: Creating a new animation when the desired .jt model view is not yet
open: From the main menu of VisMockup, select File->New->Animation. This
opens a new animation window and prompts the user to browse for the desired
model. Selecting the model sets up the association between the new animation
and the model and adds an action that when executed, opens up the model in a
new 3D view (Generate Assembly action).

Method 2: Creating a new animation when a model is already open in a 3D view:

Adding an action through Tools->Animation->Create->Add Action-><select some
action> will open a new animation window and in memory sets up the association
between the new animation and the model that is open in the 3D view. No
Generate Assembly action is added to the animation.

OK so what is the difference between these two methods and are there cases when
one method would be preferred over another? Probably the biggest difference
between these two methods is the way that the 3D view association is persisted. When
an animation is created using Method 1, the 3D view created is not tracked by the
framework session mechanism. Therefore, any changes made to the 3D view through
the other Vis functionality, will not be saved to the session file. This method is best
for the user that intends to create a stand-alone animation with a 3D view that will not
utilize any other session data. In this case the persistence mechanism is via the .van
file. When an animation is created using method 2, the intended persistence
mechanism is usually via a session file (.vf). In this case, the already opened 3D view
takes the place of the Generate Assembly action. Any changes made to the 3D view
from other Vis functionality will be persisted in the session file along with the
animation data.

The Actions
The following is a brief description of the functionality and purpose of each of the
available actions. In the interest of keeping this guide easy to understand for the
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average animation user, only the most commonly used and/or necessary properties for
a particular action are discussed in detail here. For the more advanced user, please
reference the help files for more information.

Generate Assembly:
Use this action to open a model in the 3D view that will be acted upon by the other
actions in the animation. This action opens the model in a 3D view window when the
animation is played. (Exception: The 3D view and animation is saved in a session file as

described above in Method 2 of Getting Started In this case, the Generate

Assembly action is not necessary).

Properties:

Initially visible Select this to turn on visibility of the entire model when
this action executes. Otherwise, the model is loaded but part visibility is off.
(Note: some users may want this option if individual parts or assemblies are
turned on using the Visibility action).

Linear Path:
Use this action to define a path that translates and/or rotates the selected parts
along a path that is created in the 3D view. A path consists of a series of nodes
(represented by spheres) connected with straight-line segments. There are several
ways to add nodes to define a path but only the three simplest methods are described
below. Each creates a path in the plane of view. Rotating the 3D model will change the
plane of view.

Create a path using the node context menu commands Add a Linear Path
action, making sure that no parts were first selected. A red sphere (node) is
added to either the center of the model or a selected location. (This
depends on what is chosen when the user is prompted with the message: Do
you wish to pick the origin of the path?) This first node is called the origin
of the path. Once the first node is added, right-click over the selected node
and select Add to add a new node to the path. (Note: this new node will be
partially over the previous node) Drag the node to its desired location.

Repeat until all desired nodes are added. After the path is defined, select
the desired part or assembly from the model then select Capture Selected
to add the part or assembly name to the Linear Path Properties dialog.

Create a path by picking points on the model Add a Linear Path action as
above to place the first node. In the Linear Path Properties dialog, select
Pick mode. Clicking on points on the model will add a node at that location.
(Note: To get out of Pick mode, click somewhere else in the animation tree to
disable pick mode or right-click over a node and select Cancel Pick).

Create a path by transforming parts using a manipulator First select a part

to be moved then add a Linear Path action. A manipulator is placed around
the part and the Track mode check box in the Linear Path dialog is
selected. Use the manipulator (see Manipulators feature in Help for more
details on how to use a manipulator to transform or rotate a part) to move
the part, releasing the mouse button to create nodes along the path.
An extension to this method uses the transformation feature to define a
path as it translates and/or rotates. With the Linear Path action in track
mode, use the transformation dialog to transform or rotate the part to
create the desired path. Click the Apply button on the Transformation
window to create new nodes in the path. (See Transformation feature in
Help for more details on how to transform or rotate a part. Also, the tutorial
at the end of this guide steps the reader through an example of using the
Transformation feature to create a rotational path).

The Project Workspace Path Tab- Once a Linear Path is added, a path item is
added to the Paths tab in the project workspace. Selecting the path name will cause
the corresponding nodes and line segment in the 3D view to be selected. Selecting a
path from the list then right clicking allows the path to be renamed. All references
to this path in the Linear Path dialog name fields will be updated. It is helpful to
rename a path to a meaningful name to indicate the function of this path (ex:
rotate_tire_path). Unchecking a path turns off the visibility of the nodes and line
segments in the 3D view. When a path is selected and then a right-click, the path
context menu is displayed.
Project Workspace Path Tab context menu:

Rename (only available when a path name is selected) - allows renaming of

the path.
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Remove (only available when a path name is selected) - deletes the path
from the list. If the path is referenced in a linear path action, the user will
be prompted before removing the path.

Show All selects all paths so that they are visible in the 3D view (if
referenced in a linear path action).

Hide All unselects all paths so that they are not visible in the 3D view.

Properties-Use selected parts to define the origin of the path When this
is unchecked, adding a linear path action when a part is selected will not add
a manipulator and put the action in track mode.

Properties->Use line and arc path manipulation handle When this is

unchecked, the creation of a linear path uses axis-of-rotation handles to
define the path instead of the standard nodes and line segments discussed
above. It is strongly recommended that the user keep this property
selected. The axis-of-rotation handles allows more precise placement of the
path nodes but are more difficult to use. The manipulator is represented as
line segment with a sphere in the middle. The sphere identifies the center of
rotation and the line identifies the axis of rotation for the selected segment
of the path. For more details on how to create a path using the axis-ofrotation handles, see the help files.

Each time a new linear path action is added to the animation, a new entry is added
to the Paths tab. This allows paths to be reused in more than one linear path action.
To reuse a path in a Linear Path action, select the Select button in the actions
dialog then select the desired path from the list.
Commonly used Options found on the Linear Path dialog:

Duration length of time that the action will execute. (matches the length
of the corresponding bar in the time line)

Play reverse move the part from its outermost position back to the first
node in the path. This option is useful for creating animations that show
parts being assembled.

Visible on execution - Before playing the linear path action, display the part.

Track mode - Create the linear path by moving the selected parts in the
Viewing window, capturing each move as part of the path.

Pick mode - Create the linear path by picking entities on the model parts.

Lock nodes Only the selected node can be moved. All other nodes in the
path will be fixed in place.

Only apply to parts or assemblies at the specified position - only move the
part if it has not moved from its original position. (Note: this is used in
conjunction with a visibility action. For example, a part is moving along an
assembly line and when it reaches a particular station, turn its visibility on
this gives the appearance of parts appearing to get added to an assembly at
certain stages along the assembly line).

Follow path relative to starting position Move a part along a path

designated for another part but offset by the second parts starting
position. Recommend keeping this unchecked.

Options for editing or manipulating a selected (red) node in the 3D view using the
node context menu:

Add Adds a new node to the end of the path (Until you move it to a new
position, the node appears on top of the current end node). The new node is
added to the end regardless of what node was selected.

Remove Deletes the node and connects the previous and next nodes.

Edit Precise placement of a node.

Reset Returns a node to its previous position.

Pick Moves the node to a selected position on the model.

Key Frame mark a node as a key frame (turns the node blue). You can set
the Animation preferences to show only the key frames as the animation
plays.

Options for repositioning nodes or line segments using the mouse:

To reposition a node on the path select the node and drag it to the desired
location. (Note: If the Lock Nodes checkbox in the linear path dialog is
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selected, only the node selected will move. All other nodes will stay locked in
place. If this is unchecked, only the nodes between the selected node and
the origin will stay locked in place. All the outermost nodes will move along
with the selected node.)

To reposition the entire path select a node then select the Ctrl button
while dragging the path to the desired location.

To change the straight-line segment into a curved segment select the node
following the segment to select the segment then drag the segment to the
desired curvature.

To change the curved segment back to a straight segment select the

segment and drag it back toward its straight position. When the line gets
close, it snaps back to straight.

Linear Path Multiple Parts:

Creates and moves multiple instances of a part along a path, one instance for each
execution of the action. (Note: this action is useful for simulating an assembly line with
one box part used over and over again to simulate multiple boxes all moving along the
line.). The path is created in the same manner as a linear path action.
Properties:

Duration length of time that the action will execute.

Spacing interval between the creation of a new instance of the part.

File Select the *.jt file for the part to be instanced.

Tracking Camera:
Moves a camera along a path or moves the focal point of the camera along a path while
the camera itself remains stationary. Gives the view that the whole world is moving
along the path.

Properties:

Watch from stationary location select this option to fix the camera in one
position and only change its angle. Useful for simulating a stationary observer
watching objects move (Ex: sitting in the bleachers watching a car at a
racetrack).

Capture select this after creating the path. Saves the current view. An
example of its use zoom in on part of a large model then select Capture to
save this state. When this tracking camera action is executed, the model will
zoom in prior to the camera moving along the path.

Capture Walk Simulates the height of a human walking along a path and
observing the model. Takes the current camera position and goes up 6 feet to
simulate a humans view. (Note: Useful for creating an animation that simulates
what a human would see when walking along a fixed assembly line or model.)

Show Display the view for the current tracking camera action. Useful when
creating an animation and jumping between actions.

Camera:
Use this action to rotate, pan, and zoom the view of the model.
Properties:

Type: Changes the camera type to capture the view in orthographic or

perspective view.

Capture Capture the current view as a new camera position.

Show Display the view for the current camera action.

View all Currently not functional.

Snapshot:

Use this action to rotate, pan, and zoom the view and also to set the visibility and
transformation of parts. This is a compound action that contains a camera action,
visibility action, and position of parts. The duration of this action is divided into two
steps the time it takes to move the view into the camera position followed by a pause
that allows the user to look at the view before moving on to execute the next action.
Properties:

Total Total duration of the action.

View Time in seconds that the view will take to move into the stored camera
position.

Pause Duration of the pause.

Delay:
Add this action to insert a pause in the execution for the specified duration.

Sound:
Play a sound file. (Windows only)

Text:
This action adds a text markup to the view, either anchored to a part or unanchored.
Properties:

Duration the number of seconds that the text is displayed.

Destroy when done select this checkbox to remove the text markup after the
action is complete. If unchecked, the markup will remain for the duration of the
execution of the animation.

Text the text that is displayed in the markup.

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Style brings up the Markup Properties dialog so the font, edge, and fill styles
can be changed.

Show creates the text markup in the 3D view.

Anchor to body attach the text to the part.

Text is event name use the name of the event as the text for the action.
(Note: This option is helpful if the user wants to display a text at the beginning
of each events execution that shows the name of the event that is executing.)

Position X and Position Y the placement of the text along the X and Y axes
where the upper left corner of the 3D view is 0,0 and the lower right corner is
1,1. The text can also be repositions by selecting the text box and dragging it.
The X and Y positions will update to this new position.

Capture Selected anchored the text to the selected part.

URL:
Open a file or document referenced by a URL. When the URL action plays, the linked
site or document will open in its own window.
Properties:

Capture captures the URL of the active document in the imbedded browser.

Browse file browser to select document to reference.

VFM:
Play a .vfm (motion) file. (See the help files for information on how to create .vfm
files.)
Properties:

File Name browse for the .vfm file to play.

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Duration - specify the length of time that the .vfm will play. (Note: When a new
VFM action is added, the duration is defaulted to 0.0. A positive value must be
entered for the VFM to execute).

Apply Must be selected to save the selected .vfm file name.

Visibility:
Use this action to display or hide the selected part.
Properties:

Visible display or hide the selected part.

Set body position before setting visibility position the parts at their captured
positions before displaying the parts.

Capture Selected select this after selecting the part or assembly that is to be
affected.

Only apply to parts or assemblies at the specified position only turn the
visibility on or off if the part has not moved from its original position. (Note:
this is used in conjunction with a linear path action. For example, a part is moving
along an assembly line and when it reaches a particular station, turn its visibility
on this gives the appearance of parts appearing to get added to an assembly at
certain stages along the assembly line).

Template:
A predefined action containing one more actions and their Properties. Provides a quick
method to add a set of commonly used actions. This action is only available if a
template action has already been defined. To define a Template action, select
Animation->Define Template Actions. Select the actions to be included in the
template action and set their properties.

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What are those preferences for?

The animation preferences control the behavior as you create and play animations.
Chose Animation->Preferences or Playback->Preferences to bring up the Animation
Properties dialog.

User Interface tab:

Show for events When this is checked, the Event Properties dialog shows the
timeline for that event, with each action represented by a horizontal bar. The
endpoints of the bar represent the start and stop times of the action and the
length of the bar represents the duration of the action. When this is
unchecked, the Event Properties dialog shows the information for that event
such as the dependencies, states, etc.

Slider increment Specify the increments by which you can change the
horizontal bars in the time line. (Note: the scale of the time line does not
change; when you move the bars, they snap into position according to the
increment specified here.)

Select parts attached to tree items Highlight the part in the 3d view that is
associated with the event or action that is selected in the animation tree.

Use arrow keys to step through animation Use the up and down arrow keys to
step through each frame (event or action) of the animation, controlling the
execution of the animation with the arrow keys.

Enable diagnostics display As the animation plays, the Diagnostics window

appears. In the window, each event of the animation is listed, in order. State
indicators next to each event indicate whether the event has started (S) or is
done (D). The user can control the execution of the animation from this window
by selecting the various checkboxes. (Stop Now - Stop the animation when it
gets to this event. If this event is playing, stop the animation immediately. Allow
Finish - Stop the animation when this event has finished. Manual Done - Set the
state indicator for this event to D, and play any remaining events in the
animation.)

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Authoring tab:

Hide selected parts after adding actions turns the visibility off for the part
after the action is added. This is used during the creation of an animation. The
purpose of this preference is to get the selected part out of the way once its
action is added so that lower-level parts can be selected and actions added to
them. (Note: Use this option in conjunction with the Insert events at start of
animation preference to add events in reverse order to create an animation
that shows inner parts of an assembly being added before the outer parts are
added.)

Insert event at start of animation New events will be added to the animation
tree immediately after the SetupEvent. (Note: select this preference then
create an animation by starting with an assembled model and taking it apart. The
animation will then playback in reverse order to show the model being
assembled.)

Automatically reorder actions in timeline Any new action will be added

sequentially, i.e. the start time of an action will be equal to the stop time of the
previous action. Eliminates the need to go back and drag the timeline bars to
order actions sequentially after they have been added. Also readjusts the
timeline to remain sequential after reordering actions.

General tab:

Show camera movement during playback When this box is unchecked, camera
actions are turned off this is useful for debugging.

Display only keyframes during playback During playback, only those nodes that
were marked as keyframe nodes (see linear path action section on how to mark a
node as a keyframe) will be played. This feature is good to minimize the size of
an .avi file (movie capture of an animation execution) so that only important
portions of the part movements are show.

Other important stuff

Create vs. Playback mode:
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Users that have only the animation playback license available as a part of the Vis
product will only see the Tools->Animation->Playback menu item. Selecting this will
add Playback to the main menu. If the playback toolbar is open, it will be enabled
when this menu item is selected. The playback mode can also be activated by selecting
the Enable Animation Playback toolbar button. The playback commands provide
control over the running animation. Most of the commands can be executed from three
locations: the Playback menu, the toolbar, or the animation tree context menu:

Playback menu:
o Start play the animation.
o Stop stop the animation.
o Reset return the animation to the beginning.
o Status While the animation is playing, view and control the
execution status of each event from the status dialog.
o Toggle View make the 3D view the active window.
o Preferences described in previous section.

Playback toolbar:
o Start.
o Stop.
o Reset.
o Toggle Views change the active window from the animation
window to the 3D view, or from the 3D view to the animation
window.
o Tile Views Horizontally display both windows at the same time;
the animation window will occupy the lower 1/3 of the viewing area
and the 3D view will occupy the upper 2/3rds.

Animation tree context menu:

15

o Execute executes the entire animation if the animation name in

the tree is selected; executes an individual event or action if that
item in the animation tree is selected.
Users that have both the create and playback license will also have available the
Tools->Animation->Create menu command available. Selecting this will add Animation
to the main menu and activate the create mode. The user can also activate the create
mode by selecting the Enable Animation Create toolbar button. Most of the
commands can be executed from three locations: the Animation menu, the toolbar, or
the animation tree context menu:

Animation menu:
o Validate verify that the files and paths referenced in the
animation are correct so that the animation will execute properly.
o Define Template Actions previously discussed in Actions section.
o Add Action brings up menu of all available actions that can be
added.
o Start and Record Movie start the animation and record a movie
(creates an .avi windows or .mpeg Unix) of the animation as it
plays.
o Find and Replace Part Name locate a part or assembly
referenced within the animation; replace the name with a new part
name. Similar to the Find and Replace option in Word.
o Preferences - described in previous section.

Animation toolbar:
o Validate
o Visibility add a visibility action
o Camera add a camera action
o Linear Path add a linear path action
o Text Annotation add a text action
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o Snapshot add a snapshot action

o Template add a template action

Animation tree context menu:

o Add Event adds a new event to the animation (only available when
the animation name is selected)
o Insert File browse for and select another .van file to insert into
the animation. Puts the new animations events after the current
events in the animation tree. (only available when the animation
name is selected)
o Expand All enlarge the animation tree so that all entries are
visible. (only available when the animation name is selected)
o Collapse All compress the animation tree so that only the highlevel events are visible. (only available when the animation name is
selected)
o Event-level context menu commands: Delete, Execute, Rename,
Add Child Event, Cut, Paste, Insert, Add <some action>.
o Action-level context menu commands: Delete, Execute, Cut, Insert.

More About the Time Line:

The time line can be used to modify the sequence and duration of each action. Each
action in the event is represented by a horizontal red bar in the time line that you can
modify or move. The scale at the top of the time line indicates the seconds in the
event. To display the time line, select Show for Events on the User Interface tab on
the Animation Preferences dialog box then select the event in the animation tree.
To change the duration during an event that each action occurs, in the time line, move
the cursor over the red bar that represents the action until the cursor turns into a
hand icon, then click the bar and drag the entire bar to the left or right. The bar
representing the action moves to a new start and end time, but the duration remains
the same.

17

To change the length of time allotted for each action, move the cursor over one end of
the red bar until the cursor turns into a double-headed arrow icon, then click the end
of the red bar and drag the end of the bar to the left or right. The bar representing
the action gets longer or shorter as you move the end. The other end of the bar
remains in the same place.
A right-click in the time line brings up a context menu with commands to zoom in or
zoom out. These control how much of the timeline is visible at one time.

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Tips, Tricks, and How to Get Around Those

Annoying Things

This section is the place to find tips, tricks, work-arounds and explanations for those
things in the animation system that are really difficult to use or that are just plain
annoying.

1. I opened a .van file and tried to add a new action but the only command available in
the animation tree context menu is Execute.

Select Tools->Animation->Create to enable Create mode.

2. The windows jump around when I switch focus back and forth between the 3D view
and the animation window.

Make sure that the number of toolbar rows is the same for both the 3D view and
the animation window. Do this by either closing some toolbars or dragging them so
that they occupy the same number of rows.

3. I created a new animation using File->New, selected a 3D model then played the
animation. A 3D view opened but there was nothing visible.

In the Generate Assembly action, select the Initially visible checkbox and replay
the animation.

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4. Im trying to run an animation on Unix that was created on a PC. I keep getting an
error message that the Generate Assembly action is failing.

Update the File field to point to the model on the current platform then reexecute.
I did that and it STILL fails!

Make sure that the Apply button is selected when changing any action option.

5. Sometimes after adding an action then adding another one, a part is already
associated with it.

When adding actions, make sure that the preference Select parts attached to
tree items is unchecked.

6. I want to add a new action to an existing event. But when I add the action using the
Animation menu, a NEW event is created for that action.

The problem occurs when the user selects a part then adds the action from the
Animation menu. Selecting a part puts the 3D view in focus, essentially un-selecting
the event that the action is to go under. The result is that a new event is created
for the new action. To prevent this, after selecting the part and prior to adding the
action, make sure that the event is selected.

7. Im having problems executing just one event. Sometimes it starts in a weird state.

Add a snapshot action to a new event that captures the final state of the previous
event. This allows a single event to be accurately played back without having to play
the animation from the beginning. (see Creating a Simple Animation for examples of
this tip).

8. Ive inserted one animation into another but when I execute it, the events of the
second animation are not running in the correct sequence.
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The problem is that the new events are getting renamed to insure their uniqueness
but the dependencies are not getting changed. You will need to check the
dependencies for the inserted animation and make sure that they are correct for
the renamed events.

9. Ive created a linear path action by selecting the origin to be the part that I want
to move then added nodes using the node context menu. When I execute this
action, the part moves correctly but when I select Reset, the part doesnt go back
to its original position.

To get a part to reset to its original position when moving along a path, pick the
part first then add the linear path action. This will place a manipulator around the
part and cause the first node (origin) to be placed at the parts original position.

10. Ive added a linear path action but now that Ive created it I want a manipulator
around the part to define the path. How can I get into Track mode?

The easiest way is to make sure that the part is selected before adding the linear
path action. This will automatically place a manipulator around the part and select
the Track mode checkbox in the action dialog. If the action has already been
added, make sure that the track mode is selected in the dialog then select the
part, select Actions->Manipulators->Enable, then add a manipulator. To remove the
manipulator when finished defining the path, select Actions->Manipulators>unselect Enable.

11. Ive created several linear paths, some with more than one part. When I select
Reset after executing the animation, often things do not reset to their original
position.

When groups of parts are added to a linear path action that are not in the same
assembly they will not reset correctly. Parts will also not reset correctly if a part is
moved using more than one path, especially if one of the paths contains other parts.
Some workarounds for reset problems are: Only have one part per path action or if
multiple parts are included, make sure that they are all from the same assembly;
create paths containing only two nodes; if it is not possible to implement the
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previous two workarounds, just close the 3D view entirely and start the animation
completely over instead of resetting.

12. I cant seem to be able to select a node in my linear path.

Make sure that the 3D view is active then select the desired node twice.

13. I want to create a path that shows a part moving in a corkscrew motion like a rivet
going into a piece of sheet metal. How do I do this?

Select the part, add a linear path action, hide the manipulator (Actions>Manipulators->Remove). Select Actions->Transformation and select the XYZ
Rotate tab. Enter 90 in the axis field that the part will rotate along. Select the
Translate tab and translate the part along the desired axis using the slider. When
complete, select the Apply button then close the dialog. When the path action is
executed, it will move along a straight path while rotating.

14. I want to create a path that simulates a part moving in a hinge action. How do I do
this?

Select the part, add a linear path action, hide the manipulator. Select Actions>Transformation and select the Feature tab. Determine what axis the part is to
rotate around (visualize a pin in the hinge area) select the Pick Feature button and
select a place on the model that aligns with this direction. A red line segment
indicating this axis of rotation is drawn in the3D view. If the selected area is not
the correct axis, select Pick Feature and try again. Using the rotate slide, rotate
the selected part around the axis. When complete, select the Apply button and
close the transformation dialog. This movement will now be set up in the path
action. (See Step VIII in the section, Creating a Simple Animation for an example
of this.)

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15. I would like to have more control over the moving part in the linear path action
for instance, during creation of the animation there are times when it would be nice
to be able to move through the animation at a slower speed or even step thought it.

Selecting the space bar will move the part one increment along the path.

16. What is the difference between a linear path action and a motion (.vfm) file?

The motion files contain discrete positions and the path actions contain
mathematical interpolations between nodes this makes the parts move with a
smoother motion when the path action is used.

17. Why cant I add a template action? The menu item is grayed out.

This menu item is only available if a template action has already been defined.

18. Is there a way to keep playing an animation over and over again?

To have an animation play for a specified number of times, in the Animation

Properties->User interface tab, unselect the Show for events checkbox. Select
the event and on the event properties page, edit the Repeat 1 time field to the
desired number of repetitions.
To have an animation play over and over again, use the dependencies between events.
For example, an animation contains three events, Setup Event, Loop_Event and
Repeat_Dummy, in that order. Add the following dependency to the Loop_Event:
SetupEvent:DONE | Repeat_Dummy:DONE. The Repeat_Dummy event should
have the following dependency: Rotate_Handle:DONE. These dependencies will
cause the Loop_Event to repeat over and over again since it begins execution when
either the Setup_Event or the Repeat_Dummy is complete.

19. My .jt files are located on VisNetwork. How can I use this data in my Generate
Assembly action?

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Create a new animation by selecting File->New Animation. When the Select a

3D model you your animation dialog comes up, select Cancel. Add an event to the
empty animation tree then add a Generate Assembly action to the event. In the File
name field in the actions properties dialog, enter the full http path for the toplevel .jt assembly from VisNetwork. The path should be in the form:
"http://<visnetwork_server>/<full path to geometry, as it appears in the VisNetwork page for
the desired jt file>/<desired jt file>.

How to Create a Simple Animation

I.

Animation Environment Set-Up

Concepts presented:
Creating a new animation from the File->New command.
Activating the 3D model referenced in the animation.
Activating the animation toolbars and arranging windows correctly.
1. Launch VisMockUp.
2. If the File Type Associations dialog box appears, select the OK
button.
3. From the File menu, select New.
4. Choose Animation and select OK.
5. In the model selection dialog box, choose fishing_reel.jt from the
Examples/3d folder (Unix: VisView Demos/3d) and select Open. A
window titled Animation1 (Unix: Animation Files (*.van)) should appear.
This window will be referred to as the Animation window.
6. (PC only) If the Animation window is not free-floating click on the
maximize button (second from the right in the lower set of window
control icons found in the upper right corner of the VisProduct window).
7. Select the Toolbars option from the Views pull down menu and enable
the following: Animation Playback, Animation Create, and Animation
Tools.
8. Close the Toolbars dialog box when done.

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9. Arrange the toolbars so that the minimum numbers of rows are used.

(Unix: Toolbars cannot be moved so if possible, close one or more of the

non-animation toolbars so that the number of rows are equal.)

10. Select the Start Animation button from the Animation Playback
toolbar. This will load the fishing reel model, initially hidden, into the
session. A new window titled, Animation 3D View should appear. This
window will be referred to as the Viewing window.
11. Enable the same three animation toolbars for this window as was done in
step seven.
12. Arrange these toolbars into the same number of rows as what appears
for the first window. (Use the Toggle Views button from the Animation
Playback toolbar if one window completely covers the other).
13. Select the Tile Views Horizontally button to automatically arrange both
windows in the VisProduct viewing area.
14. Click on the border areas to enable each window. If the toolbar rows are
arranged as mentioned above, the windows should not jump.

II.

Initiate Assembly Animation

Concepts presented:
Creating a snapshot action.

1. In the Animation window, right click on the event, SetupEvent.

2. Select the Rename option and enter: Reel_Assembly_Start. (Unix:

May need to click at the end of the event name and backspace to
rename.)

3. Expand the event node by clicking on the plus sign next to the event in
the animation window.
4. Right click on the event node and select Add Snapshot Action.
5. Highlight the value for the total duration and change it to 0. Note that
the value change is made immediately. There is no need to select enter.
6. From the project workspace, expand the fishing reel assembly two levels
by clicking on the plus next to the Model node and then the plus next to
the fishing_reel node.
7. Click in the empty red circle next to the body node to make it visible.
8. Select the Viewing Window border to make it active.
9. Using the rotate feature from the navigation toolbar and the left
mouse button, change the view of the fishing reel body so that the handle

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mount is on the left of the screen, the spool mount is on the right of the
screen, and the base is on the bottom of the screen.
10. Use the navigation toolbars zoom tool so that the fishing reel fills
~90% of the vertical space on the screen.
11. Return to the snapshot action in the animation window and click on the
Capture button.
12. Select the event node and make sure that the snapshot action occurs at
time zero.
13. If the body is highlighted when selecting the event node, there is a
preference setting that needs to be changed. If so, continue with steps
14 16. Otherwise, go on to Part III.
14. From the Animation pull down menu, select the Preferences option.
15. From the launched Animation Properties dialog box, select the User
Interface tab.
16. Deselect the box next to the text, Select parts attached to tree items
and select the OK button.

III. Complete and Save First Event

Concepts presented:
Creating a text action.
Changing the style of a text action markup.
Saving a newly created animation.
Reopening an existing animation and making changes.
1. Right click on the Reel_Assembly_Start node and select Add Text
Action.
2. In the Text window of the actions properties, type Fishing Reel
Assembly.
3. Select the Show button from the actions properties screen. A text
box with the entered text should appear in the Viewing Window.
4. Click on the Style button from the actions properties screen.
5. Select the Fill tab and check the box next to the Fill Enabled text.
6. Move the Transparency slider to a 75% opaque position.
7. Click on the Font tab.
8. Change the font color to white and the font to Arial.
9. Click on the OK button. The text box appearance should change to
reflect the changes.

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10. Position the text box by selecting and then clicking and dragging it to the
top-center of the screen.
11. Change the duration of the text action in the properties screen to three
seconds.
12. Click on the event node.
13. Right click in the timeline background and select Zoom Out until 5
seconds are visible.

14. (4.0 Release and beyond) If the Animation Properties->Authoring tab>Automatically reorder actions in timeline is selected, all new actions
that are added to an event will be added so that the start time of the
new action is the same as the end time of the previous action. As more
actions are added to an event, this eliminates having to drag the bars a
great distance to have them execute one after another.

15. Click in the center of the red time bar for the text action and slide it to
the right so that the start is at 1 second.
16. Select the Start Animation button from the animation playback toolbar.
After the animation is complete, the text box should disappear.
17. Save the animation file by enabling the Animation window and selecting,
Save Animation from the File pull down menu.
18. Enter a filename and select the Save button.
19. Exit the VisProduct.
20. Find the saved file on the local file system and double click on it. (Unix:

Launch VisMockup. Select File->Open then browse for the saved .van
file.)

21. Play the event back to load the model associated with the Generate
Assembly action. (4.0 Release and beyond: The animation will

automatically begin playing when opened.)

22. Currently, the interface only has Playback tools enabled. As we will
continue to edit the animation, from the Tools pull down menu, select
Animation->Create. (Unix: Select Tile Views Horizontally from the

Animation Playback toolbar.)

IV.

Define and Use a Template Action

Concepts presented:
Using snapshot actions to capture previous events state.
Defining and using Text template actions.

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1. Create a new event by right clicking on the Animation node in the

animation window and selecting Add Event.
2. Rename the new event to Step_1_Rotor_Installation.
3. Add a Snapshot action to this event.
4. Change the snapshot action to duration of zero and select the Capture
button. Adding a snapshot action like this (of the final state from the
previous event) allows a single event to be accurately played back without
starting the animation from the beginning.
5. From the Animation pull down menu, select Define Template Actions.
6. Choose Text from the Available list and select the Add button.
7. Click on the Properties button under the Template list.
8. Click on the Style button from the Template Action Properties dialog
box.
9. Modify the Fill and Font tabs to match the style from the earlier text
action and select OK.
10. Choose the OK button from the Template Action Properties dialog
box and select OK again from the Define Template dialog box.
11. Make sure that no parts are selected and that the Animation window is
active (failure to do this will create a new event containing the template
action) click on the Step_1_Rotor_Installation event, and select the
Template button from the Animation Create toolbar.
12. In the Text window, type Step 1 Rotor Installation.
13. Select the Show button and then select and move the text box towards
the top-center of the viewing window.
14. Click on the Step_1_Rotor_Installation event.
15. Right click in the timeline background and select Zoom Out until 15
seconds are visible.
16. For this new text action, click in the center of the time bar and slide it
so that the start is at 1 second. Click on the right side of the same bar
and slide it out so that the end time is 13 seconds.
17. From the project workspace, make visible the entire rotor_assembly.
18. Click twice on a single part of the rotor assembly to select the entire
rotor assembly.
19. Select the Step_1_Rotor_Installation event, and then click on the
Template button from the Animation Create toolbar. An anchored
text box should appear on the screen with the assemblys name
automatically added to the text field.

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20. Using the navigation tools, change the current view to an appropriate
angle and zoom setting to view the rotor and spool in an exploded state.
If the anchored text box disappears off the screen, change the view so
that the text is visible, and then select and drag the text box to a more
appropriate location in the window.
21. For this second text action, modify its time bar from the event
properties so that it starts at 7 seconds and ends at 12 seconds.
22. Save the animation.

V.

Model and Camera Motion

Concepts presented:
Creating a linear path action using the Track mode.
Paths tab in the Project Workspace.
Creating a visibility action.
1. With the rotor assembly still selected, right click on the
Step_1_Rotor_Installation event and add a Linear Path Action. A 3D
manipulator cube should appear over the rotor assembly.
2. Holding the Ctrl key down, left mouse click on the +X side of the cube
(make sure that the whole rectangular perimeter of the +X side of the
manipulator is highlighted) and drag the rotor assembly to an appropriate
exploded position.
3. Once in the desired exploded position, deselect the left mouse button.
There should only be a two-point path created. If any errors delete the
action and from the Actions pull down menu, select Motion/Reset All
Parts.
4. From the project workspace, click on the Paths tab.
5. Right click on the path and select the Rename option. Change the name
of this path to rotor assembly.
6. Un-check the box for this path to hide the path in the viewing window.
7. Modify the time bar for this action so that it starts at 8 seconds and
ends at 11 seconds.
8. With the rotor assembly selected, right click on the second event and
select, Add Visibility Action.
9. From the visibility action properties section, check the box next to the
text, Set body position before setting visibility.
10. Set this actions time bar so that it occurs at 6 seconds.
11. If needed, adjust the view of the geometry in the exploded state.
29

12. Right click on the second event and select Add Camera Action.
13. From the camera action properties screen, click on the Capture button.
14. Click on the Step_1_Rotor_Installation event.
15. Modify this actions time bar so that it starts at 2 seconds and ends at 5
seconds.
16. Save the animation.

VI. Creating a Movie Draft

Concepts presented:
Creating a movie file of an animation sequence.
1. Run the Step_1_Rotor_Installation event either by right clicking on the
event node and selecting Execute, or by selecting the event and
selecting the Execute Item from the Animation Tools toolbar.
2. After viewing the event, make any desired changes to the individual
actions. Note that the text and camera action states can be viewed by
selecting the Show button from the action properties section. All
actions can be executed with either the execute option from right mouse
clicking on the node or by using the Execute Item button.
3. Before creating a movie file (PC: .avi, Unix: .mpg), hide the axis trihedron
from the viewing window. Right click in the background of the 3D viewing
window and select Preferences.
4. Un-check the box next to Draw trihedron and select OK.
5. At this point we want to quickly create a test movie to check our
animation. To save time and memory, resize the Viewing Window to about
half of the current size. Be sure to maintain the same aspect of the
window. (Unix: the movie will be created using a fixed size).
6. Before starting the movie record, go to the first event and execute the
snapshot action. This ensures that the initial appearance of the model is
as desired.
7. From the Animation pull down menu, select Start and Record Movie.
The entire animation will play through.
8. (PC only) A temporary uncompressed AVI file will be created in
C:/temp. Note that this temporary location can be redirected using the
environment variable, EAI_MOVIECAPTURE_TEMP. Approximately 1 G
of free space will be needed for this series of exercises. (4.0 Release

and beyond: The temporary file will be deleted upon completion of the
.avi creation.)
30

9. When prompted, enter a filename for the .avi or .mgp on the local system
and select Save.
10. (PC only) For the Video Compression dialog box, accept the defaults and
select the OK button.
11. Once compression is complete, icon the VisProduct and find the saved file
from the specified location.
12. Using third party software, such as Windows Media Player, play the saved
animation. Note that playback quality is dependent on the graphics
capabilities of the machine being used.

VII. Spool Installation

1. Return to the VisProduct application.
2. Restore the Viewing Window back to its original size.
3. Correct any problems noticed during the draft animation review. Note
that the text boxes may not appear in the correct position if the window
is resized.
4. Run the second event again and do not modify the view after it finishes.
5. Add a third event and rename it Step_2_Spool_Installation.
6. Add a zero duration snapshot action and select the Capture button.
7. Deselect all geometry, add a template action and enter, Step 2 Spool
Installation for the text.
8. Select the Show button and then select and move the text box towards
the top-center of the viewing window.
9. Modify the template action time bar to start at 1 second and end at 13
seconds.
10. Make the spool assembly visible and select the entire assembly.
11. Making sure that the third event is selected, add a second template
action and position the text box in an appropriate location on the viewing
window.
12. Modify the template action time bar to start at 7 seconds and end at 12
seconds.
13. With the entire spool assembly selected, add a linear path action.
14. Using the same technique as with the rotor assembly, transform the
spool assembly with the manipulator tool to an exploded position.
15. Right click on the path and select the Rename option. Change the name
of this path to spool assembly.
16. Un-check the box for this path to hide the path in the viewing window.
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17. Modify the linear path action time bar to start at 8 seconds and end at 11
seconds.
18. With the spool assembly selected and in its exploded state, add a
visibility action.
19. Check the box next to the text, Set body position before setting
visibility.
20. Modify the visibility action time bar to occur at 6 seconds.
21. Execute the event and make any needed edits.
22. Save the animation.

VIII.

Rotation Test
Concepts presented:
Using the Transformation feature to create a linear path action of
rotation.

1. Add a fourth event and label it Step_3_Rotation_Test.

2. Add a zero duration snapshot action to the new event.
3. Capture the snapshot for the snapshot action with the geometry in the
final state from the previous event.
4. Making sure that no parts are selected, add a template action and enter
Step 3 Rotation Test in the text box. Select the Show button.
5. Change the template action time bar to start at 1 second and end at 10
seconds.
6. Change the camera view so that the front of the fishing reel is more
visible.
7. Add a camera action and select the Capture button.
8. Change the camera action time bar to start at 2 seconds and end at 5
seconds.
9. Select the rotor assembly and add a linear path action.
10. Enable the Viewing Window.
11. Hide the 3D manipulator by selecting Manipulators/Enable from the
Actions pull-down menu.
12. Enable the transformation dialog box by selecting Transformation from
the Actions pull-down menu.
13. Click on the Feature tab.
14. Select the Pick Feature button and click on the edge of the spool
button. The goal is to create an axis of rotation through the center of

32

the rotor and spool. A red line will appear indicating the selected
feature.
15. In the Rotate entry box, enter -720. (Pre-4.0 release - If an error

box appears when the minus is entered, select OK and continue entering
the number.)

16. After the number is entered, select OK in the transformation dialog

box.
17. From the linear path action properties screen, deselect the Play
Reverse option.
18. Right click on the path and select the Rename option. Change the name
of this path to rotor rotation.
19. Un-check the box for this path to hide the path in the viewing window.
20. Change the linear path action time bar to start at 6 seconds and end at 9
seconds.
21. Execute the event and make any needed edits.
22. Save the animation.

IX.

Off-Axis Installation
1.
2.
3.
4.

Run the fourth event again and do not modify the view after it finishes.
Add a fifth event and rename it Step_4_Drag_Knob_Installation.
Add a zero duration snapshot action and select the Capture button.
Add a template action and enter, Step 4 Drag Knob Installation for
the text. Select the Show button.
5. Move the text box location to the top center of the viewing window.
6. Modify the template action time bar to start at 1 second and end at 13
seconds.
7. Make the drag knob visible and select it.
8. Add a second template action and position the text box in an appropriate
location on the viewing window.
9. Modify the template action time bar to start at 7 seconds and end at 12
seconds.
10. Using the navigation tools, change the scene to view the drag knob.
11. Add a camera action and capture the current view.
12. Change the camera action time bar to start at 2 seconds and end at 5
seconds.
13. With the drag knob selected, add a linear path action.
14. Disable the manipulator tool and launch the transformation dialog box.
33

15. Select the Feature tab and click on the Pick Feature button.
16. Choose a circular edge of the drag knob to select a normal perpendicular
to the top face.
17. Using the translate slider, move the drag knob to an exploded position
and select OK to complete the two-point path.
18. Hide the new path, rename it to drag knob and change the actions time
bar to start at 8 seconds and end at 11 seconds.
19. With the drag knob selected and in its exploded state, add a visibility
action.
20. Check the box next to the text, Set body position before setting
visibility.
21. Modify the visibility action time bar to occur at 6 seconds.
22. Execute the event and make any needed edits.
23. Save the animation.

X.

Reusing an Existing Path

Concepts presented:
Inserting an existing path into a new linear path action.
Associating a part or assembly with a linear path action after the
action has been added.
(4.0 release and beyond) Changing the autoreorder preference.
Changing the properties of a text action.
1. Run the fifth event again and do not modify the view after it finishes.
2. Add a sixth event and rename it Final_Product.
3. (4.0 Release and beyond) Select Animation Properties->Authoring tab.

Unselect the Automatically reorder actions in timeline preference.

4. Add a zero duration snapshot action and select the Capture button.
5. Making sure that no parts are selected, add a linear path action.
6. Select No when prompted with the message, Do you wish to pick the
origin of the path?
7. In the linear path dialog, select the select button, select rotor
rotation from the list of available paths then select OK. rotor rotation
should now appear in the Name field.
8. Click twice on a single part of the rotor assembly to select the entire
rotor assembly.

34

9. In the linear path dialog select the Capture Selected button. The
rotor_assembly should now be listed in the Affected Parts/Assemblies
list box.
10. Change the duration of the linear path action to 6 seconds and unselect
the Play reverse checkbox.
11. Make the handle_assembly visibly and select it.
12. Add another linear path action.
13. Enable the Viewing Window.
14. Disable the manipulator tool and launch the transformation dialog box.
15. Select the Feature tab and select the Pick Feature button.
16. Select the part of the body that attaches to the handle so that a line
along the Y-axis is drawn.
17. In the Rotate entry box enter 720 then close the transformation
dialog box.
18. Change the duration of the linear path action to 6 seconds and unselect
the Play reverse checkbox. Rename the path handle rotation and hide
it.
19. (4.0 Release and beyond) Select Animation Properties->Authoring tab.

Select the Automatically reorder actions in timeline preference.

20. Make sure that no parts are selected then add a text action to this
event.
21. In the Text area of the text action properties dialog, enter The End!!.
22. Select Show to create the text box containing the entered text.
23. Move the text box to the upper left corner of the screen.
24. Right mouse click on the text box and select Properties.
25. In the Properties box, select the Fill tab and check the box next to the
Fill Enabled text.
26. Move the transparency slider to a 75% opaque position.
27. Click on the Font tab and change the font to Arial, 16 point.
28. Save the completed animation.

XI.

Final Movie Creation

1. (PC only) While maintaining the aspect of the Viewing Window, modify the
size to about half of its current state.
2. Create an .avi or .mpg of the entire assembly animation.

35

3. If the movie creation process needs to be stopped before finishing,

select the Stop Animation or Reset Animation buttons from the
Animation Playback toolbar.
4. Review the completed movie and correct any errors in the van file.
5. Before creating the final animation, slow down the overall animation by
20%. Right click on the Animation node and enter .8 for the Play
Speed setting.
6. Resize the window to the desired final output dimensions and create a
new movie file.
7. (PC only) When prompted to select compression quality, choose 100% and
save the final movie file.

36