Jump to content

Mechanical animations


bcd

Recommended Posts

Hi bcd, there is a command "create animation' that allow the user to set up a series of rendered views and then will sort of connect the dots between them. I believe it is only available in the Industry Series products (eg: Architect, Designer, etc).

I have tried once or twice, and for moving scenes (like a walkthrough) I found it very very time consuming and somewhat tedious. The results, in my case, were rather jerky, and I never had the patience to tinker with it for long enough to refine my skills.

However, I have a feeling that for a still shot in which one or more parts is moving it might work really well. As I remember it (it's been a while) you set up a number of saved views, and then use the saved views to insert into a time-line of sorts which then renders and exports the video to quicktime.

In order to do this effectively I think you will need to create different copies of the various moving parts, and place the duplicates in discreet classes. Each of the moving parts can then be rotated/moved/etc into their various positions, by class. Then you would create saved views in each state, with certain classes visible or invisible as required, sort of like a flip book...

If you have a chance to try it, let us know how it works out.

Link to comment

bcd, I haven't tried the Geneva Mechanism so I can't offer and opinion... Also, yes, it would probably be tedious, but perhaps not as much as you think. I guess it comes down to how complex your "machine" is and whether someone is paying you for your time or you are your own dime. Whatever you try, let us know how it goes. I'm sure there are others who would be interested in the results. Regards! P

Link to comment

Admirable Brian, Admirable! But . . . .

Yes, you all knew there'd be one.

A proper parent child hierachy is still what's really needed.

Move one object, and anything else connected in a chain of 4 to 40 elements would follow suit without the longwinded approach you obviously had to go through to obtain your result. imagine the time needed to animate one rev of a v12.

Nightmare!

:)

We patiently live in hope.

Link to comment

A proper parent child hierachy is still what's really needed.

As long as it is proper (object-orientated, not hierarchical.)

Today I added another item to my long list of disappointments regarding VectorScript documentation: I realised that Object Events are totally missing from VS Function Reference to Mere Mortals, ie. the version that ships (or, as in my case, does not ship) with the program.

Among these is AddAssociation, which could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

There is some nebulous documentation and an example:

VectorWorks Developer pages

However,

CONST

kOnDeleteDelete = 4; {Target object is deleted when owner is deleted.}

kOnDeleteReset = 5; {Target object is reset when owner is deleted.}

suggests that this association is interested only in deaths of its members.

Otherwise, one's crank object could rotate the crankshaft and the crankshaftbone could be connected to the pistonbone of the V12.

Link to comment
However,

CONST

kOnDeleteDelete = 4; {Target object is deleted when owner is deleted.}

kOnDeleteReset = 5; {Target object is reset when owner is deleted.}

suggests that this association is interested only in deaths of its members.

Otherwise, one's crank object could rotate the crankshaft and the crankshaftbone could be connected to the pistonbone of the V12.

Whilst i ALWAYS appreciate your Kool comments, this one really had me creased up.

:)

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of pure Olio di Oliva Extra Vergine direct from the press.

Link to comment

bcd, that looks good. I have tried doing something similar by duplicating parts onto seperate classes and saving different views but I keep getting negative velocities when trying to set up the animation. Would you mind giving me a few pointers as to how you set this up please.

Many thanks

Link to comment

HI Guy,

I considered saved views- classes but it seems like way too cumbersome.

Perhaps exporting a few rendered scenes and tweening them in Adobe Flash might also be a solution.

For this exercise I deconstructed the Extras>Goodies>Crank file, broke apart the groups and replaced the 2d geometry with my own constructions. More in an exercise of the possible than for beauty's sake. But it works!!!!

With that done, the next trick is to learn VS to the point where I can define the movements of my objects. And figure how to have OGL render for each frame.

hth

(nts. feature request .mov support for upload files)

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...