Creating animation cameras

In this tutorial, you will create three animation cameras to capture the movement of a mechanism from three perspectives: the driver of the car, the person at the center of the track, and a point in space along the outside of the car. You will then add the animation cameras to three animation nodes and play all of them simultaneously.

1: Setup

    Before starting the tutorial, you must download the part.

  1. On your desktop or the appropriate network drive, create a folder named animation_camera.

  2. Click the link below.

    Download the part

  3. Extract the files to your animation_camera folder.

  4. Start Simcenter 3D or NX.

File

Open

  • Navigate to the animation_camera folder you created.

  • File name

    race_car.sim

  • OK

     
2: Reset dialog box memory

The options you select in dialog boxes are preserved for the next time you open the same dialog box within a given session. Restore the default settings to ensure that the dialog boxes are in the expected initial state for each step of the activity.

File

Preferences→User Interface

  • Options

  •   Reset Dialog Memory

  • OK

     
3: Play the default animation

The mechanism has already been solved and includes a default animation.

Results

  •   Play (Animation group)

  •   Finish (Animation group)

4: Create the first animation camera

The first animation camera captures the movement of the car from the driver's perspective. The camera is associated with the geometry of the driver, and the target is a point in space in front of the car. Associating the camera with the model geometry ensures that if the model changes, the initial position of the camera changes as well. The camera and target both move with the car. The preview window displays the effects of your selections.

  Motion Navigator

  • race_car

  • New Animation Camera

  • Projection Mode

    Perspective

  • Camera Name

    Driver

  •  

  • Point Dialog (Specify Orientation)

  • X

    -490

  • Y

    -350

  • Z

    10

  • OK

      Point dialog box

    The origin of the target coordinate system is beyond the first pillar, so the pillars appear in the animation.

  •  

  • Select Motion Body

  •  

    Using the same motion body for the target and the camera ensures that both move together.

  •  

  • Associate to Geometry

  • Arc/Ellipse/Sphere Center (Specify Point)

  •  

  • ZC-Axis (Specify Up Vector)

    This indicates the top direction of the camera.

  •  

  • Select Motion Body

  •  

  • Zoom to

    35mm

  • OK

     

    A new camera named Driver appears under Animation Cameras in the Motion Navigator.

5: Create the second animation camera

The second animation camera tracks the movement of the car from the middle of the track. Although the camera does not move, associating it with the geometry of the person at the center of the track makes it easier to define the initial position and orientation.

  Motion Navigator

  • Animation Cameras

  • New

  • Projection Mode

    Perspective

  • Camera Name

    Tracking

  •  

  • Associate to Geometry

  • Arc/Ellipse/Sphere Center (Specify Point)

  •  

  •  

  • Select Motion Body

  •  

  •  

  • Associate to Geometry

  • Arc/Ellipse/Sphere Center (Specify Point)

  •  

    Be sure to use the person at the center of the track rather than the driver.

  • ZC-Axis (Specify Up Vector)

  •  

  • Zoom to

    35mm

  • OK

     

    A new camera named Tracking appears under Animation Cameras in the Motion Navigator.

6: Create the third animation camera

The third animation camera, located outside of the track, travels alongside the car as it moves around the track. Neither the target nor the camera are associated with any geometry, so changes to the model will not affect their initial location.

  Motion Navigator

  • Animation Cameras

  • New

  • Projection Mode

    Perspective

  • Camera Name

    Alongside

  •  

  • Point Dialog (Specify Orientation)

  • X

    47

  • Y

    -370

  • Z

    20

  • OK

      Point dialog box

  •  

  • Select Motion Body

  •  

  •  

  • Point Dialog (Specify Orientation)

  • X

    50

  • Y

    -915

  • Z

    0

  • OK

      Point dialog box

  •  

  • Select Motion Body

  •  

  •  

  • Zoom to

    35mm

  •  ZC-axis rotation handle of the animation camera coordinate system

  • Angle

    10

  • Enter

     

  • OK

     

    A new camera named Alongside appears under Animation Cameras in the Motion Navigator.

7: Add the cameras to animations

To view an animation camera's perspective, you must add that camera to an animation node in an active solved solution. You do not have to solve the solution again. Each animation node can have only one animation camera, so to view the perspectives of multiple animation cameras simultaneously, you must create multiple animations.

  Motion Navigator

  • Solution_1→Results→Animation 

  • Default Animation 

  •   Clone

    An animation named A_1 appears under the Animation node.

    Clone the default animation two more times to create animations A_2 and A_3.

  • Animation Cameras 

  • Driver 

  •   Add to Active Solution→A_1.

    The Driver animation camera appears under Solution_1→Results→Animation→A_1.

    Repeat this process to add the Tracking animation camera to A_2 and the Alongside animation camera to A_3.

8: Assign the animations to viewports

To see all the animation camera perspectives simultaneously, you will display four viewports and associate an animation with each one.

Results

 Four Views (Layout group)

 

  Motion Navigator

  • Solution_1→Results→Animation 

  • A_1 

    Note:

    The check box does not become selected until after you select a viewport.

  • Select Viewport by Cursor (Viewport window)

  • the lower-left viewport 

    Repeat this process to assign animation A_2 to the upper-right viewport and animation A_3 to the lower-right viewport.

9: Play the animations

Results

  •   Play (Animation group)

  •   Finish (Animation group)

    Tip:

    To see an animation camera icon () when you play an animation, choose File→Preferences→Motion and select the Display Animation Camera Icon in Animation check box. This can be helpful in troubleshooting the initial location, orientation, and movement of the camera.

 

File

  • Close→All Parts