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FBE
AutoCAD Page |
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Introduction |
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In this fourth tutorial, you will create an animation "walk-through" of the two spaces created in the third tutorial. It should take about 60 minutes to complete. |
| Create a new directory by clicking with the right mouse button in your directory area (the right pane of explorer), select 'New' from the menu and then select 'Folder' and type the folder's name. | Once you've logged-on, click on Explorer
("Exploring") on the task bar, change to your
student directory and create a directory called (for
example) anim, this directory will be used to
store the individual frames of the animation you will
create. Double-click on your tutorial 3 drawing to start AutoCAD with that drawing. |
| Draw the "Paths" |
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| Create a PATH layer and make it current. | |
Draw the Camera Path |
In the plan view, use Zoom out, to put plenty
of space around the rooms, then use polyline to
draw the camera path through the spaces. I suggest that
this line starts 5 to 10 metres to the right of the
spaces, goes through the door of the room on the right,
through the door into the other space and then stops
before the "bottom" door. Make the polyline out
of only a few lines. Select move, pick the
camera-path line, press |
| Draw the "Target" Path | Draw another polyline, starting about in the middle of the "right most" door, and continuing through the space and out the "bottom" door. Make sure that this line does not cross the first line - AutoCAD gets quite upset if the movement paths cross! |
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Select move , pick the camera-path line, press  , pick anywhere, then type @0,0,1500.
This moves the line up to just below eye height (vary
this height if you wish). |
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| Save the drawing! This should only happen in a Network enviroonment. |
Before continuing, save your drawing by clicking on
the save icon. If AutoCAD displays a "Drawing write protected" error, use File - Save As to save the drawing, and then re-load the drawing, using File - Open. When loading your drawing, be very careful to make sure that the "Read Only" option is not checked. If it is checked, then you won't be able to create any animation files! |
| Rendering Preferences |
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Select Rendering Preferences from the AutoVision toolbar (or type rpref). Under "Rendering Options", make sure "Shadows" is de-selected; under "Destination" set "Sub Sampling" to 2:1; select OK. Once you've mastered the basics of animation you can set the "Sub Sampling" to 1:1 - this will result in an animation t hat takes longer to create, but is of better quality. |
| Create the Animation |
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Select Animation (or type animate). Select New, name the animation (for example "test1"), select OK, select Camera Path, select Insert Movement, press Enter, pick the camera path polyline, press Enter, pick the target path polyline, select OK. |
| Remember to put the slash "/" at the end of the path. | Select Options, you may want to change the first four letters of the Name Template from ANIMXXXX to, for example, TESTXXXX. Change Image File Directory to the animation directory you created in your account at the beginning of the tutorial (for example: s:/arch/u1234567/anim/ ). Note that you can vary the number of frames per second and the "Lens Length". Select OK. |
| You may want to switch to Explorer and check that the image files are being created in your animation directory. | Select Save Script, save the script in your account,
use the same name as the name you gave the animation
(above). Select Run Script and then sit back and relax while AutoCAD does its stuff... (it will take up to 30 minutes). |
| There should be a total of 31 images in the end!! | If all the TGA images a 0 bytes (file size) then press "F5" (function key 5) - this asks Explorer to check the directory again, if the files are still 0 bytes then switch back to AutoCAD and then press the ESC key to cancel the command (if the command is not already finished). Save the drawing using File - Save As, and then re-load the drawing using File - Open. When loading your drawing, be very careful to make sure that the "Read Only" option is not checked. If it is checked, then you won't be able to create any animation files! Then try running the animation script again. |
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set should take about 3 minutes - watch the screen
carefully to see that the process actually works! |
Select File - Save As (save your drawing), and
then select File - Exit; alternatively minimise
AutoCAD instead of exiting. Click on the Start button on the task bar, then move the cursor to Programs then move the cursor to "Graphic Applications" then select "TGA to FLC" type in the path to your animation folder, for example: arch\u1234567\anim, you should use back slashes "\" and not put a slash after "anim". This information is then passed to a DOS program, which will create the animation file... |
| View the Animation | Click on the Start button on the task bar, then move the cursor to Programs then move the cursor to "Graphic Applications" then select "FLC player", select File - Open Animation set the drive and directory, select the animation file (anim.flc) and select Open. Select File - Anim Settings change the speed to 5 and select OK. Finally select play, to view the animation. |
| Create your own Animation |
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| Repeat all the above using the space you have created (for Assignment 3)!
Investigate . . . |
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 FBE AutoCAD Page |
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| Last Update : 13 October 2000 Major Revision : 29 October 1997 SEARCH . FBE SITEMAP |
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