13 June 03 MDT6 Topic: Animated presentation Discussion
Msg: 1 of 17
From: jfink
Date: Jun/11/03 - 13:12 (GMT)
Hi All, I would like to do some basic animations from my MDT models.
They do not need to be photo-realistic like the renderings I see in VIZ.
It sounds like Inventor has some animation capabilities, but we are running
MDT and ACAD 2002. Any ideas?
Msg: 2 of 17
From: Leo Laimer
Date: Jun/11/03 - 13:43 (GMT)
jfink,
This is the main reason I'm using IV.
Converting assemblies from MDT to IV gave me only minor problems that were
easy to fix, and doing some basic animaitons and presentations works pretty
fine in IV.
Regards,
Leo Laimer
Bad Ischl - Austria
Msg: 3 of 17
From: cadsysmgr
Date: Jun/11/03 - 14:22 (GMT)
Leo,
Did you try referencing the MDT parts in IV rather than
migrating them? Just a question for information purposes
since we have not tried that method either.
Not sure as reference files they can be animated ?
Msg: 4 of 17
From: Leo Laimer
Date: Jun/11/03 - 14:25 (GMT)
I simply "opened" the MDT top assembly, and IV worked overnight (it were
about 7000 parts) and the work was done in the morning, now being a native
IV fileset.
There were a few errors (flipped tangent constraints, missing model
geometry), but nothing serious.
Regards, Leo Laimer
Msg: 5 of 17
From: cadsysmgr
Date: Jun/11/03 - 15:21 (GMT)
Okay i can see how that LARGE an assembly would be better
opened with IV. Referenceing all those parts would be
more time consuming and then if it didn't work what a let
down.
Msg: 6 of 17
From: jfink
Date: Jun/11/03 - 14:55 (GMT)
We don't have Inventor and there are no plans to get it any time soon.
Any smaller (and less expensive) packages that might be able to do the
animation only?
Msg: 7 of 17
From: Kevin Terry
Date: Jun/11/03 - 15:58 (GMT)
jfink, You can do simple animations within mechanical desktop using
constraints, otherwise Dynamic Designer (MSC.Dynamic Designer assummed -aj)
is a package that can do a little more, I think you can download a demo.
Kevin
Msg: 8 of 17
From: jfink
Date: Jun/11/03 - 16:54 (GMT)
I understand how I can position the parts by adjusting the contraints, but
do you know of any good way to cycle through the positions to create an
animation that can be viewed outside of MDT? I guess I could export several
"frames" and cycle through them as a GIFor with some other outside program...
Msg: 9 of 17
From: Leo Laimer
Date: Jun/11/03 - 17:53 (GMT)
Kent,
Not necessarily - MDT6 was the last release you could purchase a standalone
upgrade for, AFAIK.
My very basic suggestion to do kind of animation in MDT:
Turn off the am_feedback layer, disable highlight, edit the constraint in
question, and by means of the scrollwheel change the constraint value - the
assembly should move accordingly, and no blue arrow are visible. Use a
screen capture tool to produce an avi.
Regards, Leo Laimer
Msg: 10 of 17
From: Kent Keller
Date: Jun/11/03 - 18:08 (GMT)
Ok, I will trust you over my failing memory. Now that I think about it a
bit more I am sure you are right.
My apologies. 8^)
Kent
Assistant Moderator
Autodesk Discussion Forum Moderator Program
"Leo Laimer" wrote in message
news:9BA139D082D8877E9B07669AC58817E8@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Kent,
> Not necessarily - MDT6 was the last release you could purchase a
> standalone upgrade for, AFAIK.
Msg: 11 of 17
From: Leo Laimer
Date: Jun/11/03 - 18:13 (GMT)
Kent,
No need for but a tiny .
I have all the "old" MDT6-only boxes here, and all the new AIS6 containing
another MDT6, and then there are the brand new AIS7, and not to forget the
duplicate AIS6 boxes I got because the jump to SAP was just too easy for
Autodesk last year... All of them in a drawer right in front of me
Regards, Leo Laimer
Msg: 12 of 17
From: Paul Houlker
Date: Jun/11/03 - 18:41 (GMT)
> Use a screen capture tool to produce an avi.
www.fraps.com is a decent Free caputre tool
Msg: 13 of 17
From: Kent Keller
Date: Jun/11/03 - 17:37 (GMT)
If you have MDT6 (which is the ng you are posting to) you have Inventor.
If not, you should post to the NG for the version you are using.
Kent
Assistant Moderator
Autodesk Discussion Forum Moderator Program
"jfink" wrote in message news:f16c8aa.3@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> We don't have Inventor and there are no plans to get it any time soon. Any
smaller (less expensive) packages that might be able to do the animation only?
Msg: 14 of 17
From: jfink
Date: Jun/11/03 - 19:20 (GMT)
You're right, Kent. It turns out that we do have Inventor. It just hasn't
been installed yet. Something new to dig into! Well, now I have all kinds
of animation options to explore. Thanks for all the leads, everybody!
Msg: 15 of 17
From: Bob Wiley
Date: Jun/13/03 - 14:17 (GMT)
Having MDT6 does not mean you have Inventor. The AIS bundle came out about
a year after MDT6 was released. I am sure I am like many others that have
MDT6 and have not upgraded to the AIS package yet. I doubt I will upgrade
until MDT7 comes out.
>Kent Keller wrote:
>If you haveMDT6 (which is the ng you are posting to) you have Inventor.
>If not, you should post to the NG for the version you are using.
Msg: 16 of 17
From: cadsysmgr
Date: Jun/13/03 - 14:22 (GMT)
MDT7 is out, it is called MDT2004 and is part of the AIS7
bundle. No MDT2004 upgrade by itself.
Msg: 17 of 17
From: Gary McMaster
Date: Jun/11/03 - 19:39 (GMT)
I wrote a crude animator a couple of years ago.
There's a copy of it for you in customer files titled "AnimatorMDT6"
Put everything in the zip file in a directory named C:\Animator
There are a couple of hard coded paths in the VBA file. It will be looking
for the render lisp file in that dir.
You may have to register the "CMDLGD6.dll" (regsvr32)
The Excel sheet must not contain any empty cells and must be one contiguous
block of data starting in cell A1
List the global variables you wish to drive in row one of the Excel sheet.
List the data to be applied to the global vars in the appropriate columns.
Any Excel equation that Excel can evaluate to a number is valid.
The VBA program will change all of the global vars in each row and update
the assembly after each row. If you desire it will write a rendered bitmap
of each frame to the specified directory.
Another program is required to turn the bitmaps into an AVI or EXE.
Of course the constraints must be driven by the targeted global variables.
As a blanket statement everything you intend to manipulate should be
localized. If you can't drive the constraint from the MDT GUI manually, the
program won't be able to do it either.
A very crude model/demo is included in the zip.
Hope it helps,
Gary