SOLIDWORKS: Making Movies

Learn how to tell a story about your product design by creating movies in SOLIDWORKS.

Introduction

• Want to create animations?
• What you should know

1. Introduction to SOLIDWORKS Movie Making

• Gallery of animations

2. Exploring the Motion Study Interface

• What the different tools do
• How the timeline and keypoints work
• Understanding the motion browser

3. Starting Off Easy: The Camera Wizard

• Rotating the model
• Exploding the model
• Collapsing the model
• Saving and adding views to the animation
• Saving the animation
• Playing the animation

4. Writing a Great Script

• Components to a great script: Lights, camera, action!

5. How to Make Things Move

• Drag a component
• Copying and pasting keypoints
• Editing a distance mate
• Editing an angle mate
• Traveling along a path
• Setting up a path
• Aligning the camera to the path
• Setting up the animation
• Creating a walkthrough
• Reviewing the animation

6. Creating Keypoints for Camera Views

• Creating saved views
• Posing the model
• Using saved views with keypoints
• Writing the script to create the animation
• What views when?
• Reviewing the animation

7. Changing Appearances in Animations

• Turning parts invisible
• Turning parts transparent
• Changing colors
• Turning parts visible
• Writing a script to control appearance
• What changes when?
• Create the animation using different approaches
• Reviewing the appearance animation

8. Elements of a Great Movie: Appearances, Camera Views, and Movement

• Writing a script that combines appearances, camera views, and movement
• Animate the appearances
• Animate the camera views
• Animate the movement
• Review how the timelines overlap in the motion timeline
• Create the animation
• Review the animation

9. So, You Want to Make Movies? Let's Review!

• What type of movie do you want to make? What is your message?
• The message guides the script
• Reviewing the rules for a great script
• Figure out your timeline
• What happens when?
• What makes the movie more entertaining or interesting?
• Reviewing the rules for file formats when saving your movie
• Is the file going to be edited or combined with other footage?
• Reviewing the rules for setting up your model
• Don't use configurations—use mates that can be edited
• Set up saved views
• Create exploded views

Conclusion

• Planning makes a better movie