Topic: 2D Animation - How To?

[pmvliet]

This won't help you any but wanted to share.
I take a Catia (drafting program for DaimlerChrysler and others). So this semester I am in a Kinematics class (things in motion).
We get to model parts in 2D and 3D. Monday night we modeled (3d stuff) a machinest vise, a helicoptor rotor, shaft and drive gear. Some 2D stuff was a convertible top, metrodome, arbor press, plane landing gear(10 joints) and all these other 2D items.

it's pretty kewl as you select your different joints, you can place stops so it only goes so far. Then you pick a driving joint
put in your parameters and hit go and it will go through the motion.

gonna go back to lurking now  

Pieter

[MP]

I take a Catia (drafting program for DaimlerChrysler and others). So this semester I am in a Kinematics class (things in motion). We get to model parts in 2D and 3D. Monday night we modeled (3d stuff) a machinest vise, a helicoptor rotor, shaft and drive gear. Some 2D stuff was a convertible top, metrodome, arbor press, plane landing gear(10 joints) and all these other 2D items.

it's pretty kewl as you select your different joints, you can place stops so it only goes so far. Then you pick a driving joint put in your parameters and hit go and it will go through the motion.

Cool, I'd like to play with that software!

[M-dub]

Just spoke with him.  He was at the client's site and there are now design changes.  When things are more finalized, I'll pipe up again.  In the meantime, many thanks to all who've offered assistance & comments.  I think I got about 8 - 12 cents out of it! 

[pmvliet]

it is cool to use and I'm actually picking up on it pretty ok.
it would be awesome is AutoCad could do this. I'm not familar with inventor if it will have this capability.

maybe I'll play with this a little...

Pieter

[MickD]

Animation in any graphics software is pure math and timing. IOW, to rotate a wheel, grab a point for it to rotate around then transform the whole wheel around it a few degrees at a time (using a rotation matrix), rinse and repeat in a 'while' loop or similar. You would have to fiddle with the timing but once you get it set up you're gold. AutoCAD just has a bit more baggage to worry about and would probably suffer a performance hit on a large model due to the mod's to the database (opening and closing objects).
The best approach would be to flesh out what you want to do and work out the math required to move the objects (that's the hard bit). I'd also save the original matrix/position of the object to return to after animation is completed.
It's like moving an object in code how you normally would but you just keep on moving it in a loop.

[paulmcz]

Animation in any graphics software is pure math and timing. IOW, to rotate a wheel, grab a point for it to rotate around then transform the whole wheel around it a few degrees at a time (using a rotation matrix), rinse and repeat in a 'while' loop or similar. You would have to fiddle with the timing but once you get it set up you're gold. AutoCAD just has a bit more baggage to worry about and would probably suffer a performance hit on a large model due to the mod's to the database (opening and closing objects).
The best approach would be to flesh out what you want to do and work out the math required to move the objects (that's the hard bit). I'd also save the original matrix/position of the object to return to after animation is completed.
It's like moving an object in code how you normally would but you just keep on moving it in a loop.

... example of which you'll see in the file crank.lsp above.

[Gliderider]

A cheap and easy way to animate is to make a series of slides (using mslide) in the different positions, then use a script (using vslide) to show the slides. The script should look similar to this:

vslide *slide1
vslide
vslide *slide2
vslide
vslide *slide3   (repeat to include all slides)
vslide
rscript

The rscript at the end will repeat the script.

[rmarko]

... example of which you'll see in the file crank.lsp above.

Hi paul. For some reason people are ignoring you  , but I really loved it. I once wrote a progy that draws the path of an work-piece along the conveyor line. But that's just static. I think that this would make a great addition to that program.
Now all I have to figure out is how to do that in VBA.

[M-dub]

For some reason people are ignoring you

That's just not true!

[deegeecees]

A cheap and easy way to animate is to make a series of slides (using mslide) in the different positions, then use a script (using vslide) to show the slides. The script should look similar to this:

vslide *slide1
vslide
vslide *slide2
vslide
vslide *slide3 (repeat to include all slides)
vslide
rscript

The rscript at the end will repeat the script.

For quick and dirty this is the way to go. You couild even lisp or vba it out.

[paulmcz]

I once wrote a progy that draws the path of an work-piece along the conveyor line. But that's just static. I think that this would make a great addition to that program.
Now all I have to figure out is how to do that in VBA.

I know nothing about VBA, so I can't help there. Only if it could be done in LISP. All depends on how complex the geometry and path of the motion is too. If you know both VBA and LISP, you could translate the code from one to another, couldn't you? Let me know if you want to do something.
Paul.

[MickD]

... example of which you'll see in the file crank.lsp above.

Hi paul. For some reason people are ignoring you  ...

Hi Paul, I figured that is what it did but I was just trying to put it laymens terms to create an approach to do it in any language for others like me who really struggle trying to get through a lisp file of any size 

[paulmcz]

Hi Mick
Well, what you posted earlier is quite literally the actual content of that lisp file. The idea is identical. Math and geometry.

[hendie]

I know I've posted this before but you might want to take a look at this thread Fucarro's Starship Enterprise to see what is possible

[vinnyg]

There's a lisp routine callled "animate" (forgot where I found it) You might
try CADALOG.COM

Hope this helps?

vinnyg