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Creating Animation with SolidWorks Motion Drivers. Jim Boland P.E., CSWP. What Is Going To Be Covered?. You’ve go to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going because you might not get there . -Yogi Berra. Basic principles of animations. Choosing the right type of Motion Study.
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Creating Animation with SolidWorksMotion Drivers Jim Boland P.E., CSWP
What Is Going To Be Covered? You’ve go to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going because you might not get there. -Yogi Berra • Basic principles of animations. • Choosing the right type of Motion Study. Animation, Basic Motion, or Motion Analysis • Motion Drivers • Keypoint • Animation Wizard • Mates • Angle • Distance • Path • Motors • Constant Speed • Distance • Oscillating • Interpolated (2010) / Data Points (2011) • Segment • Expression • Physics • Gravity • Contact • Springs • Friction • Damping
Presentation Goals • Explore the different types of motion drivers available. • Explore the different methods to create animations. • Reduce frustration when creating animations • The tools and principles used are not rocket science. • The UI is similar to other video programs. • Tools and Methodology • You can learn what the tools do from the Help menu, but not methodology. • Key is to know how to use the tools and what to do if it doesn’t work. • Methodology and multiple approaches. • Right Way vs. Wrong Way. We made too many wrong mistakes. -Yogi Berra
Presentation Goals Questions from the SolidWorks Forum • Why aren’t in-context parts solved in Basic Motion? • Why do parts overlap when using Contact? • Why doesn’t contact stop motion driven by a motor? • Why doesn’t my animation solve when I add a second or third motor? • How do I animate a robot?
Learning Resources • Tutorials • SolidWorks User Forum • Training classes • Step-by-Step books
Audience Makeup • SolidWorks Version • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 or earlier • Animation Experience • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced
Important We are creating Animations NOT Analysis
What is an Animation? • We are creating movies • Series of still images played back in rapid sequence • Adjustable frame rates • We are in control, not the viewer • No CG animations • What frame rate should you use? • Frame Rate Standards: Movies – 24 fps TV – 30 fps • What happens if the frame rate is too slow or too fast? • Frame Rate too slow – jerky motion • Frame Rate too fast – jerky motion • (OK, 29.97 for the purists)
3 x 3 The 3 things you need to know About The 3 things you need to know
The 3 X 3 Choices • 3 - Motion Study Types • Animations • Basic Motion • Motion Analysis • 3 - Motion Types • Kinematic • Dynamic • Free • 3 - Things You Animate • Components • Properties • Viewpoint
The Basic Rules of Motion Studies • Mates are solved. • Parts are rigid. • Frame rates are adjustable in two places. • Frame rate means something different in Basic Motion / SolidWorks Motion as compared to Animation studies.
Animations Motion Studies • Momentum • Contact • Gravity • No Physics Mass Friction • Animation Wizard • Rotation • Explode/Collapse • Import physics results • Basic workflow • Move timebar • Position model • Position viewpoint • Repeat • Keypoint/Keyframe motion • The master animator vs. the assistant
Animation Motion Studies How is the motion calculated? Frame rate drives the solution Components move directly from one position to the next • At time zero, take a picture • Move the drivers ahead one frame • Rebuild • Solve the mates • Solve in-context features • Take another picture • Repeat
Basic Motion / SolidWorks Motion • Used when: • Physics need to be solved • Physical Properties • Mass • Gravity • Forces • Contact • Momentum • Friction • Damping • Drivers: • Gravity • Motors • Springs • Contact • Forces • Dampers • Friction
Basic Motion / SolidWorks Motion Studies • How are Basic Motion/SolidWorks Motion studies solved? • You have to solve the physics of the model. • Numerical methods using small time steps. • Solvers. • Solver optimization. • What does the frame rate do? • As far as the solution is concerned – NOTHING • Frame rate determines the intervals when the data is captured for display. • Important: In-context features are not solved in either the Basic Motion or SolidWorks Motion study types.
Types of Motion Drivers • Key Points • Mates • Motors • Gravity • Springs • Contact • Force • Damper
Features X = Available Function L = Limit Functionality
Keypoint Animations • Basic Workflow • Position the Timebar • Position the driving components • Position the viewpoint • Adjust Properties • Record the Keypoint (automatic or manual) • Repeat
Exploded View • Exploded Views provide a simple method to create a lot of motion. • Create exploded views in SolidWorks • Import into Motion Study using the Animation Wizard 02
Interpolation Methods Snap Ease In Linear Ease Out Ease In/Ease Out 02
Mates • Global vs. Local Mates • Driving Mates • Distance Mate • Angle Mate • Path Mate • Driven Mates • Use Standard Mates with Basic Motion • Avoid Width mate • Screw mate for rotation with translation • Mate Organization • Mate Order • Mate Names • Use Folders • Sub-assemblies
Mates – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly • The Good • Easy to use • The Bad • Some mates don’t work (or work well) in animations (Width mate) • Some mates don’t solve all options (Path mate) • Some mates better for SolidWorks Motion, others better for Basic Motion • The Ugly • Mates sometimes flip unexpectedly and inconsistently • Problems with sub-assemblies
Mates • Distance Mate • Avoid changes in direction and alignment • Can be done but sometimes solve incorrectly • Replace global mate with a local mate specifically for the animation • Angle Mate • The 100/360 Rule • Path Mate • Free • Distance • Percent 01
Path Mates 03
The 100/360 Rule • When using degrees: 0 and 360 are 360 degrees apart • 0 and 360 are not the same. • You cannot use angles >360 degrees • When using percent: 0 and 100% are 100 percent apart • 0% and 100% are not the same • You cannot input values greater than 100% • Difference between keypoints and mates at these values 04
When an Animation does not solve If at first you don’t succeed - Try, try again Try a different method Give up, why be hard headed When you come to a fork in the road, take it…… - Yogi Berra
Motors • Motor Types • Rotary • Linear • Motion • On/Off • Constant Speed • Distance • Interpolated/Data Point • Segment • Expression • Oscillating • Servo Motor
Motor Facts • Important: motor force is infinite • Motors can be used as mates. (Reduces redundancies) • Motors can have problems across mates • Must define three things: • What is the motor acting on • What direction is the motor acting • What is the motor moving relative to • When motors don’t work, the most likely cause is a conflict between motors
Robot • There are seven motion drivers required • 6 rotary • 1 linear
Motors • Distance Motor • Angle or Distance • How far • Start • Duration • Graph • (no instantaneous change)
Motors • Constant Speed Motors • “ON” time • Speed • Smooth transitions
Motors • Interpolated Motion (2010) • Data Points (2011) • Tabular Input • Direct entry • From file (tab or comma delimited) • Interpolation methods • Linear • Akima • Cubic • The Zero Rule • Wherever you happen to be – that’s where you are! - Yogi Berra ? 05
Interpolated Motor (2010) Linear Akima Cubic
Function Builder • Used to define the motion by: • Segments • Data Points • Expressions • Different data interpolation methods • Provides plots: • Distance • Velocity • Acceleration • Jerk
Data Points (2011) • Input • Type in the box • Text file • Values • Displacement • Velocity • Acceleration • Interpolation • Linear • Akima • Cubic
Segments (2011) • Another way to define curve • Piecewise continuous • More interpolation types • Interpolation defined by segment
Expression • Predefined functions • Mathematical Functions • Variables and Constants • Motion Study results • Functions can be saved and reused (*.sldfnc)
Motors Expression Motion • Only variable in Animations & Basic Motion is Time • Can use most VB functions • There are three forms of time (2010) • Linear - TIME • Radians - TIMER • Degrees - TIMED • SolidWorks Motion can use other variables Important: In 2010, distance units are Meters, in 2011 distance units are the document units. 05a
The Problem 200mm 135mm 85mm 50mm 35mm 24mm
Camera Lens Equation • View Angle α = 2 * atan (d/2f) • For lenses longer than 50mm α = d/f 07
Gravity • Used in Basic Motion and SolidWorks Motion • Magnitude error in Basic Motion 2009 and earlier • Gravity does NOT have to be realistic in an animation, only in analysis
Contact • Basic Motion and SolidWorks Motion only • Contact Groups • Friction • Contact Resolution • Contact Accuracy • Differences between Basic Motion and SolidWorks Motion
Spring • Used in Basic Motion and SolidWorks Motion • Spring only shows during calculation • Spring Constant • F=kxe • Linear only in Basic Motion • Powers of up to ± 4 in SolidWorks Motion • Error in Basic Motion by one order of magnitude • Spring damping • Global in Basic Motion • Adjustable in SolidWorks Motion
Problem • What type of Motion Study? • Animation • Basic Motion • Motion Analysis • Basic Motion • Spring • Gravity
Other Solutions • Oscillating Motor • Easy to set up • No damping • Expression Motor • Can make the motion anything you like • Distance = Decay function x Amplitude x Sin (Time)