How to animate the assembly of components of
your model.
Create an exploded view animation
How to create an exploded view animation.
After your model has been created you can apply
keyframes to positions of each of the main parts to display the
order of assembly of the final model.
An animation that shows all parts of an assembly
arranging themselves to form the object. The best way to accomplish
this type of animation is to start at the end with the assembled model
and develop the animation backwards.
To explain this concept we have used an example
of assembling a computer mouse where it first appears assembled,
then being assembled, and finally fully unassembled.
TipWhen creating your model
separate the main components and Assign them
to separate layers.
To set the final keyframe
We are assuming that you have a completed model.
- Create
a new layer and name it cameraview
- Verify
that nothing is animated on your model by clicking the Play button
on your timeslider.
- Choose Pick > Object and drag a pick box around
the entire model to select all of its components.
- Choose Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe and create a keyframe for
each models component at its current position. Set the keyframe
for frame final time.
- In
the Time Slider, click the Start/End button
(located at the left end of the Time Slider).
- Choose Min/Max from
the menu.
To set the initial keyframe
- Pick
nothing to deselect all objects.
- Choose Pick > Object and pick a component of
your model you wish to animate first.
- Dolly
out from the scene to have a better picture of the whole scene.
- Move
the first component of the model you wish to animate well above
the model. In our example we are moving the mouse buttons.
The mouse
buttons have been moved above the model.
- Deselect
all objects.
- Pick
the second component of your model. Here we have chosen the top
surface of the mouse.
Drag the right mouse button
up to move the top surface well above the rest of the model but
just below the mouse buttons.
- Deselect
all objects.
- Repeat
the steps 1-5 using a combination of Transform and Rotate functions
until you have positioned each of the components of your model.
- Select
all of the mouse component objects.
- Create
a keyframe for your model components at this position. Set the keyframe
to frame 0.
To play back the animation
As the model components come together, they
intersect each other. In our example, the circuit board is in its
final position in the base of the mouse well before the rest of
the components come together.
Prevent collisions in your exploded view animation
How to prevents objects in you animation from
colliding into each other.
To establish where collisions occur
- Click
the Scrub Bar and drag the time
bar towards the end of the animation to review where the objects
are colliding.
- Scrub
back in your animation to see which objects collide. Pick the object
which needs to be changed.
To change keyframes of object to not collide
- Open Animation > Editors > Action Window .
- In
the Action Window, choose Views
> Lookat.
- Move
the selected keyframes to frame to an new keyframe time.
- Close
the Action Window.