Timeline

The timeline located at the right side of the animation tool main screen is used to define and control the animation sequence. The ruler at the top of the timeline displays the animation time.

Each item in the Animation tree has its own track in the timeline.

The individual animations of results visualization features and the model components are represented by colored Control bars located in the corresponding tracks.

The individual animations of results visualization features are represented by colored Control bars located in the corresponding tracks.

Several animations displayed consecutively may be created for each feature in the Animation tree. The control bar in the track of the Animation feature (the root feature in the Animation tree) controls the type, the start and end moments and the overall length of the animation sequence.

By creating Control points at the desired time moments in the tracks you can define the animation sequence. The control points at both ends of control bar define the start and end moments and, therefore, duration of each individual animation. Depending on the type of feature being animated, additional control points, as well as the animation parameters, may be added manually or automatically to the control bars.

The Timebar is the bold black vertical line in the timeline area, which can be moved to quickly navigate through your animation.

To move the timebar, click it on the ruler at the top of the timeline and drag it to the desired position.

You may stretch or shorten the timeline using the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons.

If the animation contains any motions of the model components or transitions between the model views, the displayed image will change as you move the timebar along the timeline, allowing you to see how the model will look at a certain moment during the animation.

If the animation contains any transitions between the model views, the displayed image will change as you move the timebar along the timeline, allowing you to see how the model will look at a certain moment during the animation.

You cannot use the timebar to preview animations of results visualization features such as Cut plots, Isosurface, etc. You may preview animations of visualization features by clicking the Play button in the animation control panel.

The individual animations of the results visualization features may be based either on Loaded results or on Scenario (see “Animation Type” for details):

Within the animation time interval that belongs to an animation based on Loaded results, you may only animate visualization features using data from a single results file.
An animation based on Scenario allows you to see how the distribution of visualized parameters changes from one results file to another in a series of results files defined in Scenario. Therefore, the animation time interval of a scenario-based animation may include several control bars in the track of the Results feature, each defining a time interval associated with one of the results files in a series.

Procedure

Add a new control point:
Right-click in the timeline area on the track of the component or the feature you want to animate at the desired animation time moment (start or end) and select Insert Control Point

- or -

Double-click in the timeline area on the track of the feature or model you want to animate at the desired animation time moment.

The new control point appears.
Drag the second control point to another desired time moment (end or start) and click in the timeline area.
The created control bar defines the animation of the component or selected feature between the time moments specified by the two control points.
To add new control point, double-click anywhere on the track of the feature, or right-click and select Insert Control Point.
Existing control points can be moved arbitrarily by clicking and dragging them along the control bar.

If you want to remove a control point, right-click it and select Delete. In the case of deletion of a control point that separates two animation intervals they are joined into a new interval which accepts the properties of the left one.
You can make a desired feature invisible.
To make a feature or component invisible in the animation for an interval of time between two control points, right-click on the interval and select Suppress.
You can also add animations of other features.
If you do not want to add animations of other features or components, click OK .

Otherwise, you may preview the animation by clicking Play and continue to work with the animation tool.