Animations

Besides the single-frame rendering, there is another good way of presenting a plan: animations. This enables you, for example, to simulate a “flight” over a scene you have planned, or to visualize a detailed inspection of individual objects or rooms.

In pCon.planner 6, animations are created with their own editor, which is opened by clicking on the Edit button in the Animation group, Presentation tab. Each dialog item is described in the illustration below. The table below the screenshot explains the functions marked with a red frame. These are ways of creating animations.

Function	Description
	Clicking on the Pin button commits the current viewing angle to the memory of the Animation Editor as a position (see here).
	The function behind this icon is to create an Animation along a path (see here).
	This icon is for appending along path around target point function (see here).
	The Camera button allows you to select cameras you have created yourself (custom projection) as the basis for your Animation (see here).
	This button is to click if you wish to delete from the Animation a position you have selected.

The green plus sign (see image above) in the top left of the Animation Editor enables you to create a new Animation each time you click it. The Animation will of course have no content at first. The second step is to determine the positions within a design which are to be used for the Animation. When a list of positions for your Animation has been created, the up/down arrows can be used to alter the order of these items (see image: Move selected position(s) up/down). The route followed round the design by the Animation is shown in the viewport by a blue path. Each position listed for an Animation can be updated later and, if this is done, the path will be modified, too.

How fast the Animation steps follow each other can also be preset. Breaks can be added, the Animation can be smoothed and the Animation path can be turned into a loop by closing it. The controls for playback and for stopping the Animation are in the lower section of the Animation Editor.

Within the Perspective projection, any viewing angle can be used as a position for an Animation.

pCon.planner_animation_03

1.Open the Animation Editor.

2.Click on the green plus sign (see screenshot above) in order to create a new Animation.

3.Set up the desired viewing angle in the viewport and then click on the Pin button.

4.Now repeat step 3 to add as many new positions as you need.

5.To correct a position you have added, double-click on it, reset the angle you wish for your camera and then press the Update button.

Please bear in mind that a position for a viewing angle will only be inserted into the Animation list if you are genuinely working with 3D perspective. It is not possible to commit two-dimensional or isometric projections to the memory as a position.

pCon.planner_animation_04

1.Open the Animation Editor.

2.Click on the green plus sign (see screenshot above) in order to create a new Animation.

3.Now click on the camera button and select the cameras you wish to use for the Animation (see image on left).

4.To close the camera selection window click on the small x at the bottom.

It is also possible to update cameras in the same way as one does for custom viewing angles. To do this, double-click on the relevant camera, change its position using the navigation tools and then click the update button.

pCon.planner_animation_path_01

1.First create a two-dimensional drawing element without any filling, for instance a circle.

2.Open the Animation Editor and click on the green plus sign (see screenshot above) in order to create a new Animation.

3.Now click on the Append animation along path button. A blue Animation path will appear in the viewport on the drawing element (see image on left).

pCon.planner_animation_path_02

4.By clicking on the path you establish the start point of the Animation.

5.An orange arrow will also appear which will follow movements of the mouse made on the path. This arrow represents the direction of the Animation. Clicking again fixes the direction selected. There follows an automatic creation of positions along the path and the Animation will be created (see image on left).

Please bear in mind that the shape or drawing element will still be there when the Animation has been created and might actually be visible in the Animation. If you wish to avoid this, delete the object. The Animation path will not be affected.

To update particular positions in the list for the Animation proceed as described above.

Yet another option is to create an Animation along a path circling a target point.

pCon.planner_animation_path_03

1.First create a two-dimensional drawing element without any filling, for instance an arc.

2.Open the Animation Editor and click on the green plus sign (see screenshot above) in order to create a new Animation.

3.Now click on the Append animation along path around target point button. A blue Animation path will now appear in the viewport, resting on the drawing element (see image on left).

pCon.planner_animation_path_04

4.Use the mouse to click in the design on the point round which the Animation is to be created (the target point).

5.By clicking on the path again you establish the start point of the Animation.

6.An orange arrow will also be shown which will follow movements of the mouse made on the path. This arrow represents the direction of the Animation. Clicking again fixes the direction selected. There follows an automatic creation of positions along the path and the Animation will be created (see image on left).

To update particular positions in the list for the Animation proceed as described above.

pCon.planner_animation_05

Animations can be played back in two ways, either using the controls in the Animation Editor or using the Animation Player. The Animation Player will open if you click on the Play button in the Animation group, Presentation tab. You can now choose which of your animations you wish to view.

The animations created in pCon.planner can be saved either as a slideshow or a video. The next free-standing article describes how to do this.