Exercise 5: Working with animations
Imagine that you wish to create an animated sequence showing the flight of an object over a landscape. You've created a TIN and have draped images over it to show the area. You also have some data pertaining to a strange phenomenon that has been occurring in the region. You are interested in displaying all the data in a dynamic way, making an animation to tour points of interest, and showing how you made the surface. You would also like to model the phenomenon by moving a layer in the scene.
The tutorial data has already been assembled in the scene document named Animation.sxd. You will use animation tools in ArcScene to effectively convey the points you want to show.
Data was supplied courtesy of MassGIS, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
In this exercise, you will play an existing animation in an ArcScene document, Final Animation_A.sxd, and perform the tasks typically used to create the animation. Note that the majority of steps you'll perform in ArcScene to create the animation are also applicable in ArcGlobe.
Opening the Final Animation_A scene document
In this section, you'll play an animation that demonstrates some effects you can create when you animate a scene.
- Start ArcScene by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcScene 10.
- On the ArcScene - Getting Started dialog box, click Existing Scenes --> Browse for more.
- Navigate to the Exercise5 folder and double-click Final Animation_A ArcScene document.
![Open the Exercise 5 animation file Final Animation_A.sxd Open the Exercise 5 animation file Final Animation_A.sxd](00q8/GUID-AC3231B2-ACB1-4D88-B40E-DCE564F92FD5-web.png)
![The animation scene is added to the display The animation scene is added to the display](00q8/GUID-0223A35B-7EFB-42BF-A231-28E2155F0EA0-web.png)
Playing the scene’s animation
To view a scene's animation, you need to have the Animation toolbar accessible in the view.
- Click Customize, point to Toolbars, and click Animation.
-
Click the Open Animation Controls
button.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Add the Animation toolbar Add the Animation toolbar](00q8/GUID-3DB1A841-2EC2-4556-A2D8-3F3083F7D61D-web.png)
![The Animation toolbar The Animation toolbar](00q8/GUID-01429064-15E9-4B08-A98D-DD0F584DCC30-web.png)
![Click Play from the Animation Controls window Click Play from the Animation Controls window](00q8/GUID-E51759FF-A59C-4DB8-A9C7-B7BB80CF5034-web.png)
![Play the animation Play the animation](00q8/GUID-D6E05FE5-2F53-4420-913D-673F5EECC8F8-web.png)
Opening the Animation scene document
- In ArcScene, click File and click Open.
- Navigate to the Exercise5 folder and double-click Animation ArcScene document.
![Open Open](00q8/GUID-82BF3EC9-1BEC-453F-8F78-BADB000DEEE5-web.png)
![Open the animation file Animation.sxd Open the animation file Animation.sxd](00q8/GUID-6FA9CCE8-2125-486A-AF2F-8203CB4DD06D-web.png)
![ArcScene with the Animation document open ArcScene with the Animation document open](00q8/GUID-AD69C87A-7D3A-418F-AE1B-6809C758E587-web.png)
In this section, you'll use the animation tools to capture keyframes, import tracks, play back your animations, and save them to a scene document.
You will use three types of keyframes to capture building your animation. The first is a camera keyframe. A camera keyframe is a snapshot of the view you see in a scene. The second, a layer keyframe, is a snapshot of a layer's properties. The third type is a scene keyframe, which stores properties of a scene. In this section, you will create a simple animation from a set of camera keyframes.
Capturing perspective views as keyframes to make an animation
The simplest way to make animations is by capturing views to be stored as keyframes. The captured views are snapshots of camera perspectives in a scene at a particular time. The most fundamental element of an animation is a keyframe. Keyframes are used as snapshots to interpolate in between a track. You'll create a series of keyframes to make a camera track that will show an animation between points of interest in your study area.
-
Click the Capture View
button to create a camera keyframe showing the full extent of the scene.
- Right-click UFO.lyr and click Zoom To Layer.
-
Click the Capture View
button to create a camera keyframe showing the UFO layer.
-
Click the Full Extent
button to view all the data.
-
Click Zoom In
on the Tools toolbar and zoom to Goss Heights, located near the center of your view.
-
Click the Capture View
button to create a camera keyframe of Goss Heights.
-
Click the Full Extent
button.
-
Zoom to Littleville Lake using the Zoom In
tool again.
-
Click the Capture View
button to capture a view of Littleville Lake.
-
Click the Full Extent
button.
![Zoom To Layer Zoom To Layer](00q8/GUID-022E40C6-43E4-46B8-8154-AB5C60A41AE5-web.png)
![Drag the Zoom tool around the area you want to bring closer into view Drag the Zoom tool around the area you want to bring closer into view](00q8/GUID-82B52158-F92D-4394-8686-D32E3A2C8414-web.png)
![Zoom in to Littleville Lake Zoom in to Littleville Lake](00q8/GUID-DCF4AE8B-FD84-4F97-A98E-598393EF270E-web.png)
The captured views you just made are stored as a set of camera keyframes in a camera track. When the track is played, it shows a smooth animation between the keyframes. Next, you'll play your animation track.
Playing back your animation
You will play back animations using simple tools that resemble the controls of a movie player.
-
Click the Open Animation Controls
button.
- Click and hold the top bar of the Animation toolbar and drag it to the upper-right corner of the scene so it won't block your view of the tools or data.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Arrange the toolbars and animation controls so they don't block the 3D view when playing back an animation. Arrange the toolbars and animation controls so they don't block the 3D view when playing back an animation.](00q8/GUID-5D7251EA-2CAF-43A5-81E1-7C491D6E83B7-web.png)
Clearing an animation
If you want to start over, you can erase all the tracks you created. In this section, you'll remove the tracks you just created so you can improve your animation.
- Click Animation and click Clear Animation.
![Clear any previously recorded animation tracks. Clear any previously recorded animation tracks.](00q8/GUID-D8B6B7D4-D725-4BD5-8C58-81AB01C050B7-web.png)
Recording navigation
Another way to create a camera track for an animation is to record in real time while you navigate in a scene. In this section, you will record your view of the scene while you navigate using the Fly tool.
-
Click the Fly
tool.
- Click the Record button to start recording your navigation.
- Click once in the center of the scene to activate the Fly tool. You start flying by entering into hovering mode.
- Click once more to begin flying through the scene.
- Press ESC to stop flying.
- Click the Stop button to finish recording.
-
Click the Full Extent
button.
-
Click the Play
button to see the animation you recorded.
- Click Animation and click Clear Animation.
![The Fly tool on the Tools toolbar The Fly tool on the Tools toolbar](00q8/GUID-71FFF96C-A6EA-48F2-8348-D88A20107DA2-web.png)
![Start Record and the button will turn red. Start Record and the button will turn red.](00q8/GUID-17028F1D-D7EA-4317-B1BD-8648FDA0D1B9-web.png)
![Begin recording your fly-through. Begin recording your fly-through.](00q8/GUID-9878065E-1E77-4148-98EE-9CA2740D56D8-web.png)
![Recording a fly-through animation. Recording a fly-through animation.](00q8/GUID-28045520-D2C4-47B6-8895-34634C6AB5B5-web.png)
![Stop recording. Stop recording.](00q8/GUID-E7B57D1B-EEF9-42DE-8D2B-1C527D89E00B-web.png)
![Clear the animation. Clear the animation.](00q8/GUID-D7FC95C6-5866-426A-9100-11E7633BDC8A-web.png)
Making a camera track from 3D bookmarks
In the previous sections, you navigated in a scene and created keyframes to build a camera track. Another way to create the keyframes for a camera track is to import bookmarked perspective views of a scene. In this section, you'll create keyframes from 3D bookmarks.
- Click Animation and click Create Keyframe.
- Click the Type drop-down arrow and choose Camera.
- Click New to create a new track.
- Click Create.
- Check Import from bookmark.
- Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and click Goss Heights.
- Click Create to make the second keyframe in your track.
- Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and choose LittleVilleDam.
- Click Create to import this bookmark as a keyframe.
- Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and click Knightville.
- Click Create to make the Knightville keyframe.
- Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow once more and click Overview.
- Click Create to import a keyframe showing all the data.
- Click Close.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Create Keyframe Create Keyframe](00q8/GUID-A6A4EBD4-A478-480E-BA97-51A7611323D6-web.png)
![Create Animation keyframe from imported bookmarks. Create Animation keyframe from imported bookmarks.](00q8/GUID-F1C0E179-A6E0-46C9-A2F2-B2A78B1EB782-web.png)
![Any 3D bookmarks in your document are listed in the Import from bookmark drop-down list. Any 3D bookmarks in your document are listed in the Import from bookmark drop-down list.](00q8/GUID-C6FCDBD6-B409-498C-8B96-73761E029D8E-web.png)
Switching the visibility between layers using a group animation
Now that you have explored some of the ways to create an animated camera track from keyframes, you’ll learn how to change the way layers in a scene are displayed during animation. In this section, you will switch the layer that is draped over the terrain model to show different ways of representing the terrain.
- Click Animation and click Create Group Animation.
- Select the group layer named Image Data.
- Slide the Fading transition bar about a quarter of the way to the right.
- Check Blend layers when fading.
- Click OK.
-
Click the Play
button to watch your animation.
![Create group animation. Create group animation.](00q8/GUID-241F1035-C72C-4116-8EED-7491BE9183A7-web.png)
![Create an animation from a group of layers and adjust their behavior. Create an animation from a group of layers and adjust their behavior.](00q8/GUID-5B58F427-8691-48FC-BCB2-98D45A455D87-web.png)
Using the Animation Manager to disable a track from playing
The Animation Manager allows you to control many properties of an animation. In this section, you'll use the Animation Manager to stop a camera track from playing.
- Click Animation and click Animation Manager.
- Click the Tracks tab.
- Uncheck Camera track 1.
- Click Close.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Animation Manager Animation Manager](00q8/GUID-EE7AC12C-85F4-41E9-A2D5-B17F7C4564CB-web.png)
Using Animation Controls to adjust the playback duration
- Click Options.
- Type 10 in the By duration text box.
- Click Options again to close this portion of the dialog box.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Animation control options Animation control options](00q8/GUID-D01AC3FC-8F73-486F-8019-FEFAB09D3FED-web.png)
![Animation control options let you adjust the playback time. Animation control options let you adjust the playback time.](00q8/GUID-7A24A7A9-3E9E-41B5-9C76-DFEF5BCF38BC-web.png)
Moving an object along a predefined path
One of the things an animation allows you to do is move an object through a scene. You can add a layer containing a model vehicle and move it through the scene along a specified track. Note that this functionality is only available in ArcScene.
You can choose to move a layer along a selected line feature or graphic. The scene contains a graphic layer with a model UFO that was created using Visual Basic code. In the next set of steps, you'll fly the model UFO along a shapefile that shows its flight path.
- Turn on the Flight Path layer in the table of contents by checking it.
- Right-click Flight Path, point to Selection, then click Select All.
- You can also use the Select Features
tool to select the path you want to use if it is constructed from a single selected line feature. Use the Select Graphics
tool if your path is constructed from a line graphic.
- Click Animation and click Move Layer along Path.
- Click the Layer drop-down arrow and click UFO.lyr.
- Type a Vertical offset of 75. This will make the object appear to fly above the surface.
- Click Orientation Settings to modify the layer's position while it's animated.
- Click Calculate from path to calculate the layer's roll based on the path's shape.
- Type 1 as a scale factor.
- Click OK.
- Click Import to import the selected line as a flight path.
- Click Animation and click Animation Manager.
- Click the Tracks tab.
- Uncheck Group animation (Mesh).
- Uncheck Group animation (Photo.sid).
- Uncheck Group animation (Topo.sid).
- Click Close.
- Uncheck Flight Path to turn off the visibility of this layer.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Flight Path Flight Path](00q8/GUID-B15E141F-3C37-4A55-8358-B56F2808E0F7-web.png)
![Select the flight path. Select the flight path.](00q8/GUID-D4722F60-5714-49B3-9DAF-6241B35ADA8A-web.png)
![Tip Tip](rsrc/tip.png)
![Move Layer along Path Move Layer along Path](00q8/GUID-D2317A9B-65CE-4BE9-B2EA-87592525F3D0-web.png)
![Apply a vertical offset to the UFO flying along a path. Apply a vertical offset to the UFO flying along a path.](00q8/GUID-4F7CE80A-6B44-4052-BF8D-5EAE4C7B84BD-web.png)
![Orientation settings for the animation layer Orientation settings for the animation layer](00q8/GUID-57D02601-23C6-49B0-B55C-84D01612D85E-web.png)
![Once finished with the properties, import the selected line as a flight path. Once finished with the properties, import the selected line as a flight path.](00q8/GUID-B0F718B7-7750-4BA3-9F03-81C66DEF4850-web.png)
![Animation Manager Animation Manager](00q8/GUID-99DE3D1C-E594-43FB-B400-93AC59E74871-web.png)
![Layer keyframes stored in a layer animation track. Layer keyframes stored in a layer animation track.](00q8/GUID-B2C95DD4-0625-433C-A414-F07D8DA1D21F-web.png)
![Uncheck Flight Path. Uncheck Flight Path.](00q8/GUID-7B08F15C-788A-4FB9-BF24-3D7FE223DBBC-web.png)
Creating a camera flyby from a path
You can move a camera along a flight path in the same way you just moved a layer along a path. Next, you'll combine the track you made in the last step with one that will point the camera at the UFO as it flies.
- Check Flight Path, make sure the line you chose for your path is still selected, then uncheck Flight Path.
- Click Bookmarks, then click UFO.
- Click Animation and click Create Flyby from Path.
- Click the third path destination option.
- Click Import.
-
Click the Play
button.
- Uncheck the Topo.sid check box to make the orthophoto visible.
- Click Options.
- Type 30 in the Duration text box.
- Click Options to minimize the dialog box.
-
Click the Play
button.
![Check Flight Path to verify the path is still selected. Check Flight Path to verify the path is still selected.](00q8/GUID-F8C9A6A2-58BE-4C37-821C-A87602C504A0-web.png)
![Click the UFO bookmark to move the camera location. Click the UFO bookmark to move the camera location.](00q8/GUID-764A57C9-A935-451B-A62C-4CE069A2C5DE-web.png)
![Click the animation type Create Flyby from Path. Click the animation type Create Flyby from Path.](00q8/GUID-D5729B44-9C65-4619-BBFB-BE921F4A1D8B-web.png)
![Create Flyby from Path Create Flyby from Path](00q8/GUID-EA4B10D8-1243-4DA5-8AA2-D4983B9638E4-web.png)
![Uncheck Topo.sid to allow the orthophoto to be visible. Uncheck Topo.sid to allow the orthophoto to be visible.](00q8/GUID-875099B4-3C5D-401C-BB85-CC308366BBC4-web.png)
![Adjust play back time. Adjust play back time.](00q8/GUID-227150C1-90A5-408F-B589-D94F7013E962-web.png)
Saving an animation in a scene document
You can save animation tracks in a scene document. In the next step, you'll save the animation you made in a scene document.
- Click File and click Save As.
- In the File name text box, type Animation_A.
- Click Save.
- Click File in ArcScene and click Exit.
![Save the animation tracks as an ArcScene document. Save the animation tracks as an ArcScene document.](00q8/GUID-FFD6F3D9-985D-49FF-AA2C-D69C78F68590-web.png)
![Type a new name and save the new scene document with the animation tracks. Type a new name and save the new scene document with the animation tracks.](00q8/GUID-6539898D-03DE-45E1-BBA4-0FCA51566436-web.png)
In this exercise, you learned how to create and save simple animations that help you better visualize 3D data. This exercise focused on creating animations in ArcScene, but the majority of steps can also be performed in ArcGlobe.
Note that the Animation toolbar is also available in ArcMap, meaning that animations can also be created in this application. A 3D Analyst license is not required to animate data in ArcMap. You can capture the view to create a map view track (the ArcMap equivalent of a camera track in ArcScene or ArcGlobe) that captures the display extent. This allows you to create an animation where you are zooming in and out and panning the display. You can also create a map layer track (the ArcMap equivalent to the layer track in ArcScene or ArcGlobe) to create an animation where you are altering layer visibility or transparency.
As you can see from this exercise, depending on the type of animation you want to create there are different ways to build animations in ArcGIS. Depending on the application (ArcScene, ArcGlobe, or ArcMap) you are working in, some of the tools may not be available on the Animation toolbar. For example, the Move Layer along Path option is available in ArcScene only. Explore the Animation help files located the Mapping and Visualization section of the ArcGIS Help if you want to learn more about animation concepts.
In the next exercise, you'll learn some basic fundamentals of working with ArcGlobe.