Exercise 5: Working with animations

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: Installed with software Data Path: See Copying the tutorial data Goal: Create, save and customize the effects of an animation of your 3D view

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.

Steps:

1. Start ArcScene by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcScene 10.
2. On the ArcScene - Getting Started dialog box, click Existing Scenes --> Browse for more.
The Open dialog box appears.
3. Navigate to the Exercise5 folder and double-click Final Animation_A ArcScene document.

This scene contains geographic information and recorded special effects that have been combined to make an animation.

Playing the scene’s animation

To view a scene's animation, you need to have the Animation toolbar accessible in the view.

Steps:

1. Click Customize, point to Toolbars, and click Animation.

The Animation toolbar appears. Now you'll play the animation.
2. Click the Open Animation Controls button.

This animation shows the flight of a hypothetical unidentified flying object (UFO) over the terrain.
3. Click the Play button.

The animation plays, illustrating some of the effects you can use in an animated scene.

Now you will work through the steps used to make animations like this one.

Opening the Animation scene document

Steps:

1. In ArcScene, click File and click Open.

2. Navigate to the Exercise5 folder and double-click Animation ArcScene document.

The scene contains an orthophoto, a scanned topographic map, and other data you need to make your animation.

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.

Steps:

1. Click the Capture View button to create a camera keyframe showing the full extent of the scene.
For a camera keyframe, the object is the virtual camera through which you view the scene. Navigating the scene changes camera properties that determine its position.
ArcScene interpolates a camera path between keyframes, so you'll need to capture more views to make a track that shows animation.
2. Right-click UFO.lyr and click Zoom To Layer.

3. Click the Capture View button to create a camera keyframe showing the UFO layer.
4. Click the Full Extent button to view all the data.
5. Click Zoom In on the Tools toolbar and zoom to Goss Heights, located near the center of your view.

6. Click the Capture View button to create a camera keyframe of Goss Heights.
7. Click the Full Extent button.
8. Zoom to Littleville Lake using the Zoom In tool again.

9. Click the Capture View button to capture a view of Littleville Lake.
10. Click the Full Extent button.

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.

Steps:

1. Click the Open Animation Controls button.
2. 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.

3. Click the Play button.
An animation is played back by interpolating the camera position between the keyframes in the track. In this case, the animation shows a virtual tour through the views you captured.

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.

Steps:

1. Click Animation and click Clear Animation.

All animation tracks are removed from the scene.

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.

Steps:

1. Click the Fly tool.
The Fly tool allows you to fly through your scenes.

2. Click the Record button to start recording your navigation.

ArcScene begins recording as soon as you click the Record button. If you don't navigate right away, your track will reflect this.
You will know you are recording because the button changes from black to red.
3. Click once in the center of the scene to activate the Fly tool. You start flying by entering into hovering mode.

In this mode, your viewpoint follows the cursor. Point in the direction you wish to look.
4. Click once more to begin flying through the scene.
Point in the direction you want to move. Click again to increase your speed and right-click to decrease your speed. Your speed is indicated in the status bar in the lower-left corner of the ArcScene window.

5. Press ESC to stop flying.
You can also stop flying by clicking the middle button or wheel on the mouse (if you have one) or right-clicking until your speed is zero.
6. Click the Stop button to finish recording.

You have recorded your flight path through the scene as a new camera track that began when you clicked the Record button and ended when you clicked the Stop button.
7. Click the Full Extent button.
8. Click the Play button to see the animation you recorded.
When you are done viewing the animation you recorded, clear the track so you can make a better one in the next section.
9. Click Animation and click Clear Animation.

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.

Steps:

1. Click Animation and click Create Keyframe.

2. Click the Type drop-down arrow and choose Camera.
3. Click New to create a new track.
4. Click Create.

You've now created a camera track with one camera keyframe showing the full extent of your scene. You'll need to add more keyframes to your track so that it will show animation. Now, you'll import bookmarks to create the keyframes for the rest of the animation.
5. Check Import from bookmark.
6. Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and click Goss Heights.

7. Click Create to make the second keyframe in your track.
8. Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and choose LittleVilleDam.
9. Click Create to import this bookmark as a keyframe.
10. Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow and click Knightville.
11. Click Create to make the Knightville keyframe.
12. Click the Import from bookmark drop-down arrow once more and click Overview.
13. Click Create to import a keyframe showing all the data.
14. Click Close.
15. Click the Play button.
The camera track plays, moving the camera through the set of keyframes you imported from existing 3D bookmarks.

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.

Steps:

1. Click Animation and click Create Group Animation.

2. Select the group layer named Image Data.
3. Slide the Fading transition bar about a quarter of the way to the right.
4. Check Blend layers when fading.
5. Click OK.

The Layer track you just created toggles the visibility of successive layers to animate a progression between them. The transition settings you modified will show a smooth blending between the layers in the progression.
6. Click the Play button to watch your animation.
If you see a wireframe display, it is because ArcScene will switch to wireframe if a layer renders too slowly. Once the layers are rendered, the wireframe will go away.
Since you didn't clear the animation track you made from the keyframes, it plays in addition to the layer tracks you just created; however, you can stop the camera track from playing. You'll do this next.

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.

Steps:

1. Click Animation and click Animation Manager.

2. Click the Tracks tab.
3. Uncheck Camera track 1.
4. Click Close.
You have disabled the camera track. Now it will not play as part of the animation.
5. Click the Play button.
The animation plays again, only showing the layer tracks this time. It may now seem that the duration of the animation is too long. You can control the amount of time in which an animation is played.

Using Animation Controls to adjust the playback duration

Steps:

1. Click Options.

2. Type 10 in the By duration text box.
3. Click Options again to close this portion of the dialog box.

4. Click the Play button.
The animation now plays more quickly.

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.

Steps:

1. Turn on the Flight Path layer in the table of contents by checking it.

2. Right-click Flight Path, point to Selection, then click Select All.

Tip:
• 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.
3. Click Animation and click Move Layer along Path.

4. Click the Layer drop-down arrow and click UFO.lyr.

5. Type a Vertical offset of 75. This will make the object appear to fly above the surface.
ArcScene can improve the simulation of the flight of an object, such as an airplane, along a path by making the object point in the direction it is moving and by rolling it from side to side as if it were banking. In the next steps, you’ll define a roll for the UFO layer.
6. Click Orientation Settings to modify the layer's position while it's animated.
7. Click Calculate from path to calculate the layer's roll based on the path's shape.

8. Type 1 as a scale factor.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Import to import the selected line as a flight path.

The UFO layer moves along the selected path. The movement is stored as a set of layer keyframes in a layer animation track. Now you'll disable the tracks you created previously so that just the UFO track is played.
11. Click Animation and click Animation Manager.

12. Click the Tracks tab.

13. Uncheck Group animation (Mesh).
14. Uncheck Group animation (Photo.sid).
15. Uncheck Group animation (Topo.sid).
16. Click Close.
17. Uncheck Flight Path to turn off the visibility of this layer.

18. Click the Play button.
The UFO flies along the path you indicated. Next, you'll move the camera along a predefined path.

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.

Steps:

1. Check Flight Path, make sure the line you chose for your path is still selected, then uncheck Flight Path.

You'll move the camera location to a predefined location in the center of the scene that will give you a better vantage point from which to view the UFO layer as it is moved.
2. Click Bookmarks, then click UFO.

3. Click Animation and click Create Flyby from Path.

4. Click the third path destination option.
This option lets you observe the UFO as it moves along the path.

5. Click Import.
6. Click the Play button.
Both tracks play. The UFO layer moves, and the camera follows its movements.
7. Uncheck the Topo.sid check box to make the orthophoto visible.

The animation is playing too quickly. Next, you'll learn how to adjust the duration that the animation is playing to enhance the visual effect.
8. Click Options.

9. Type 30 in the Duration text box.
10. Click Options to minimize the dialog box.
11. Click the Play button.
Now the animation plays more slowly as the UFO flies over the terrain.

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.

Steps:

1. Click File and click Save As.

2. In the File name text box, type Animation_A.

3. Click Save.
The new scene document is created, storing the animation tracks.
4. Click File in ArcScene and click Exit.

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.