Creating Pre-defined Animations

You can create simple animations quickly, using a library of pre-defined animations. Once you have added several animations to your timeline, you can easily manage animation blocks.

Note: You can also create animations in which you animate actors individually. See Creating Animations by Animating Actors Individually.

This task shows you how to:

Create a Simple Animation
Handle Animation Blocks

Create a Simple Animation

You can create simple animations quickly, using a library of pre-defined animations.

Click Workshops > Publishing > Animation Library .
The Animation Library workshop opens. The timeline, and the Animation mode are activated.
In the timeline, position the timebar at the starting point you want for the animation.

Note: On a given time-frame, you can only create one animation.
In the viewport or in the assembly tree, select one or several actors.
In the Animation Library workshop:
1. In the Animations area, select an animation group, and then an animation.
2. In the Properties area, customize the properties of the various motions of the selected animation.
  Note: Available properties depend on the animation you selected.
  
  The Overview area in the Animation Library workshop provides a graphical overview of the chronology of motions in the animation, and of the global duration of the animation.
3. Click Create.
See Animation Library Workshop.

The animation is created. A dedicated animation block appears in the timeline, along with a set of animation block keys that correspond to the various steps of the animation. Empty steps are created for empty spaces.

To play the animation, click the Play button in the timeline.

You can add other pre-defined animations to your timeline, or enrich your animation with location, properties, viewport, camera, and Digger keys. See Using the Timeline.

Note: When working in the Animation Library, if you delete an actor from the model, the corresponding animation keys are deleted from the timeline. When this results in leaving an animation block empty (devoid of actors), a message informs you that the animation block is no longer associated with any actor, and asks if you want to want to delete this animation block from the timeline.

Handle Animation Blocks

Once you have added several animations to your timeline, you can easily handle animation blocks using the mouse. Using the Shift and/or Alt key provides additional possibilities.

Note: There always needs to be sufficient free space in the timeline to accommodate what you are trying to do.

To select an animation block, click it.
To select all of the animation keys that are located within an animation block's time-frame without selecting the animation block keys themselves, double-click the animation block.
Note: This is useful to move or handle globally the other animation keys within an animation block.
To copy an animation block and paste it to another location in the timeline, Ctrl + drag it to the other location.

To extend the length of an animation block, drag the extremity of the animation block in the timeline.

Do this...	To extend the length of an animation block, as well as to...
Drag	Move its dedicated keys.
Shift + drag	Move its dedicated keys along with the standard animation keys that are located within its time-frame.
Alt + drag	Move subsequent animation blocks and their keys, without moving the standard animation keys.
Alt + Shift + drag	Move all subsequent animation blocks, and all keys in the timeline (animation block keys and standard animation keys) that are located within their time-frame.

To move an animation block, drag it to another location in the timeline.

Do this...	To move an animation block, as well as to...
Drag	Move its dedicated keys.
Shift + drag	Move its dedicated keys along with the standard animation keys that are located within its time-frame.
Alt + drag	Move subsequent animation blocks and their keys, without moving the standard animation keys.
Alt + Shift + drag	Move all subsequent animation blocks, and all keys in the timeline (animation block keys and standard animation keys) that are located within their time-frame.

To perform additional operations on an animation block, right-click it to display the contextual menu and sub-menus.

Option	Description
Convert > Convert Selected Step(s)	Converts the selected animation block keys into regular animation keys. This removes the animation block. Note: If there are remaining steps on the timeline, an empty step is created in replacement of previous animation block. Otherwise, there are no steps on the timeline.
Convert > Convert All Steps	Converts all animation block keys into regular animation keys. This removes the animation blocks and all steps on the timeline.
Invert > Invert Step	Converts the selected animation block keys into regular animation keys, and inverts their order. This removes the animation block. Note: If there are remaining steps on the timeline, an empty step is created in replacement of previous animation block. Otherwise, there are no steps on the timeline.
Invert > Invert All Steps	Converts all animation block keys into regular animation keys, and inverts their order. This removes the animation blocks and all steps on the timeline.
Mirror > Mirror Selected Step(s)	Reproduces in inverted order the animation block keys of the selected steps at the end of the animation. New animation blocks are created (and possibly empty steps). Applies to motion animations only. For example: Mirroring an Install step creates a Remove step. Mirroring a Screw step creates an Unscrew step. Mirroring Install, Screw and Focus steps creates Unfocus, Unscrew and Remove steps. Note: Use Ctrl to select several steps.
Mirror > Mirror Animation	Reproduces the animation block keys of the whole animation at the end of the animation, and inverts their order. New animation blocks are created (and possibly empty steps).
Refresh All Steps	Refreshes an animation block if some properties of the animated actor have changed before the animation block, after the animation block has been created.
Revert All Steps	Converts all animation block keys into regular animation keys, and reverts their order. This removes the animation blocks and all steps on the timeline.
Delete Step	Deletes the animation block as well as its dedicated keys. Note: You can also select the animation block and press Del. Note: If there are remaining steps on the timeline, an empty step is created in replacement of previous animation block. Otherwise, there are no steps on the timeline.
Delete All Steps	Deletes the animation blocks and all steps on the timeline.
Clear Steps(s) Selection	Deselects all the steps (steps containing animation block keys, and empty steps) that are currently selected.