Using SOLIDWORKS Visualize to Render a SOLIDWORKS Motion Study

Motion studies in SOLIDWORKS Motion Simulation inject life and movement into our models through realistic physics-based motion analysis. Pairing motion studies with photorealistic animation rendering using the seamless connection between SOLIDWORKS and Visualize Professional takes our motion studies to the next level.

In this blog post, we will demonstrate the workflow for exporting Motion Studies into SOLIDWORKS Visualize, adding animation features, and rendering the animation.

Exporting the SOLIDWORKS Motion Study

To transfer a SOLIDWORKS Motion study to Visualize Professional, both SOLIDWORKS Visualize and SOLIDWORKS Motion add-ins must be enabled from the Add-in menu under Options. Without either of these add-ins, the transfer will fail.

With our SOLIDWORKS Visualize add-in active, we can navigate to the SOLIDWORKS Visualize Tab of the Command Manager and select Export Advanced. This allows you to select the motion study you want to transfer over based on the studies set up in the assembly.

Exporting a SOLIDWORKS Motion study

The motion study transfer is complete! Because we used the Export Advanced feature, a link has been established, meaning the model in SOLIDWORKS Visualize will reflect any changes made in SOLIDWORKS.

SOLIDWORKS Visualize Project Setup

Now we can begin to add the bells and whistles to the SOLIDWORKS Visualize animation to tell a more compelling visual story by adding and animating appearances, scenes, lights, cameras, and more.

The motion study imports directly into the Visualize animation timeline, where it can be:

• Shifted to change the start and end time.
• Sped up or slowed down to change the pace of the motion study.
• Copied and pasted to replay the motion study multiple times on the timeline.

Animating the Camera

Cameras can be animated in two primary ways:

1. By moving the camera’s position along the timeline. This is useful for creating smooth and dynamic camera movements.
2. By switching between different cameras at specified times. Switching cameras enables seamless shot transitions without the use of third-party video editing software.

This blog will utilize the second option with multiple cameras created and positioned. Enabling Create New Camera Sequence Animation allows us to switch between different cameras at specified times.

To animate additional cameras and switch between them:

1. Add keyframes to all cameras intended for animation.
2. Select and activate the initial camera. This will be the first in the sequence.
3. Advance the yellow timeline slider to the designated starting point for the camera sequence animation.
4. Click “+” and select Create New Camera Sequence Animation to establish the first keyframe for the active camera.
5. Move the slider to the preferred timeline location where you wish to transition to another camera, then double-click the target camera to create a keyframe for it.
6. Continue this process until all required cameras have been incorporated into the sequence.

Creating a camera sequence in the SOLIDWORKS Visualize timeline

Animating the Movement of the Sun

Being that disc golf is traditionally an outdoor sport and typically played on a pleasant sunny day, we’ll replicate these conditions in SOLIDWORKS Visualize Professional by animating a sunlight environment. The Sunlight Environment in Visualize simulates real-world outdoor lighting conditions based on the sun’s position according to a specified location, date, and time. The sun’s angle, intensity, and color temperature are calculated automatically by the software and cast on the 3D model to help designers evaluate products outdoors.

Casting shadows based on the Sun’s position

The Sun’s inclination, latitude, and longitude can be specified graphically using the Sun and Earth graphic in the settings. For more precision, exact values for the time of day, latitude, and longitude can be input via a numeric textbox. With key frames, Visualize Professional can animate the sun’s movement across the model throughout the day, similar to a time-lapse video.

Exporting the Final Animation

The Render Wizard offers users an easy-to-use interface that helps them choose export settings for rendered images and animations. While there are many options available, a key consideration would be which type you want. Exporting as a Video or Image Sequence allows you to save out a series of images or videos. Animation Range lets you render out a smaller chunk of video to help review, optimize, and troubleshoot the render. Finally, Keep Source Images will export an animation of prerendered frames to easily reuse in written or web content.

To learn more about our collaboration with the Disc Golf Pro Tour and modeling a disc golf basket, read our article here.