How to rotate something...
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Hi all
I've started a new green energy project
This time it's a single axis solar tracker plant.
I've attached the beginning of a five-module with four panel each unit (have a look at the design to better understand what i'm trying to say...).
Is there a way i can rotate each module around his axis... i've tryied several times but i only messed up the model...
Can someone help me?
Thanks a lot!!
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how u want to rotate the module?
a picture would be the best for showing what u want to say -
Hi Maverick,
I see that you have 4 of the solar units fixed on some support structure.
What I'd do is to combine whatever you want to rotate (say these 4 units + the supporting structure) into a component and copy that big component along 5 times. Now if you enter the context of this "super compoonent", by se3lecting everything and rotating it along any desired axis, will also rotate the other 4 instances of the same component.
This way you only need to do the rotation once but it will be reflected in all instances. A carefully placed guide line would definitely make it easier for you to pick the axis of rotation (guides can always be hidden).
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One way of doing this is to combine all the rotating elements. I have done this in the attached model. I have also added a small target at the bottom which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation. If you turn on Hidden geometry, you can rotate a single unit by locking the Rotate tool to the centre of the target.
Alternately, you can double click the component and select everything inside it and do the same thing. Because you are now actually editing the component, all units will rotate.Edit: I've moved the target so that the end of the line at its centre is in line with the hinges on the support bracket.
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@ Alan Fraser
Thanks a lot man, you've just saved me a lot of trouble! You always give helpful hints!
bye bye - ciao -
@alan with what all that must be rotating? SketchyPhysics? Scene? ...or is just for the drawing?
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@ Gaieus
Thanks a lot man!! I've read your hints and i've successfully done what i was struggling to achieve!
Bye bye - ciao -
@ Pilou
This is a good question... I'm also interested in this thing... Which program should I use to rotate my components in a realistic way for a movie presentation of the power plant?
Btw when I opened this thread I was focusing on simple drawings movements, but you have started an interesting topic
Bye bye - ciao -
Well, if you want to export an animation in the traditional way (File > Export > Animation), neither Sketchy Physics, nor Proper Animation would work because they cannot be exported (you can grab the animation with a screen capture device however - at the resolution your screen displays) - just as Pilou beat me in it above.
Other than this, the only "traditional" way would be to make copies of the rotated components on different layers and make them visible%invisible on different scenes. Depending on the smoothness and length of the animation, this could require quite a lot of layers%scenes but would have the advantage that you could also animate the sun movement (which would also be essential in this moel I suppose).
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Ok so that was just for the drawing 
For animation Sketchyphysics can make the trick!
It's a very versatile plug for anything!
You can put any sort of Joints (rotate, motor etc)on any blocks, groups, nodes of elements etc...
Load this file for exampleThe only default (till now) is that you can't use in the same time the "Animation Scene" of SU
But as you can move normally all the SU screen with the mouse(+wheel, zoom rotate etc...) you can record the screen with prog like Camstasia
But of course a little training is necessary
Of course look the section Sketchyphysics -
@unknownuser said:
that you could also animate the sun movement
An another solution will be rendering the traditional Su animation (as said by Gaieus) in Kerkythea ;
So you will have a very nice video (but surely very consuming machine time rendering) -
@Pilou
Is that possible?
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Yes, with SU2KT you can export your scenes as cameras (and sun settings also) and export a series of images you can compile into an animation later.
It won't save your time to set up the layers and scenes just like in a SU animation however (plus of course, render time will be longer). -
Where can i find some information about SU animations?
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This is what the SU Guide tells about it: http://download.sketchup.com/OnlineDoc/gsu6_win/Content/K-Input_and_Output/Presentations/IO-ScenesAndAnimations.htm and here are some tutorials from SCF: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?p=52655#p52655
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@unknownuser said:
the only "traditional" way would be to make copies of the rotated components on different layers and make them visible%invisible on different scenes
That is sufficent as "documentation" but you will see that is a nightmare to make with a big project!
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That's true
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Else I remember of something!
That can works for you!
Normally that is free!
That should be suffisent for shematic animations!
You can make research on the forum with "antics" in the search engine box
I don't know if someone use it here? -
Antics will probably do the job. As for animating within SU itself, I have posted some ideas in the tutorials section, utilising workarounds with layers and Face Me components.
Such methods are probably nearing their sell-by date.
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