Animation details
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Hello All,
Still on the quest for smooth animations... I have free versions of SU 6 and 7. When I do animations, I export to 'animation", set everything DV quality, high frame rate. My results are so-so. Presumably the computer is creating a whole bunch of still images somewhere - first, where are they, and 2nd what format are they - should I assume that because I have the free version that they are all rasters? If I got the pro version - would I then have the option to export them as vectors (and get smoother images - fewer jaggies)? Would my results improve if I exported the animations as a lot of still images rather than as 'animation' - and increase the dpi and increase the # of pixels X # of pixels? How about interlaced vs. progressive (mine have been interlaced so far)? How about this - if an object were rotated 360 degrees with 36 scenes (10 deg rotation) versus 10 scenes (36 deg of rotation) would the animation be smoother? Thanks! Jeff
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Hi Jeff,
The animation export is raster based in both the free and pro versions so (only) for this purpose you don't need the pro.
Much depends on the codec however (every codec "compresses" the still images to create animations). You can export a series of stills (a higher resolution than the final,intended output can be good) and then try to compile them into a better quality animation in a dedicated 3rd party application.
This has nothing to do with dpi however since that's only used for printed output quality, not digital output.
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Thanks Gaieus! If I export a series of stills - does it automatically know that I intend to export ~29 frames per second? In other words - does it do the 'still' export as a batch. I hope I wouldn't have to rotate the object, export still, rotate it a tiny increment, export still....On and on. Cheers, Jeff
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No way; it exports like a "normal" animation. You only have better control on the image quality. You'll need to set all the fps as usual.
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Flickering shadows blight SketchUp animations. You might want to take a look at Kerkythea, a free renderer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiS3l6otTQw -
Jeff, I typically export my SU animations at a minimum of 24 frames per second. I think the eye sees about 30 fps. Action games are much higher. The time for scenes to transition, also dictates how smooth the animation will be. If your model is very detailed or large in size, you need to increase the scene transition time, or the number of scenes from one point to another. I then take the avi file that is generated and, import in into Win Movie Maker (free with XP), to edit, title, and add sound. This links to a simple test video I did a while ago at 24 fps (previously posted). In retrospect, I think it rotates too fast in the beginning, and should pause at the end. But, it is the only example I have uploaded to the server I use. Time the sample's rotations, and select your own settings accordingly. When using SU, I set the scene delay to 0 seconds, and duplicate scenes to get a pause.
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Never had a problem with an exterior animation. However it is true that they can be a problem when you cross(?) a shadow. You can turn shadows off, or avoid crossing them. Guess I am too lazy to learn another application, but rendering animations with a ray-tracing application can enhance the product. Qualification of the result is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
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There is a good tutorial posted here by Paul Russam
Smooth Animations -
Ohh, is that still doing the rounds?
I should finish it...Shouldn't I
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