Playing a Tracking Animation
By default, the virtual camera that projects your 3-D model is stationary when you play an animation. When you select a component and enable tracking, during playback in the perspective view the camera remains stationary and rotates to follow the movement of the selected target component in your 3-D model. The target component is also centered in the 3-D Playback Window throughout the animation.
You can select a different target component for each view. For example, you can select a target component for the perspective view and a different target component for the top orthographic view. During an animation, you can switch between the perspective and top orthographic views to observe tracking animations for different parts of your model. You can also switch between the default view and the tracking animation view during playback by clicking Toggle Tracking ( ).
Note: You must simulate your model before playing an animation.
To play a tracking animation:
From the Simulation Results tab of the Analysis window, select the 3-D Playback Window.
To switch to part selection mode, click Track Component ( ) on the Playback Toolbar.
In the Playback Window, hover your mouse pointer over the target component that you want the camera to follow. The object is highlighted and the corresponding component or subsystem name appears in the panel at the bottom of the playback window.
Click the component once. This component is selected as the target component and camera tracking is turned on.
Play the simulation by clicking Play ( ) on the Playback Toolbar. The animation plays back, tracking the selected component.
Notes
To change the target component after making a selection, click Track Component ( ) and click a blank area in the 3-D Workspace. You can then select a new target component.
If you select a target component in one view and then switch to a different view, by default, that component is de-selected as a target component in the new view. Camera tracking is also turned off in the new view. To track the component in the new view, switch to part selection mode, and select the component as a target component in the new view.
See Also
Visualizing a 3-D Model
Playing an Animation
Running a Simulation
Selecting the Panning Tracking Mode for a Perspective Camera
Identifying Objects in a 3-D Model
Toolbar: Playback Controls
Download Help Document
