Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement

By Deepak Maini
Page 1
The Animator module of Navisworks lets you create animations of moving certain parts or a selection set
from your current design. The following are the steps to do it. For this example, I have used the Architec-
ture.DWG file and the Meadowgate-Site.DWF file. Please unzip the attached file and use it for this tutorial.
Opening and Appending the Files
1. Start Navisworks Simulate or Navisworks Manage.
2. Invoke the Open command and change the Files of type in the Open dialog box to Autodesk
RealDWG (*.dwg).
3. Browse to the folder where you have saved the Architecture.dwg file and then open it.
4. Use the Navigation tools commands and the View cube to change the view similar to the one
shown below. Create a viewpoint with the name Initial View.
5. On the menu bar, click File > Append to display the Append dialog box. From the Files of type
list, change the file format to DWF File (*.dwf).
6. Browse to the folder where you saved the Meadowgate-Site.DWF file and then double-click on it;
the file appends with the architectural design, as shown next.

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 2
Creating Selection Sets
For the ease of selecting the objects, we will create selection sets.
1. Pin the Selection Tree and Selection Sets control bar on the left of the Navisworks window. Ex-
pand Architecture.dwg from the Selection Tree control bar.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Selection Tree control bar and while holding the CTRL key down, select
Body, Front, Load, and Wheels.
3. Right-click in the Selection Sets control bar and select Add Current Selection. Rename the selec-
tion set to Semi.
4. From the Selection Tree control bar, while holding the CTRL key down, select Body Crane, Ro-
tate and Wheel-Crane.
5. Right-click in the Selection Sets control bar and select Add Current Selection. Rename the selec-
tion set to Crane.
6. From the Selection Tree control bar, expand Rotate. While holding the
CTRL key down, select the items shown in the image on the right.
7. Right-click in the Selection Sets control bar and select Add Current Se-
lection. Rename the selection set to Crane Arm.
8. Press ESC to deselect everything.

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 3
Moving the Semi-trailer Forward
Next, we will use the Animator module to create animations.
1. Click the Animator button from the bottom left of the Navisworks window to open the Animator
window.
Note: If the Animator window is not displayed at the bottom left, from the menu bar, click Tools > Ani-
mator.
2. Pin the Animator window on the screen using the Auto Hide button on the top right corner of this
window.
3. From the lower left corner of the Animator window, click Add scene and then click Add Scene
from the shortcut menu; a new scene with the name Scene 1 is added.
4. Click on Scene 1 and rename it to Crane-Semi.
5. From the Selection Sets control bar, select Semi.
6. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Animation Set >
From current selection; a new animation set is added from the selection set.
7. Rename the new animation set to Semi-forward.
8. Click on the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar, as shown below; a keyframe is
added at 0 seconds.
9. Drag the Timeliner endbar, shown in the figure above, to around 10 seconds on the timeliner bar.
10. Click the Translate animation set button on the Animator toolbar, as shown below, to display the
translate icon on the semi-trailer.
11. Hold the dot at the end of the red axis and drag the semi to the right to a location similar to the one
shown on the next page.
12. Click the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe would be displayed at
10 seconds and an animation is created from 0 seconds to 10 seconds that moves the semi-trailer
forward.

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 4
12. Press the ESC key to deselect the semi-trailer. Click the Stop button on the Animator toolbar and
then click the Play button; the animation of semi-trailer moving forward is displayed.
Moving the Crane Forward
Next, we will use the Animator module to create animations.
1. From the Selection Sets control bar, select Crane.
2. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Animation Set >
From current selection; a new animation set is added from the selection set.
3. Rename the new animation set to Crane-forward.
4. Click on the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe is added at 10 se-
conds for the crane animation set.
5. Drag the Timeliner endbar to around 20 seconds on the timeliner bar.
6. Click the Translate animation set button, if it is not already clicked.
7. Hold the dot at the end of the green axis and move the crane forward to the position where the
crane arm is on top of the load at semi-trailer, as shown below:

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 5
8. Click the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe would be displayed at
20 seconds and an animation is created from 10 seconds to 20 seconds that moves the crane for-
ward.
9. Press ESC to deselect everything.
Moving the Crane Forward
Next, we will add a camera into our design to walk closer to the crane and semi-trailer.
1. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Camera > Blank
Camera; a new blank camera is added to the scene.
2. Press ENTER to accept the default name of the camera.
3. Click the Capture keyframe button to add a keyframe at 20 seconds.
4. Drag the Timeliner endbar to around 30 seconds on the timeliner bar.
5. Using the Walk and Turntable commands, display the model in a view similar to the one shown
below:
6. Click Capture keyframe to capture the keyframe at 30 seconds.
7. Click Stop on the Animator toolbar and then click Play to watch the animation created till this
stage.
Lifting the Load
1. From the Selection Sets control bar, select Crane Arm.
2. Hold the CTRL key down and then from the Selection Tree control bar, select Load.
3. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Animation Set >
From current selection; a new animation set is added from the selection set.
4. Rename the new animation set to Load-up.
5. Click on the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe is added at 30 se-
conds for the crane animation set.
6. Drag the Timeliner endbar to around 38 seconds on the timeliner bar.
7. Click the Rotate animation set button, as shown next.

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 6
8. Using the Zoom Box command, zoom into the crane so that you could see the rotate icon as well
as the crane.
9. Hold the origin of the rotate icon and align it to the edge around which you want to rotate the arm of
the crane.
Note: You need to be careful while selecting the edge around which you want to rotate.
10. Use the red rotate arc, as shown below, and rotate the selection set through an angle of around 12-
degrees. The angle is displayed at the lower left corner of the Animator window in the Rotate: X
box.
11. Click the Capture keyframe button to capture the keyframe at around 38 seconds.
Note: When you capture keyframe at 38 seconds, Navisworks will restore the previous view that was
active before you zoomed into the crane.
12. From the Selection Sets control bar, select Semi.
13. Hold the CTRL key down and then from the Selection Tree control bar, click Load; it is deselected
from the selection set.
14. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Animation Set >
From current selection; a new animation set is added from the selection set.
15. Rename the new animation set to Semi-forward2.
16. Click on the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe is added at 38 se-
conds for the crane animation set.
17. Drag the Timeliner endbar to around 48 seconds on the timeliner bar.
18. Click the Translate animation set button.
19. Hold the dot at the end of the red axis and then drag the semi-trailer to a location similar to the one
shown on the next page.

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 7
20. Click Capture keyframe to capture the keyframe at around 48 seconds.
21. Press ESC to deselect everything else.
Moving the Crane Back
1. From the Selection Sets control bar, select Crane.
2. Hold the CTRL key down and then from the Selection Tree control bar, click Load; it is selected to
the selection set.
3. Right-click on the Crane-Semi scene and from the shortcut menu. Select Add Animation Set >
From current selection; a new animation set is added from the selection set.
4. Rename the new animation set to Crane-back.
5. Click on the Capture keyframe button from the Animator toolbar; a keyframe is added at 48 se-
conds for the crane animation set.
6. Drag the Timeliner endbar to around 55 seconds on the timeliner bar.
7. Click the Translate animation set button.
8. Hold the dot at the end of the green axis and then drag the crane and load to a location similar to
the one shown below:

Using Autodesk Navisworks Animator for Creating Vehicle Movement
The
By Deepak Maini
Page 8
9. Click Capture keyframe to capture the keyframe at around 55 seconds.
10. Press ESC to deselect everything else.
11. Click the Stop button on the Animator toolbar and then click the Play button; the entire animation
would be played from start to end.
You can go ahead and create additional animation sets of rotating the crane to the right and then extending
the arm.