2011

14 That’s it! Your animation is complete. Drag the timeline bar back and forth to open and close the door, or
use the playback controls.
In the Animator window, there is an option called P.P., which stands for Ping-Pong. Selecting this option and
then playing your animation will play the animation forwards and then when the end is reached, play it
backwards. Simulating the door opening and then closing in this case. You could try copying the second keyframe
a few seconds later, then using Ping-Pong the door will open, stay open for a few seconds and then close.
Selecting the Infinite and Loop options will infinitely loop the animation. With Ping-Pong selected also, the
simple animation will continuously play backwards and forwards. This could for example, be used to simulate
the repetitive process of a crane or other mechanical equipment.
Animation Interaction
Having created object animations, Autodesk Navisworks enables you to associate these with events that can be
triggered by the user. For example, taking the simple animation of opening a door in the previous section, you
can create a script that plays the animation when you approach the door. Let’s see how this is achieved.
1 Stop the Animator playback and uncheck P.P, Infinite, and Loop options.
2 Click Animation tab ➤ Script panel ➤ Scripter.
3 Click Add New Script
, renaming this, Open Door.
4 In the Events section, click On Hotspot
.
5 In the Properties section, click Pick. This will change the cursor to a cross-hair
. Click the center of the
door.
6 Change the Radius (m) value to 2.
As a result, this hotspot is a sphere with a 2 meter radius, positioned at the center of the door. When you
enter that sphere, the event will be triggered.
7 In the Actions section, click Play Animation
.
8 In the Properties section, click the Animation drop-down, expand Scene 1 and select the Internal Door
animation.
9 Change Starting At from Start to Current Position.
24 | Chapter 1 Getting Started