Synopsis

This tutorial explains how to create simple movies and animations in ECOTECT.

Duration

You will need about 20 minutes to complete this tutorial.

Training and Accreditation

Successfully completing this tutorial fulfills one of the practical skills required for completing Level 2 of the Geometric Modelling training module.

Resources Required

To complete this tutorial, open the DenhamResearchStation.eco file located in the Examples folder of your ECOTECT installation.

Tutorial

This tutorial explains two ways you can create animations using ECOTECT - first, as a demonstration of the program (such as for a tutorial), and then for visualization purposes, such as a walkthrough or flythrough. Both of these require the use of the Create Animation dialog box, both with slightly different settings.

Setting up for a tutorial-style animation

1. Open the example file, and then go to the Tools » Create Animation menu item. The Create New Animation dialog box will appear.
   

   The Create New Animation dialog box.
2. Under the Image Source: section, select the Application Window option. Under the Animation Size: section, select the Specific Size option, and then set this to Same as Source. These settings determine what parts of the screen to capture, and the image size in pixels.
   

   Configure the Image Source and Animation Size settings as shown.
3. Under the Capture Frames: section, select the Using a Timer option, and configure this to be 5 fps. Under the Output Format: section, select the Save as AVI Movie option, with a 2 fps playback rate. The selected settings mean that the screen will only be captured at a rate of 5 frames per second, while the recorded animation file will play back at a rate of 2 frames per second.
   

   Configure the Capture Frames and Output Format settings as shown.
4. Under the Filename: and Directory: sections, click the button to specify a name for the animation file, and a folder location where the file will be saved.
   

   Configure the Filename and Directory settings as shown.
5. ECOTECT is now ready to record an animation using the specified settings.

Recording the animation

1. 
   Click the Record button. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to specify the type of video compression to use for the recording. Select the Microsoft Video 1 option from the drop-down list, and set the Compression Quality slider to 100 and then click Ok.
2. You will be returned to the main ECOTECT window, and the animation recording will commence. Let's create an animation that demonstrates how to display shadows, and then calculate the hourly temperature profile for the Hottest Peak Day. Begin by clicking on the Display » Shadows menu - this action will be recorded as part of the animation sequence.
   

   Go to the Display menu and select Shadows to include this as part of the animation recording.
3. Now click on the Analysis tab. Select Hourly Temperature Profile from the Thermal Calculation drop-down list, and then set the date to Hottest Day (Peak). Click the Calculate button to complete the analysis. This sequence of actions will be recorded as part of the animation.
4. To stop the animation recording, click the button in the Display Settings panel. To playback the animation you have just created, minimise the ECOTECT window, and then use an application such as Windows Media Player to watch the animation.
   

   Use an application such as Windows Media Player to play back the recorded animation.

Setting up for a visualization-style animation

1. To create a walkthrough/flythrough animation, we will use slightly different settings in the Create New Animation dialog box, as shown in the following screenshot. This time, we will capture the Drawing Canvas Only, set the Animation Size to 640x480, and make both the Record and Playback Rate 12 fps.
   

   For a visualization-style animation, configure the dialog box as shown.
2. Click the Record button, select the Microsoft Video 1 compressor once again, and the animation recording commences when you are returned to the ECOTECT application window. Note that the main ECOTECT window will automatically resize to the specified size; while the animation is recording, it will not be possible to resize the application window.
3. Click on the Visualise tab, and then click through each of the pre-saved camera views listed at the bottom of the drawing canvas. Once you have done this, click the button in the Display Settings panel to end the recording.
   

   Use the pre-saved camera views to create a flythrough sequence for the recorded animation.
4. Play back the recorded animation, and note the differences between this and the previous recording.

Useful Tips

• To create high quality videos that are also small in file size, download and install the xVID video codec, and use this compressor to create your ECOTECT animations.