Animation Controls Reference

Animation controls are provided at the displayer level and also a single property is available at the scene level.

Animations Properties

Animation Mode
Choices available here depend on the type of displayer. Animations also require that you have one or more compatible derived parts selected for the displayer input.
Animation Mode Child Node and Properties
Off Leaves animation feature off.
Pulse
Settings
Cycle Time (sec) sets the total time for a glyph to travel from the inlet to the outlet.
Tracers
Streamline Settings
Makes tracer animation available (streamline displayer only). Provides the following controls:
  • Cycle time (sec)—sets the total time for a tracer’s travel from the inlet to the outlet.
  • Delay between tracers (sec)—sets the time elapsed between repetitions of the appearance of a particular tracer.
  • Head size—specifies the radius of the particle in the units that are used in the simulation.
  • Tail length (sec)—defines the length of the tail in terms of how far the particle travels in the specified length of time.
Continuous Sweep
plane section or iso
Provides the following controls:
  • Cycle Time (sec) defines how many seconds it should take to sweep over the whole configured range.
  • When Auto Range is activated, the value range begins with the starting offset and ends with the ending offset for sections, and with the lowest value and highest value for isosurfaces. When deactivated, the value range is set using the Min and Max values.
  • Start Value and End Value define the limits of the sweep in terms of starting and ending offset for sections. The offset distance is defined relative to the original location of the plane section or iso surface.
When using this approach with a simulation history (.simh) file, you must export to that file the region along with the scalar or vector function. This export can generate a larger .simh file and cost more computing power.
Discrete Sweep
plane section

This option only loops through each of the multiple sections of the plane section. With this option, you can work with a smaller .simh file: you only need to export the multi-plane section along with the scalar or vector functions. This option requires less computing power than the continuous sweep.

NoteThis option is only available for use with a plane section with multiple sections.
This option provides the following controls:
  • Cycle Time (sec) defines how many seconds it should take to sweep over the whole configured range.
  • When Auto Range is activated, the value range begins with the starting offset and ends with the ending offset for sections, and with the lowest value and highest value for isosurfaces. When deactivated, the value range is set using the Min and Max values.
  • Start Value and End Value define the limits of the sweep in terms of starting and ending offset for sections. The offset distance is defined relative to the original location of the plane section or iso surface.

Write Animation Dialog

The Write animation dialog lets you prepare the specifications for recording the animation:



Frame Rate
Decide on the number of frames per second (fps). More frames show smoother movement but take more time and computing power for recording and playback. Fewer frames allow the file to run more efficiently, but may show breaks in the movement. The default rate for animation in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is 25 fps. To try an alternate rate, change it in the properties of the Animation object in the scene attributes, and then preview the animation again.
For this and the following two settings, you can reset the value to the default by pressing (Reset to the Preferred Value).
Start Time
Start the animation at a time other than t = 0.
Animation Length
Decide on the time length of the animation.
Resolution
To specify the movie size (x and y values in pixels) for viewing, use one of the two available options in the drop-down list:
  • Locked Aspect Ratio -- enter a value for the X Resolution or Y Resolution, and Simcenter STAR-CCM+ computes the other one to preserve the aspect ratio.
  • Custom Resolution -- enter any value up to 4096 for either resolution and the aspect ratio is ignored. This choice can produce unexpected viewports and cutoffs of images.
Encoding Quality
This control becomes active only for the Movie File recording method. Choose from among three options: High, Balanced, and Low. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.
Movie Type
Select the method for recording the animation:
  • Movie File -- This is the default setting.
  • Directory of PNG Frames -- Click this radio button if you prefer to record each individual frame as a graphic file. Type the directory path name into the File Name text box of the dialog. The frames are saved in that directory as the name frameXXXXX.png where XXXXX is the five-digit frame number (padded with zeros if necessary).
    NoteIf you choose to create .png files, consider the previous specifications carefully, since you may create many graphics files. For example, the default settings would record 25 frames per second for 15 seconds, generating 375 .png files.
Use Anti-Aliasing
When activated, this option reduces distortion in the rendered image, creating a smoother appearance on screen. While anti-aliasing increases rendering time, it also reduces the file size of exported .mp4 movies.
Use Transparent Background
When activated, generates an animation with a transparent background. This option is available for exporting .png files only.