This tutorial shows how to create a table-driven animation.
For this tutorial you will need a .csv file.
Download the tableDriven_1.csv file here
A table-driven animation is somewhat like a path animation, in that objects are animnated along a set of points. In this case the points are externally generated to a file.
A table-driven animation is different from a path animation in that SU Animate does not interpolate additional frames. The number of frames in a table-driven animation is always the number of points in the file.
The data file for a table-driven animation is re-read every time the animation is selected for playing. The number of points in the file,and all of the point data, can change with every run.
Begin with a new model, and create an object to animate near the origin; for example, make a rectangle, push/pull it, and make a group. Select the object, then select "New... -> Table-driven Animation" in the SU Animate 4 dialog box. In the dialog that opens, click the arrow next to the "File:" input box. A file browser opens. Navigate and select table_driven_1.csv.
The file must have comma-separated 2D or 3D points, one per line,with comment lines delimited by "#". The points will be interpreted in the X, Y, (Z) cooordinate space and units of the model by default, but can alternatively be interpreted as latitude, longitude, (elevation) if you so choose, by clicking the "Choose File Format" button.
For this tutorial, the points are X,Y,0. When you choose the file,the points are represented in the view. Click "Save", then "Play".
Edit the animation (right-click "TableDriven1" in the SU Animate! dialog and choose "Edit"), and check the "Rotate Objects Along Path" option. "Save" and "Play", and notice how the object rotates as it moves along the path defined by the points.
