HV-5030: Tracing Nodes and Components during Animation

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

•	Trace a component during animation

•	Trace a node during animation

Tools

To access the Tracing panel:

•	Click the Tracing panel button on the Annotations toolbar.

•	Select Annotations > Tracing from the menu bar.

tracing_panel

The Tracing panel allows you to trace a node, component, system, or a line during an entire animation or through selected time steps of an animation.

Exercise: Using the Tracing Panel

This exercise uses the model file, truck.key and the corresponding d3plot file as the results file.

Step 1: Trace a component during the animation.

1.	Load the truck.key model file and the d3plot results file, located in the animation\truck folder.

2.	Choose the left view of the truck, by clicking on the XZ Left Plane View button on the Standard Views toolbar.

3.	Click the Tracing panel button on the Annotations toolbar to enter the Tracing panel.

4.	Under Trace, turn on the Component option.

5.	Pick the rear tire of the truck.

If you know the ID of the component that you want to trace, you can enter it from the input collector.

-	Click Component and select By ID.

-	Enter the ID.

-	Click Apply.

-	Close the dialog box.

6.	Verify that Tracing mode is set to From first step.

This allows you to trace the selected component from the first step of the animation through the time step where the animation is stopped.

7.	Animate the model .

8.	Stop the animation.

Observe that the rear tire has been traced from the first step of the animation through the time step where you stopped the animation.

tracing_pic2

9.	Open the Animation Controls panel and change the current time.

Note that the trace changes accordingly.

Step 2: Trace a node during animation.

1.	Go back to the Tracing panel.

2.	Delete the component that you have traced.

3.	Under Trace, turn on the Node option.

4.	For Tracing mode, select All steps.

This allows you to trace the node you have chosen from the first time step of the animation through the last time step of the animation, irrespective of where you have stopped the animation.

5.	Pick a node on the tire.

Since you have already animated the model, the node trace is generated automatically.

tracing_tire1

6.	Change the Tracing mode to From first step.

Observe the change in the trace that is generated.

Note	If you only want to trace the last few time steps, change the Tracing mode to Last and choose the number of time steps which you are interested in.