4D BIM: SYNCHRO ANIMATION & AVI EXPORT NOTE: Instructions below only applicable if all 3D objects are assigned to Resources (Material, Equipment, Location, Human), and assigned to Tasks within your Synchro model. Ie. The ‘realtime’ construction simulation or sequence is ready for Animation and AVI Export.
1. FIRST STEP - I.T. CHECKLIST Before we look at the Synchro AVI Export settings – The following needs to be in place: Windows Media Player needs to be set as the Default Video Player, otherwise you get the following Error Message when you play your exported Synchro AVI file.
To avoid this, follow the instructions on the Link below to set the default movie player to Window Media Player: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/set-change-default-media-player-windows-10 Alternative option would be to select the AVI file within Windows Explorer, Right-Click and Play file with Windows Media Player (but then you need to do this each time to view the file!). Therefore set WMP as default.
2. SWITCH OFF SHARED (ALSO CALLED INTEGRATED OR ON BOARD GRAPHICS) AND USE THE DEDICATED GRAPHICS CARD INSTEAD (IF YOU HAVE ONE INSTALLED). 3. DOWNLOAD & INSTALL MPEG 4 XVID CODEC FOR WINDOWS – NOW! You need to have the MPEG 4 Xvid Codec installed on your pc or laptop for Windows to allow you to select this option within Synchro for Exporting your AVI file at a high quality frame rate. Otherwise you end up with a 60 sec avi animation that’s 2Gb in size with VERY POOR quality output (I.e. Full Frame uncompressed….Avoid). Download link below for Windows Media Player Codec Pack: http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Media-Codec-Pack/3000-13632_4-75222206.html Once you have the Codec downloaded & installed, this will appear within Synchro as an option in the drop down list when you come to export the animation, as shown below: Codec: Xvid MPEG-4 Codec.
4. SET DRIVER OPTION WITHIN SYNCHRO TO DIRECT X: Go to Home tab > Options... Then, within Options - 3D View > Advanced > Driver - Select Presentation Mode (DirectX). Under Driver Options, for Anti-Aliasing select Level 2x.
SETTING UP SYNCHRO ANIMATION & AVI EXPORT Synchro Animation Set-up Instructions are found within the Synchro Pro Basic Training 2016 Handbook. A copy of which can be viewed and downloaded (pdf) at the Web Link below: https://issuu.com/iuidesign/docs/synchro_pro_basic_training_2016 Follow: Chapter 21 Animations & Chapter 21.4 Exporting an AVI (Pages 84-90).
You can also view the following Synchro YouTube video on Creating 4D Animations in Synchro Pro. This helped me get to grips with the basics of setting up a typical animation sequence within Synchro Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbWn2CzH0uw
Once you have the Export AVI dialogue box within Synchro Pro open then choose a high Resolution Rate, such as 1080p HD. Within Synchro, set the following outputs:
Resolution Width: 1280 (or 1920 for large screen ouput) Height: 720 (or 1080 for large screen ouput) Frame Rate. Increase to: 60 (PS. I chose to run a test a animation using 1280x720 as this fits nicely within my 20" screen you can use a higher resolution for client/meeting presentations). Compression Codec: Xvid MPEG-4 Codec Resolutions (for Information Only) Standard Def (4:3)
=
640x480
Standard Def (16:9)
=
643x360
720 HD (16:9)
=
1280x720
1080p HD (16:9)
=
1920x1080
Resolution Tab View:
Content Tab View: Render with: DirextX or DirectX 11 (instead of OpenGL) Anti-alias: 2x or 4x
Make Focused Time Date Transparent for the AVI Export In Export AVI window, under Content you get the following view. Right-click on Focused Time and Select Properties as shown.
Change text Colour to White (make sure box is ticked) Deselect Background Colour (make sure box is unticked)
The final ‘look’ of the Focused Time Box will ONLY APPEAR when you select the Preview button.
EXPORT TO FBX (3DS MAX ANIMATION OUTPUT OPTION) This following YouTube video demonstrates how to export a 4D project from Synchro Pro to FBX format and open the FBX in 3DS Max for better quality animation. YouTube video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvbzhuf4SFY
NOTE: If you choose this method (ie. export Autodesk FBX) then remember the fbx file may be very large and when you come to import into 3DS Max your machine may crash! Try this again but omit any 2d CAD geometry within your Synchro model.
SYNCHRO ANIMATION TEST FOR TIME & QUALITY I ran 3 test animations from my Synchro model. The Resolution was the same for all 3 tests, but the Frame Rate was set to 10, 30, 60 respectively. I wanted to see how long the 1 minute animation would take to export from Synchro Pro (2016.2) and the quality of the animations between the three results as shown below: RESOLUTION WIDTH 1280 HEIGHT 720 Rendered with DirectX Anti-alias: 2x
TEST NO. 1 2 3
SYNCHRO PRO ANIMATION TEST FRAME RATE TIME TAKEN QUALITY (1-10) 10 7m 15secs 4 30 22m 10secs 8 60 45m 30secs 10
The quality of output found between Test Animations 2 and 3 is minimal. Test 3 gave the best results overall in terms of quality. Test 2 was also very good, but took half the time to render as Test 3. Whereas Test 1 animation gave a ‘jerky’ output of the camera with low quality image. Hence from these results, I would recommend that the initial test renders be done using a Frame Rate of 10 or 30 (maximum). Once you have achieved the desired timelines, camera views, rotation, speed etc. Then I would render out the final animation at 60 Frames.
TROUBLESHOOTING: BLANK ANIMATION WHEN EXPORTING AVI? (Yep...happens to all of us the first time round!) Ref: https://synchrosupport.ideas.aha.io/ideas/FAQ-I-176 The animation looks fine in 3D view, but I can't export it to AVI. The screen is blank whenever I try to export it to AVI? (blank screen below).
Answer (and images) adapted from Synchro Web-Site Response: From your screenshot it looks like the 3D window is hidden behind other windows in the preview. The order of the enabled windows in the list (in the upper right corner of the Content tab) determines the back to front precedence of window in the preview. Your 3D window is at the bottom of the list, meaning it's behind all the other windows. Select "3D Using dates[Best]" and use the up arrow to move it above the Timeline and Gantt. You may also need to resize the 3D view in the preview once you've moved it forward. The 3D Synchro windows could also be hidden behind the Time Line – So grab top edge of the 3D window and pull up!
VIDEO COMPRESSION GUIDE (FOR INFORMATION ONLY) Follow these guidelines to create video files that will upload successfully and look good (from Vimeo.com). https://vimeo.com/help/compression
REFERENCES: 1. Synchro Pro Basic Training 2016 Handbook (pdf download): https://issuu.com/iuidesign/docs/synchro_pro_basic_training_2016
2. Revit Tips for use in Synchro (pdf download): https://issuu.com/iuidesign/docs/revit_tips_for_use_in_synchro
3. Using the Synchro Revit Plugin Best Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXEu5oiEBEs
4. Creating 4D Animations in Synchro Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbWn2CzH0uw
5. Synchro Export to FBX format for use in 3DS Max: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvbzhuf4SFY
6. Trouble Shooting: Blank Animation when Exporting AVI? https://synchrosupport.ideas.aha.io/ideas/FAQ-I-176
7. Trouble Shooting: How do I enable Effects when Exporting an AVI? https://synchrosupport.ideas.aha.io/ideas/FAQ-I-40
8. Various Questions & Answers relating to Synchro Animation: https://synchrosupport.ideas.aha.io/ideas/search?query=animation&utf8=%E2%9C%93
Big Thanks to Pawel Krecz: 4D Synchro Guru.