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3D Landscape Design & Visualization Software published and supported by AlphaPixel

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    Part 2D. Animating Components

    Part 2A. Animating the Camera
    Getting Started with VNS 3: Animation Basics

    Part 2D. Animating Components

    1. Now that we know the ins and outs of keyframe operations, let’s animate more Components. Go to the Land Cover Task Mode and open the Spruce-Fir Forest Ecosystem Editor to the Rules page. The Ecosystem currently renders on polygons with a Maximum Slope of 45°.

    A software interface titled "Ecosystem Editor - Spruce-Fir Forest" showing sections for Vertical and Lateral Limits adjustments including Elevation Line, Skew, Slope, and Relative Elevation settings.

    2. Create a key for this value at 0 seconds.

    A software interface for the Ecosystem Editor, displaying settings for Vertical Limits and Lateral Limits. A dropdown menu with the option "Create Key" is visible.

    3. Change the Maximum Slope to 90° and keyframe it at 20 seconds.

    A software interface titled "Ecosystem Editor - Spruce-Fir Forest" displaying options to set elevation lines, skew, lateral limits, and slope. A dropdown menu with the option "Create Key" is also open.

    4. View the Maximum Slope Timeline. The Ecosystem Maximum Slope increases from 45° to 90° over the course of the animation.

    Graphical user interface showing the maximum slope in degrees for a spruce-fir forest ecosystem over a 20-second duration, ranging from 40.5° to 94.5°. Multiple controls are available for adjusting settings.

    5. Close the timeline window and jump to the end of the animation. Save the project and render a Main Camera preview. We have forest covering everything at the end of the animation, just like we wanted.

    Image of a computer screen displaying a landscape with large cliffs beside a body of water, under a light sky. The application toolbar is visible at the top with several icons.

    6. Let’s move on to the Water Task Mode, open the Ocean Lake Editor, and animate the water level. Change the Elevation to 1800 meters, and Create Key at 0 seconds.

    Screenshot of Lake Editor software displaying properties of a lake named "Ocean" with an elevation of 1800m. A right-click menu option "Create Key" is highlighted.

    7. Switch the Main Camera view to realtime mode and use the frame slider to advance to just past the point where the camera passes the high tension tower, just past 6 seconds.

    Screenshot of a 3D rendering application displaying the base and part of the trunk of a tree against a blue and white background, with interface icons visible at the top.

    8. Let’s make the Ocean elevation visible at the bottom of this frame. Ctrl+click a new water elevation at the left notch in the slope.

    A large, textured mountain or hill is shown against a blue sky and light background in a digital interface with various tool icons at the top.

    9. Create Key at the current frame.

    A software interface for "Lake Editor - Ocean" showing options for general features and vector placement, with a dropdown menu containing "Create Key" selected.

    10. Jump back to the beginning of the animation and play it. If we set the keyframes correctly, the water should appear to rise ahead of us as we fly by the island. It may not be obvious in the preview, but the Ocean level rises to its maximum value and suddenly stops. We’re going to smooth out the transition.

    11. Go to the Ocean Elevation and View Timeline. Sure enough, the Ocean elevation rises at a constant rate from 0 to about 6 seconds and abruptly stops.

    A graph showing the change of a variable over 20 seconds. The line starts at 1780.0212 meters and ends at 2019.7673 meters. The interface includes options for adjusting and managing the graph.

    12. To make the rate of rise slow as it approaches the maximum value, select the second keyframe and change its Tension to 1. You’ll recognize this as the same change we made to the camera latitude and longitude timelines earlier. Keep your changes and save the project.

    Graphical user interface showing a plot labeled "Ocean (Lake) Elevation (m)" with elevation over time. Includes controls for segment data, visibility options, and buttons for adding or deleting points.

    13. Return to frame 0. Go to the Sky Task Mode and open the Moon Celestial Object Editorto the Size & Position page. Create Key for the position group at 0 seconds.

    A screenshot of the Celestial Object Editor window featuring size and position settings for the Moon, with a context menu from latitude settings displayed, showing options like "Create Key" and "View Timeline.

    14. Move the Moon to set at the end of the animation and create a key at 20 seconds. Don’t forget to click out of Move Mode when you’re done.

    A computer-generated image showing a gradient-colored mountain with a blue sky. In the lower right, there is a power line tower. The interface elements of a software window are visible at the top.
    A screenshot of the Celestial Object Editor application with options for adjusting the size and position of a moon, including radius, latitude, longitude, and distance. A context menu with several options is open.

    15. Next, we’ll animate the Sun position from morning to afternoon. Go to the Light Task Mode and open the Light Editor to the Position & Orientation page.

    A screenshot of a Light Editor software interface. The Position & Orientation tab displays settings for latitude, longitude, and elevation, along with options for setting position by time and selecting elevation presets.

    16. Select Set Position by Time. The project has a 3:00 PM Light, so let’s keyframe that at the end of the animation, or 20 seconds.

    A software interface showing controls for adjusting light position by time. Options include date, time, and location settings. A dropdown menu labeled "Create Key" with additional options is open.

    17. Change the time to 9:00 AM and create a key at 0 seconds. Close the Light Position by Time window.

    A computer screen displays a dialog box titled "Light Position by Time" with input fields for coordinates and date. A right-click menu shows options such as "Create Key" and "Delete Key(s).

    18. Save the project. Go back to the beginning of the animation and play it. The sun starts in the east, reaches a noontime position midway through the animation, and drops to the west. This is easier to see in the planimetric view as the terrain shading changes are more obvious during the course of the animation.

    19. The last Component we’re going to animate is the High Tension Tower 3D Object. Although we can’t import animated objects from other programs into VNS, we can animate 3D Object position, rotation, and scale, and deform the object by animating vertex position.

    20. Go to the 3D Object Task Mode. Open the 3D Object Editor to the Size & Position page. Keep in mind that 3D Object axes follow a different convention than terrain axes. For terrain, the x-axis runs east-west, the y- axis runs north-south, and the z-axis is elevation. For a 3D Object, the x-axis still runs east-west, but the z-axis is north-south and the y-axis is elevation. According to the dimensions, this object is about 82 meters wide, 123 meters tall, and 27 meters deep.

    Screenshot of the "Size & Position" tab in a 3D Object Editor application showing position coordinates, elevation, and scale settings with options for geographic instance rendering and unit conversion.

    21. We’re going to animate Position and cause the tower to sink into the ground. It will start the animation at its current elevation relative to ground, so Create Key at 0 seconds.

    Interface of a 3D Object Editor for a high tension tower, showing options for position, scale, and elevation. A context menu titled "Create Key" is open, displaying several options.

    22. Frame slide to the last point where we see the entire tower, between 2 and 3 seconds.

    A 3D-rendered landscape featuring a tall, steep mountain with green texture at its base and a power line tower in the foreground. The sky is clear and blue.

    23. By this time, we want the tower gone from view, so change the Elevation to -125 meters and Create Key.

    Screenshot of a 3D Object Editor software interface. Visible options include position coordinates (latitude, longitude, elevation), scale settings, and a context menu with options such as "Create Key".

    24. View Timeline. We have the default Tension values that don’t make for smooth transitions.

    A screenshot of the High Tension Tower (3D Object) Elevation (m) software interface showing a graph of variable change over time, with elevation ranging from -137.49 meters to 12.39 meters.

    25. To make the rate of ascent ease in and ease out, change each keyframe Tension to 1.

    A software interface showing a graph titled "High Tension Tower (3D Object) Elevation (m)" with controls for editing points, segment data, timing, and scale. Graph displays a descending curve.

    26. Keep the changes and save the project. Jump back to the beginning of the animation and play.

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