G.I.jonas Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Just wondering if anyone can guide me towards a fairly easy to use program that will allow me to make simple 2d animations of like mechanisms and moving parts.I dont know too much about this stuff,i do have a copy of auto cad that i dont know how to use and dont know if it would help anyway.I'm trying to find something that isnt like $700 for a cd lol...but what would you guys suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.INSANE Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Theres this one called MSPaint Haha, Autocad is a really safe bet its used pretty much everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Use GoogleSketchup, its free and they give you a lot of tutorials on how to use it. Tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Like this one? http://www.google.com/url?sa=L&ai=BCt9qwqpoR_7QIaeYpwSfovGvAfjK-xLI_f3RAYSQlscIsMwLCAAQARgBMAE4AFCCqfzY-f____8BYMmG-4vMpNQZyAEB2QO0XpcOTXs4UOADCA&q=http://workingmodel.design-simulation.com/WM2D/index.php&usg=AFQjCNFuNom9jMwkCjeUuR8O9cKuPNd3yA It looks like they have a time-bombed evaluation copy and you don't need a $2K+ workstation either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrumpetRhapsody Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 I don't know what your final goal is, so this might be totally off base. I've used them all from softimage and 3dsmax (needs a 2k machine lol) all the way down to good ol' GoogleSketchup. Anywho... If you're just going for a very very basic 2D presentation, believe it or not Powerpoint could be used. Think of it as a flipbook. You make a new slide with the parts in a different position, then set Powerpoint to auto switch slides at a certain rate. If your end goal is simple enough, this would probably be the easist way with a ZERO learning curve (unlike aforementioned software, some of which almost need a college degree, ha!) It really depends on what you're trying to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 I agree, it depends on what you're trying to do. I thought you were after software that could do simulations of mechanisms, not just create a series of images. As far as simulation software goes, 2D working model is about as simple and easy as it gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 This is a good example of what i want to do,in fact exactly what i want.I'm thinking this is a flash animation no?anyone used it or know much about it. http://www.flying-pig.co.uk/mechanisms/pages/escapement.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnoutZ Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 You could probably find a dload off of a torrent site of any program for free. And yes they usually work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 You could probably find a dload off of a torrent site of any program for free. And yes they usually work... Yeah thats how i got cad, and i got in trouble for it lol.I will download songs and crap all day long but i try yo stay away from $1000 programs nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 This is an example of what you can do with Powerpoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 Is that something that i can apply motion to? the whole point of this is that it must be something where i can make stuff that has animated motion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrumpetRhapsody Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Yeah, that could be animated. Like I said earlier you could make an object like shown above, copy the slide and move the parts to a different position, rinse repeat, and set powerpoint to auto advance through the slides at a set rate. It's a crude way to animate, but simple. I've been trying to find an example of a powerpoint animation to show you, but haven't come up with much. I know it can be done though, i've done it and seen it done on several occasions. That link you posted above of the clock mech is flash, yes. If you can get the software and are willing to learn, flash would probably be the best way for a web/computerized distribution. EDIT: Found some examples of people animating with powerpoint. Here's one using basic shapes (the animation starts a couple slides in, wait for it). Check out this website, they have some additional good examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nizm0Zed Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I like technic lego. But i usually get carried away and end up spending several hours building some big fat truck. then i remember what i was supposed to be doing, and start again, but by then, i have allready lost interest in it, and put it down for another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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