Technical Animation - Boring a Metro Tunnel

A (technical) animation is an ideal tool for quickly, clearly, and consistently explaining how your product works. Since animations typically don't contain text, they are also universal.

The first important step for an animation is creating 3D models. Everything that needs to be shown in an animation must be available as a 3D model, either provided by the client or created in SolidWorks. Once all the 3D models are ready, they are imported into SolidWorks Composer, where they receive colors and textures.

Next, a storyboard is created in consultation with the client. What does the client want to show in the animation? Who is it for? How long should the animation be? All these questions and more need to be answered before we start the actual animation. The storyboard details all the scenes, movements, colors, etc., for the different components and products. It’s important that everything is clearly defined beforehand because changes during or after the animation process can be time-consuming.

Once the storyboard is finalized and approved by the client, we begin animating all the components. Movements are added to the 3D models in SolidWorks Composer within the scenes. Once all movements are applied, the animation can be exported. This is done in separate frames, which are then imported into video editing software. Post-production is carried out depending on the needs, such as adding logos, an intro, an outro with contact details, and so on.