Animation

Part animation lets you move or rotate individual parts in the 3D view.

Like project item animation, this is mainly for visualization. It helps show how a part might open, slide, rotate, separate, or move as part of an assembly.

For example, you might animate:

• A lid opening
• A drawer front moving forward
• A side panel separating from the body
• A door rotating on an edge
• A group of lid parts opening together

Moving a Part

A part can be animated along the:

• X axis
• Y axis
• Z axis

This works much like project item animation. You set the animated position, and GCrafter can toggle between the normal position and the animated position.

Use this for simple movement, such as sliding a part out or lifting it away from the assembly.

Rotating a Part

Part animation also supports rotation.

Instead of only moving a part along X, Y, or Z, you can rotate it around an axis.

This is useful for things like:

• Hinged lids
• Doors
• Folding panels
• Swing-out parts
• Exploded assembly views

Rotating Around an Edge

To rotate a part around one of its edges, use the cube diagram.

Hover over an edge segment and click it. This selects that edge as the rotation axis and enables rotation mode for the part.

This is useful when you want a part to behave like it has a hinge.

For example, a lid can rotate around its back edge instead of spinning around its center.

Custom Rotation Axis

If you want the part to rotate around a custom axis, use the Axis button.

This enables an axis picker that works similarly to point-to-point positioning.

To choose a custom axis:

1. Press and hold Alt.
2. Click the starting point of the axis.
3. Move to another point.
4. Press Alt and click again to choose the end point.

The part will now rotate around that custom axis.

Depending on which direction the axis points, you may need a positive or negative rotation value to get the movement you want.

If the part rotates the wrong way, try changing the sign of the rotation value.

For example:

45°

may need to become:

-45°

Sibling Parts

Sometimes you want several parts to move together.

For example, imagine a five-sided box lid. The lid may include the top and multiple side pieces, but you want all of them to open as one unit.

Use siblings to group parts together for animation.

When sibling parts are selected, they can rotate or move together using the same animation behavior.

This is useful for:

• Multi-part lids
• Doors with attached trim
• Hinged assemblies
• Moving panels made from several pieces
• Exploded views where several parts should stay grouped

The Main Idea

Part animation is for showing how individual pieces move.

Use X, Y, and Z values for sliding or lifting movement.

Use edge or custom-axis rotation for hinged motion.

Use siblings when several parts should move together as a group.