Preparing a 3D PCB Video in Altium Designer

Parent page: More about Outputs

In Altium Designer, the ability to take a snapshot of your PCB as a 3D printout provides a quick and easy way to share the look of the finished product with others, prior to physical production of the board. However, there's always something lacking when it comes to a single 3D print. You inevitably want to tilt the board, rotate it, or flip it between component and solder sides - all of which is not possible. Well, that's not entirely true. You could go back and rotate or flip the board in 3D view, and output another print in each case, but at the end of the day, they are all still 'static' prints.

To offer more engaging, more useful documentation of your board, Altium Designer provides the ability to generate PCB 3D Video documentation. Donning your Director's hat, the content of a PCB 3D Video - or 3D movie if you prefer - is simply a sequential set of snapshots of your board (in 3D), referred to as Key Frames. For each subsequent key frame in the sequence, you can adjust attributes including zoom-level, pan, and rotation directly in the workspace - all relative to the settings for the previous key frame.

In terms of output, a frame sequence is exported into a chosen video format, as part of an Output Job file. The result is a sequence of frames that smoothly interpolates the key frame sequence.

So, whether you're creating an assembly instruction manual, a demonstration of moving parts, or just wanting to provide a snazzy flyover of the angles that make your product look best, PCB 3D Video provides an attractive and informative addition to your product documentation arsenal.

Making a PCB 3D Video

PCB 3D Videos are created, configured, and managed, from within the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel. Access this panel by clicking on the PCB panel-access button - at the bottom-right of the main design window - and choosing the PCB 3D Movie Editor entry from the subsequent menu that appears.

The PCB 3D Movie Editor panel - command central for creating and configuring your 3D movies.

The panel is essentially divided into three regions:

• The upper region provides an area for managing your 3D movies - adding and deleting movies. Any number of movies may be created for a PCB.
• The central region contains the key frame sequence definition. From this region you can add new key frames, and update existing key frames based on changes made to the display of the 3D board in the workspace.
• The lower region provides controls for playing back a selected movie directly in the PCB workspace.

All configuration information for a PCB 3D Video is stored in the PCB document itself (*.PcbDoc). In this way, each individual PCB can have its own list of 3D movies.

The following sections take a look at adding and preparing a new movie.

Adding a New Movie

To add a new movie to, and for, the active PCB, simply click the  button associated to the Movies region of the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel. Alternatively, click to focus the region and use the Ctrl+N keyboard shortcut. A new entry for the m ovie will be added to the region, initially entitled PCB 3D Video. The entry will be selected, ready for you to type in a meaningful title.

Example of adding a new movie and renaming it (hover over the image).

Defining the Key Frame Sequence

The basis of a PCB 3D Movie is a series of key frames, each a view of the 3D board as positioned by you in the design workspace. Remember that each key frame is a snapshot in your movie. By defining a number of these snapshots - the key frame sequence - the final, generated video output is made, by smoothly interpolating the n-1 intervals between your n key frames.

Define the key frame sequence for the video using controls available in the central region
of the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel.

Each key frame has the following attributes:

• Frame Name - the name of the key frame. By default, frames will be named in the format Key Frame, Key Frame 1, Key Frame 2, and so on. You can change this if you want to identify the frame with a more meaningful name. For example, the name could reflect the content of that particular snapshot of the board, such as U4 Zoomed.
• Duration - this is the length of time for transitioning between each key frame in the sequence. In an exported video, the total number of frames is based on the duration of each key frame, and the Frames Per Second setting specified as part of the publishing options. Note that the initial key frame at the top of the list, with the default name Key Frame, is a special case. As it is the starting frame for the video it has no duration.

Adding a Key Frame

To add a new key frame, simply position the board (in 3D Layout Mode) in the PCB Editor as required, then click the  button associated to the Key Frame region of the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel. From the button's associated menu, choose where in the sequence to add the new frame:

• Add - adds the new frame at the end of the list of frames.
• Insert - inserts the new frame before the currently selected key frame.

Adding a new key frame from within the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel.

The initial key frame will have a fixed duration of 0.0s, while all other key frames that you add will have an initial default duration of 3.0s. This can be changed as required - click on the associated field to focus, then either enter a value directly, or use the up/down controls at the right. Duration can be in the range 0.0s to 100.0s.

Adding a Key Frame Directly from the Workspace

Key frames can also be added to a specified 3D movie, directly from within the design workspace. This allows for more streamlined creation of a key frame sequence right in the 'thick of the camera action' as it were, without having to change focus to the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel.

To add a key frame:

1. Position your board as required (in 3D Layout Mode).
2. Right-click anywhere within the workspace and from the context menu that appears, choose the Add Key Frame to 3D Movie sub-menu. This sub-menu is also available as a direct pop-up menu, using the Ctrl+Alt+K keyboard shortcut. The menu lists all currently defined 3D movies for the active PCB, with the currently selected movie (in the panel) distinguished by a tick. Up to 20 movies will be listed by title in the menu. If your PCB has more than 20 movies defined for it, you can click on the More 3D Movies entry to open the Choose PCB 3D Movie dialog, from where you can select the movie to add the key frame to.
3. Click on a movie name to add a new key frame - based on the current view of the board in the workspace - to the end of that movie's key frame sequence.
4. To add another frame to the same 3D movie, set up the board as required and click on the entry for that movie again in the menu. To add a frame to a different movie, click on that movie's entry in the menu.

Add key frames to your movies directly from the design workspace.

Ordering & Deleting Key Frames

The order of key frames can be changed using the  and  buttons, or by dragging and dropping a key frame in the list. To delete a key frame from the sequence, select it in the list and either click the  button, or press Delete on the keyboard.

Editing a Key Frame

Within the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel, only the Name and Duration fields for a key frame are visible and editable (with the exception of the duration for the first key frame). To change the view of the board for an existing key frame - in terms of zoom and/or orientation - you'll need to make those changes to the board in the design workspace, and then update the key frame with that new information. To do this:

1. In the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel, select the key frame you wish to modify. The board will display in the workspace in accordance with the attributes for that key frame.
2. Change the view of the board as required.
3. Once the board is set in the required 'pose,' click the  button beneath the key frame list area.

The selected key frame will be updated with the new 'snapshot' of the board.

Support for Rigid-Flex Boards

If your board is rigid-flex, and it has a folding sequence defined, you can also include the fold/unfold action in your PCB 3D movie. To do this:

• Position the board as usual and set the fold state as required by sliding the Fold State slider on the PCB panel - the slider is available when the panel is configured in its Layer Stack Regions mode.
• Insert a key frame and set the Duration as required.
• Position the board ready for the next key frame, setting the Fold State slider as required.
• Continue to reposition and add new key frames until the movie is complete.

When the movie is played, the software will not only interpolate between the key frames, it will also fold/unfold the board to satisfy the Fold State settings you gave, in accordance with the folding Sequences defined on the PCB panel.

Use the Fold State control on the PCB panel (in Layer Stack Regions mode), to 'flex' your board as required while creating your key frame sequence.

Keeping the Board Stationary

When the movie is played, it will arrive at and leave a key frame without pausing. If you need to hold the board at a specific key frame:

• Click on the required key frame in the panel.
• Press Ctrl+I to insert a new key frame, it will be added before the selected key frame with the Duration field ready to be edited. It is easier to consider this new frame to be the transitioning key frame, replacing that function for the existing key frame you initially selected, so enter a suitable Duration value for the transition from the previous key frame.
• The following key frame can now become the stationary key frame, edit its Duration to the value you want the board to remain stationary. 
• Repeat this process for any other key frames that require the board to remain stationary.

Video Playback

Once you have defined the content of your PCB 3D Movie, in terms of its key frame sequence, you can preview the resulting video directly within the design workspace. To do this, simply select a movie title in the upper region of the PCB 3D Movie Editor panel, and click the  button - part of the playback controls - in the lower region.

Altium Designer becomes your very own movie theater - just select a movie, press Play, then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Playback Controls

Pressing 'play' gets you going fast, but we all like to have full control when watching a movie. The ability to skip back and forth through scenes and, of course, the ability to pause the movie when we see something we really like! 3D movie playback is no exception, and controls are provided in the panel to give a richer viewing experience. The following is a summary of the full set of controls available:

- play back the movie from the current marker position on the associated timeline.

- pause playback of the movie.

- rewind the movie back to its start. This is the first key frame, denoted by time zero on the associated timeline. This control is only available while the movie is not playing.

- jump to the start of the next key frame in the sequence. This control is only available while the movie is not playing.

- jump to the start of the previous key frame in the sequence. This control is only available while the movie is not playing.

A timeline reflects where, in the overall movie, playback has currently reached. While the movie is not playing, you can manually drag the timeline's marker to any point - a pop-up reveals the exact time.

Dragging the marker along the timeline effectively performs manual playback.

Interpolation Settings

Playback of a 3D movie within the PCB Editor is made possible using interpolation between the defined key frames, and additional smoothing. There are two types of interpolation that can be employed, with options to switch between the two, available just above the playback controls.

Specify the style of interpolation used to create a seamless flow between one key
frame and the next, and also the rate at which frames are played back.

• Linear Key Frame to Key Frame - uses spherical linear interpolation between key frames, and additional smoothing that results in a slow-down at the end of each frame.

• Constant Velocity between Key Frames - uses quadratic-spline interpolation between key frames and also divides the range in rotations to be smaller then 90 degrees. The result is a more seamless transition between key frames, with a constant speed between frames rather than any noticeable slow-down.

Playback within the PCB Editor is at a default frame rate of 25 frames per second. The total number of frames used in the video will depend on the Duration set for each key frame. Use the Frame Rate field to increase or decrease this rate as required. The frame rate can be any value between 1 and 50.

Generating PCB 3D Video Output

You've defined all the key frames you require in your sequence, and a quick preview has shown all is good-to-go. Now you can go ahead and generate some output! Movie generation is performed by adding a PCB 3D Video as an Output in an Output Job file, and attaching it to a Video output container.

Adding and Configuring a Video Output Container

Add a Video output container to your Output Job file, by clicking on the [Add New Output Container] button (in the Output Containers pane) and selecting New Video from the list of containers available. Configuration of the container is performed from within the Video Settings dialog - accessed by clicking on the Change option at the upper-right of the container.

Use a video output container to publish your PCB 3D Video(s).

By default, the publisher is set to generate a single video file, named using the Output Job file name. Change output settings as required.

Adding and Configuring a PCB 3D Video Output

Add an output to the Output Job file for each 3D movie you want to publish. In the Documentation Outputs section of the Output Job file, click on the [Add New Documentation Output] button and choose the PCB 3D Video entry, along with the source PCB document to which the 3D movie is associated.

Add a PCB 3D Video output generator for each 3D movie that you want to publish. Roll over the image to see the newly-added output.

Configuration of a PCB 3D Video output is performed from within the PCB 3D Video dialog - accessed by double-clicking on the output, or right-clicking on it and choosing Configure from the context menu. Use the dialog to primarily select which 3D movie to use, from a list of those currently defined for the PCB document specified in the Data Source field.

Choose the 3D movie you want to use as the source for the generated video.

Two additional controls are provided in the PCB 3D Video dialog that can be used to further define the display of your PCB 3D Video.

•  - click this button to toggle the display of a shadow effect for the board.

Enhance the display of your board by applying a 3D shadow effect - roll over the image to see the result.

•  - click this button to access an instance of the View Configurations dialog (specifically the Physical Materials tab). From here, you can adjust the look and feel of your board, and change any settings for 3D Bodies and generic 3D models as required, ensuring your board looks its best for that all important video close-up!

Use the View Configurations dialog to adjust the appearance of the board as required - roll over the image to see an example change to the Top Solder Mask.

Publishing

Once you have added and configured the PCB 3D Video output(s) as required, and the Video output container through which they will be released, you are just steps away from publication. With the Video output container selected, click on the Enabled field for each PCB 3D Video output to be included in the publishing process. An enabled output will have a green line connecting it to the output container.

Enable each PCB 3D Video output whose specified 3D movie you want to have published by the Video output container.

Then, simply click the Generate Content button - at the right of the Video output container (shortcut, F9) - or right-click on the container and select Generate Video. Publication will proceed and the video(s) will be generated and stored in the specified folder. If you have chosen to open the video after export, it will open and start playing - provided you have software installed on your computer with which to do so.

Generate video and watch the star of the show - your board!