Working with Scripts

The Animation Producer dialog's File menu contains items for working with scripts.

Choose	To
New Script	Create a new animation script in the DGN file.
Open Script	Open an existing script in the DGN file.
Scale Script	Scale overall animation by a factor. This slows down or speeds up the entire animation.
Copy Script	Make a copy of a script.
Include Script	Include an existing script that is in the DGN file or a reference.
Import MSA File	Import old animation script files. This creates an animation script with the name of the file.
Clear Script	Clear all entries in the open script.
Delete Script	Delete the script from the DGN file.
Record Script	Record the active script.
Continue Recorded Sequence	Continue recording a script on a networked system or a recording that was aborted.
Tone Map BIMG Files	Apply tone mapping and create animation frames with an output format of BIMG.
Exit	Close the Animation Producer dialog.

When scripting an animation sequence, you can vary lighting, material, and other rendering settings as a function of time. Additionally, texture maps, bump maps, and background images can consist of animated sequences of images. Settings that are scripted to change are interpolated from one setting to the next. Where there is no script entry for a setting at time/frame zero, the current DGN file setting is taken.

In versions of MicroStation prior to V8 XM Edition, if the first scripting of a setting was at frame 20, then this setting was used also from frame zero to frame 20. Now, the setting is interpolated from the current DGN file setting at frame zero, to the scripted setting at frame 50.

This also means that any .msa files which have the earlier V8 behavior will get an extra script entry at frame zero, copying that of frame 20. This is done to maintain the old behavior when they are imported.

Scaling Scripts

Where necessary, you can define a multiplier value to be applied to the open script. This is useful for sizing an animation to run for a predetermined time or adding frames to smooth motion.

Including Scripts

Previously created scripts can be included in the open script. For example, you may have created and scripted a clock actor, with moving hands and pendulum, in a previous design. Rather than create a new animated clock, you can reference the model with the clock actor into the new design, and then include the script. Alternatively, if you have created a new clock, you simply give the actor(s) the same name(s) as in the original, and then include the script of the original clock.