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Vehicle Animation Paths allow users to utilize the smooth driving animations of paths with a Vehicle Animation. Using a vehicle animation path to create an animation of a vehicle entering and leaving the construction site is much quicker than manually creating a Keyframe Animation.

To create a Vehicle Animation Path it is important the user understands operations associated with creating Paths.

Unlike most paths Vehicle Animation Paths cannot have forks. This ensures that the vehicle is always taking the intended route through the construction site. The Example Below shows a typical Vehicle Animation Path for a Concrete pump Entering the site and then navigating to an alternative exit.

A Vehicle Animation Path can be used for separate animations and or separate Vehicles. The entire path or only a portion of the path can be used for a separate animation and the vehicle may exit or enter the path at any node along the path.

Objects cannot be placed directly onto vehicle animation paths. They are added to paths using the associated button in the Vehicle animation editor. The Vehicle Animation Editor is located in the element properties when a appropriate equipment is selected. For more information see Vehicle Animations.

Use the Join Path button to Join a Vehicle Animation to the Path. When Prompted the user should select a destination node

The start point of the animation is always the closest point on the path

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In the example to the left the start node is shown with a green circle. The end of the animation is shown with a red circle. Other nodes on the Vehicle Animation Path nodes are used to calculate how the vehicle navigates between the start and end nodes.

After the node is selected keyframes are added to the vehicle Animation Editor that describe the animation along the path.

Denotes when a Vehicle is joining and leaving the path.

Additional Nodes can be added before, after or even in between the paths nodes. The user may want to add more nodes in between path nodes to:

• move parts of the vehicle during the driving animation

• change the time dialation on different parts of the path in order to coordinate mulitple vehicles.

When adding the path it is important to note the direction of the path. A vehicle cannot travel in the opposite direction of the path. This ensures that even when a path may overlapp the same route the vehicle takes the path that is navigating in the right direction

a vehicle can drive on a path in reverse.