Navisworks 2013 - ~How to create a large AVI file - 1GB or larger

[ecrotty]

Currently creating avi files of my model, can create an avi file for 3-4minute walk-thru average size of 1GB, can take 3-4 hours to export, this is fine as i get the end result which is a decent avi file, however if i try to create a walk-thru of the full plant model which takes approx 10-15 minutes it can take 7-8 hours to export and at the end the file seems to be corrupt. I export using Microsoft Video 1 @ 75% compression.

Does anyone have any solutions to this problem as having to break down each room of the plant with seperate avi files isnt ideal...

Regards & Thanks

EC - Cork

[JohnHolder]

Yeah I would love to hear some insight on this too!

[eugene.crotty]

Found a solution to this problem , i downloaded a free compreesion software called prism,basically you create avi file as normal drag into prism and compress it to wmv file, u loose small bit of quality but its a small trade off, i managed to create a video file 13 minutes long with no issues, unfortunately there doesnt seem to be any solution to navisworks taking 7-8 hrs to export animation!!

E Crotty

[dgorsman]

Many hours to create a 15 minute long animation, at what? 20 frames per second?  That sounds about right.  Also, while its not "ideal", its actually quite unusual to do a single uninterupted shot in rendering or even with live action.  Typical edit intervals are around the 3-5 second mark (not kidding - watch some commercials, cartoons, and promotional videos).  ~10 second shots aren't unheard of but are uncommon and about the longest you will see.  The edits allow for adjusting the pacing of the video, stretching out some areas and speeding up others.  Its also easier to compensate for errors in the output, as well as incorporating post-processing.

[JohnHolder]

I guess it would be easier to do a bunch of short videos and then stitch them together using some video editing software.

[ecrotty]

While in an "ideal" world it would be great if 10-15 second videos would be sufficient, unfortunately if you are presenting a project to a group of people 10-15 second videos are not good enough, if i was client wanting to see how my investment will look i would expect to see a full walk-thru of the project / facility , not someone stopping and starting a series of 10-15 sec video clips.

[dgorsman]

I think there was a mis-understanding.  You render out short segments (I do them by frames), then stitch them together with a video editor into a total overal presentation using fades, wipes, and other editing features.  Because of the precise camera control, with a little shot planning multiple short animations can be smoothly strung together to look like one long segment.  Again, look at finished promotional videos, animated movies, and cartoons with an eye towards the editing and direction - you'll see what I'm talking about.

If the client wants a full walk-through we don't use a video, we use Navisworks itself so they can stop, look around, and query to their hearts content.