Recording Methods | Output Options How To. .

Properties for the 2D Graphics Window

2D Graphics Record Movie

The 2D Graphics Record Movie properties page enables you to capture and save individual or sequential frames of animation as images that can be used to create videos.

Use the following steps as a guideline for capturing animation frames:

  1. Use the Window Properties page to define the window size and position for capturing frames.
  2. Enable either Record every Animation Time Step or Record in Real Time.
  3. Define the output options for saving frames.

Recording Methods

By default, recording is Off. When you select a recording method, frames will be recorded and saved when you animate the scenario.

Recording Method Description
Record every Animation Time Step Frames will be captured once every animation time step.
Record in Real Time Animation frames will be saved at the interval specified using the Record Every option in the Output Options area.

Output Options

Use the following Output Options to define settings for saving animation frames.

Option Description
Directory Specifies the directory in which the image files are to be stored.
File Name Prefix The prefix to be used for each frame saved to an image file for the recording session.
Start Frame # The first number in the sequence. The frame number increments for each subsequent frame, unless otherwise specified.
Min Digits in File Name The minimum number of digits in the image file name.
File Format The image file format used when saving frames. The file extension is automatically included in the file name.
Record Every If you choose to record in real time, you'll also need to specify the time between frames.
Codec For the video format only. The algorithm used to compress the movie. The default is H.264. For more information, see Choosing a Codec.
Framerate For the WMV format only. Indicates the number of animation frames that are played per second. A higher framerate will play back more smoothly, but will require a higher bitrate to maintain the image quality. Do not set this value higher than your monitor refresh rate. The default is 30. The maximum on many computer systems is 60.
Bitrate For the video format only. Indicates the target amount of disk space each second of video should take in kilobits. Larger numbers produce larger movie files, with better quality. For more information, see Choosing a Bitrate.
Record Every If you choose to record in real time, you'll also need to specify the time between frames.

Example: If the prefix is MOVIE and the minimum number of digits in the file name is 4, the first image file saved is named MOVIE0000.

How To. . .