I would like to record a flyover and make it into a short animation to show during presentations.
I have experimented with this before, when I ran the 3D Analyst trial a while back. I found that I could export a fly over to avi, which I could then play in a simple player such as Windows Media Player.
I was asked to record a fly over for a client and am about to embark in that journey.
I would really like to know what other users out there are doing? If you have done this kind of thing before, I would love to get your insight:
What methods are you using to export the best resolution possible? What format are you exporting to? Is there a file type that works best
What are you using to edit the output files? Is there any freeware that can be used to edit the outputted "animation"
Any tips/tricks you can share that would save me some grief in the next few weeks?
I've created flyovers in both ArcGlobe and ArcScene then combining them together. It is important to realize that neither ArcGlobe nor ArcScene will yield a professional level quality video. (Not suitable for TV, Film documentary, etc.) Those are typically built in 3D animation rendering software by animation and CG professionals. Because this software allows you to import USGS DEM it can also be used to build realistic environments. (Take a look at VUE) However, the output from ArcGIS is suitable for display at conferences and as learning material or as informational videos on company websites.
Purchase a video editing software. IMovie (MAC) or a similar. You could use the free Windows Movie Maker but it is really basic. iMovie is by far the best option and there is really no Windows equivalent. Personally, if I end up doing a lot of this I will get a Mac solely for the purposes of creating flyby videos. Right now i use CyberLink for Windows but it is just OK as there is really nothing for windows that comes close to iMovie. If you are skilled with Adobe Products you could use Adobe Premiere Pro with Adobe After Effects but again those are professional tools and even with my knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator I find there is a steep learning curve requiring at least a full training course and some experience. For a quick and dirty flyover that will still drop the jaw of your colleges iMovie, Movie Maker or the likes of CyberLinkPower Director is sufficient and it only takes a few hours to figure out.
When you export your first video from ArcScene or ArcGLobe you will notice: It does not play at all (file too large, too long) It is very jerky (too much data in scene, complex path, not enough frames)
To remedy this: Keep your clips very short. (30s or shorter) Use keyframes and for best transition only use 2 keyframes per clip (your last keyframe becomes the starting point for your next clip) Record video 4x to 8x slower then speed up clip in Movie editor Keep layers to bare minimum and most importantly: Read the entire section on Animation in the Resource Centre. (All of the material is an equivalent of a small manual)
Combine your video with other clips from other applications such as Google SketchUp. I also add Leapfrog Mining animations for subsurface but ArcScene does that pretty well too.
When you get better at making the flyovers you will notice that some features are seriously lacking such as the option to add sky with clouds, cast realistic shadows, etc. It seems like a small thing but when flying and spinning around it is nice to have a sky dome that moves and responds in a corresponding fashion. In ArcGIS you only have the option of a solid colour, ArcGlobe allows environmental haze but it adds problems when rendering and still does not appear as natural as a sky would.
