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Implement 'Create Flyby from Path' in ArcGIS Pro

3569
11
03-26-2019 05:16 AM
Status: Implemented
Labels (1)
Johnvan_Smaalen
Occasional Contributor

ArcMap had functionality to move the observer (camera) along a predefined line/path to create an animation: 'Create Flyby from Path'.
ArcGIS Pro lacks this functionality. The same for an object other than the camera (e.g. a car, airplane).

11 Comments
KoryKramer
PeterBirch

We have a proposed pipeline route that is 600 Km long and my client would like a fly though in 3D along the length of the route at a fixed angle with the camera moving up and down at a constant height from the pipe itself. I have experimented with key frames, I could use Line to Point but even at 1 Km intervals it will generate 600 key frames to collect and then animate, as I already have the path I would like to fly along it would be much easier to add this an input to a tool, set the view parameters and let PRO do the heavy lifting.

AmyMolitor

I would like the 'Create Flyby with Path' feature in Pro as well.  Creating key frames from numerous points is quite onerous and labor intensive. 

KoryKramer

Thanks for the comment @AmyMolitor Be sure to add your kudos to the idea!

JohannesWeigel

There are several options to create an animation in an ArcGIS Pro Scene, but unfortunately it is still not possible to just provide an own custom polyline as a flight path. There would be so many use cases (flight along an overhead line, flight through a valley, simulate a drone flight etc.) where this would be so helpful instead of having to create hundreds of key frames by hand.

The camera should follow the polyline vertex by vertex, always looking into the direction of the next vertex, with a configurable angle towards the ground. I understand that a custom polyline would have to comply with some limitations (e.g. not too much change in distance between vertices, angle between line sections not too sharp), but this could be intercepted with a preliminary check.

The option to follow a custom polyline with the camera in an animation would highly increase the business value of animations in 3D scenes.

CyndyJBresloff

I entirely agree with the above comments as to how useful this ability would be in Pro (I have several use cases myself for this capability).   Is there any way programmatically (say, through Python) to obtain and edit the camera positions in an animation keyframe set?  I'm wondering if one was to calculate ideal values for the camera along an animation path, for instance,  if these could be 'fed in' to Pro somehow.  (I kind of doubt it, but thought I'd toss the idea out there). 

KoryKramer

@CyndyJBresloff please be sure to add your kudos to this idea to show your support! I won't be the best person to help with your question about programmatically controlling camera position, but there is this https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/arcpy/mapping/camera-class.htm 

Bark0s
by

@KoryKramer this link you posted is useful (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq4rzFPXwr4) but it does also contain the entirely un-useful line of "Our animation currently has a static viewpoint, but you can update the animation to fly along the line if you want."  Then it changes topic and doesn't show you how.  

It feels like animating the path is explained (but also strange that you need to create subsequent copies of the data to do so) but it doesn't show how to derive camera keyframes from features.  

MERR_100_200

@KoryKramer, has there been any movement on this?  I agree with @Bark0s that it is utterly maddening that the video says "of "Our animation currently has a static viewpoint, but you can update the animation to fly along the line if you want.", then doesn't detail how.

 

KoryKramer
Status changed to: In Product Plan