A client understands a product faster when they can see it from every angle. That is exactly what a turntable animation does: the model slowly rotates on itself, in a loop, and the visitor has nothing to do but watch. On a website, in a bid or on a trade show screen, it shows in ten seconds what three photos struggle to explain.
Here is how to produce one in 4Reality, from the CAD file to a video ready to publish. In the example below, the model is a piece of industrial equipment from Acier JP, and the whole process took about fifteen minutes.
Step 1: Import the model
Open your CAD file in 4Reality: STEP, IGES, FBX, OBJ or STL. With STEP, the assembly structure is preserved, so every part stays available for materials.
Step 2: Create and apply the materials
Apply realistic materials to your parts: painted metal, steel, plastic, your product's colors. This is the step that turns a grey CAD model into a presentable product, and the result shows immediately, in real time.
Step 3: Set up the scene
Choose the background and the lighting. For a technical product, a plain, light background makes the equipment stand out without distractions; adjust the sun time or the lighting until the shapes read well from every angle, since the model will make a full turn. And if you want no shadow on the ground at all, give the background a material with the Unlit option checked in Material setup: it displays as-is, receiving neither light nor shadow, like the studio backdrop in the example below.
Step 4: Animate the model
Click the assembly you want to animate: the Model Animation tab window opens. Add a step and set the movement as follows:
- Movement type: Velocity, for a rotation at constant speed.
- Duration (s): the duration of one full turn, for example 10 seconds.
- Rotation (deg): 360 on the Z axis, one complete turn on itself.
Check Loop to repeat the animation endlessly, then press Play to check the result before exporting. Center the model carefully in the frame; rotation amplifies any offset.
Step 5: Create the video sequence
Open the Video sequence tool and create a two-step sequence that keeps the same camera position: frame your shot, capture it with Current view on the first step, then add a second step with the same view. The sequence duration must match the animation time: 10 seconds if your turn lasts 10 seconds. The camera stays still; only the model rotates.
Step 6: Set the format and record
Set the final format at the bottom of the panel: Frame by second and the resolution, using the Screen, 4K and 8K or a custom resolution. Run Preview to check the sequence, then Record to save the video when everything is ready. Rendering is real time: if the angle, the light or a material is not right, fix it and record again right away.
The example: the Acier JP equipment
Import, materials, scene, rotation, export: about fifteen minutes in total.
Your turn
4Reality Designer is free, for personal and commercial use. Import your model and produce your first animation: http://www.4reality.ca