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  6. Working in Trimble Connect Visualizer

Working in Trimble Connect Visualizer

Tekla Structures
2021
Tekla Structures

Working in Trimble Connect Visualizer

Before you take snapshots or create animations in Trimble Connect Visualizer, you can zoom, drag, and pan the model to get the desired views. You can also adjust the scene settings to control, for example, the brightness of the scene and the position of the sun.

Zoom, rotate, or pan the rendered model

Do any of the following:
To Do this

Zoom in

Do either of the following:

  • Scroll forward with the mouse wheel.
  • Press the W key on the keyboard.

Zoom out

Do either of the following:

  • Scroll backward with the mouse wheel.
  • Press the S key on the keyboard.

Rotate the model
  1. Place the mouse pointer over the point around which you want to rotate the model.
  2. Hold down the left mouse button.
  3. Drag the model with the left mouse button.

You can also press the arrow keys on the keyboard to rotate the model.

Pan the model
  1. Hold down the middle mouse button.
  2. Drag the model with the middle mouse button.

You can also press the A and D keys on the keyboard to pan the model.

Adjust the scene

In Trimble Connect Visualizer, you can modify the following scene settings:
  • The used skybox, or background, and its rotation
  • The position of the sun
  • The brightness of the scene
  • The visibility and position of the ground plane
  1. Click on the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.
  2. Do any of the following:
    To Do this

    Change the skybox

    The skybox that is currently in use is highlighted with blue. To change the skybox:

    • Click another skybox in the skybox selector at the top of Trimble Connect Visualizer.

    You can also use your own images as skyboxes. Note that all skybox images need to be 360° images with a ratio of 2:1. Save the skyboxes in the C:\Users\<user>\Pictures\TrimbleConnectVisualizer\Skyboxes folder. The skyboxes will be available in the skybox selector the next time you open Trimble Connect Visualizer.

    Rotate the skybox
    • Move the rotation slider at the top of Trimble Connect Visualizer.

    You can lock the position of the skybox and the direction of the sun together by clicking . After locking the direction of the sun and the position of the skybox, moving the rotation slider also moves the sun direction slider by the same amount.

    Adjust the brightness of the scene
    • Move the brightness slider at the upper-right corner.

    Adjust the position of the sun
    Do any of the following:

    • To change the direction of the sun, move the sun direction slider at the upper-left corner.

      You can lock the direction of the sun and the position of the skybox together by clicking . After locking the direction of the sun and the position of the skybox, moving the rotation slider also moves the sun direction slider by the same amount.

    • To change the height of the sun above the horizon, move the sun height slider on the left side of the rendered model.

    Show or hide the ground plane

    • To switch between showing and hiding the ground plane, click on the left side of the rendered model.

    When the ground plane is switched on, a slider appears below the button. You can move the slider to adjust the height of the ground plane.

Take and view snapshots

  1. Adjust the position of the model and the scene as needed.
  2. Click at the upper-left corner of the Trimble Connect Visualizer window.

Trimble Connect Visualizer takes a snapshot of the current view of the rendered model. The snapshots are saved in the C:\Users\<username>\Pictures\TrimbleConnectVisualizer folder.

To open the C:\Users\<username>\Pictures\TrimbleConnectVisualizer folder and view the snapshots that you have taken, click at the upper-left corner of the Trimble Connect Visualizer window.

Create animations

You can combine different views of the rendered model to create animations that show the model from different angles. Do the following:

  1. Click on the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.
  2. Do any of the following:
    To Do this

    Add a view

    1. Move the model to get the view that you want to use.

    2. Click + on the toolbar below the view.

    Repeat steps a to b to create all necessary views.

    Note that when you have added multiple views, you need to click + on the right side of the view after which you want to add the new view. Similarly, click + or on the left side of the view before which you want to add the new view.

    Remove a view from the animation
    • Click the Close button (X) at the upper-right corner of a view.

    Set the time between views

    The time between views determines the speed of the animation.

    • Type the desired time in seconds in the box below the rendered model ().

    Play or stop the animation
    • To play the animation, click on the toolbar below the rendered model.
    • To stop the animation and return to the first view, click .

    Play the animation continuously

    You can choose to play the animation in a loop without stopping.

    1. Click on the toolbar below the rendered model.
    2. To play the animation, click .

    Freeze the sun position in the animation

    In each view you create, the sun is in a different position. Animations can look strange if the sun moves, so it might be helpful to freeze the sun position.

    • Click on the toolbar below the rendered model.
  3. To save the animation, use a screen recorder, such as the built-in free screen recorded in Windows 10.

    You can find more information, for example, here.

Return to the initial view of the model

Click on the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.

The model returns to the view that was opened when you started Trimble Connect Visualizer.

Enter or exit full screen mode

Click on the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.

Show or hide the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane

Click at the bottom of the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.

Use Trimble Connect Visualizer in VR mode

The VR mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer allows you to easily switch to a virtual reality mode. In the VR mode, you can move either with the keyboard or with an Xbox One controller that is connected to your computer. Note that moving in the VR mode imitates the speed of walking or running.

The VR mode uses the OpenVR API. Because of this, using the VR mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer has some prerequisites:

  • A VR device that is compatible with OpenVR must be attached to your computer and configured according to the instructions of the hardware vendor. Among others, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows MR, and VarjoVR devices are compatible with OpenVR.

    The VR mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer is heavier to render than the regular 3D mode. Check the technical specifications of the device to see if the device has enough capacity for working in the VR mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer. For more information, contact the vendor of your device.

  • Steam and SteamVR need to be downloaded and installed onto your computer:

    1. Download Steam and install it onto your computer.

    2. Create a Steam account and sign in to Steam.

    3. Download the SteamVR package onto your computer.

    4. Start SteamVR and configure it.

    You do not need to be signed in to Steam to work in the VR mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer. It is enough to set up Steam once, and then sign in for updates occasionally.

  1. Click in the Trimble Connect Visualizer side pane.

    If the VR mode icon () is not visible, your computer does not meet the requirements of the VR mode.

  2. Move in the VR mode as you wish.

    To move in the VR mode with

    Do this

    Your keyboard
    The keyboard controls are the same as in the regular 3D mode:

    • To move forward, press the W key.

    • To move backward, press the S key.

    • To move left, press the A key.

    • To move right, press the D key.

    • To move up and down, press the Q and E keys.

    • To rotate around the global vertical axis, press the X and Z keys.

    • To move at running speed, hold down Shift .

    An Xbox One controller

    When an Xbox One controller is connected to your computer via Bluetooth, use the following controls:

    • To move the viewer relative to the view direction, use the left stick.

    • To rotate around the global vertical axis, use the right stick.

    • To move up and down, use the left and right triggers.

    • To move at running speed, hold down the left stick.
  3. To switch back to the 3D mode, click again.
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