Animation / Assembly State and Hotkey Triggers?

[D_Hale]

Creo 7.0.8

Question:
Is there a way to trigger animations using hot-keys?

Background:

As I've been working through the designs on some relatively complex mechanical assemblies, it has been really beneficial to my peer-review groups to have some animations to illustrate how my mechansims work.

While I have been creating individual animations, exporting the video, and running the review from Powerpoint, it is really common that we end up browsing the CREO Files live for more clarity.

I would like a way to have a series of animations / explode-states that I could readily trigger via hot-keys / map-keys  / even an on-screen set of buttons that initiate a state.

Example:

State 1: Closed tool-case

State 2: Opened Tool-case

State 3: Ratchet-wrench removal from case, socket removal from case, socket installation to ratchet-wrench

State 4: Ratchet+Socket moved to bolt

My actual needs are more complex, and the mechanisms I'm designing require re-positioning and re-orientation. Due to their mass, I have to design additional material handling mechanisms. It would be nice to be able to browse the assembly models live, and be able to trigger pre-programmed animations live.

Activation of an explode state could suffice, but that (at least currently) does not allow the parts to move in a specific path, so either an improved explode tool enabling path-definition, or a live animation tool would be ideal.

Is there anything currently available that approaches this capability within CREO?

If there is not, I may move this down to the Ideas section.

Thanks!

-Dave

[pausob]

I'd think combined states would get you there 80% of the way?

They show up as tabs along the bottom of the screen and so you'd activate each one during your design review?

Then run the animations?  But I don't know how to do this via hot-keys; maybe mapkeys can be rigged to play them but seems more trouble than it's worth.

[D_Hale]

This looks like something that will definitely help. I am not sure I could've gotten to that via my google efforts, so thanks for the pointer!

The hot-key part isn't as important as not needing to menu-dive to change states, which the tabs will facilicate.

I'd love to see if I can animate things differently in each state, but at least this is a start.

Many thanks!