Creo simulate *.gif export

[ilyachaban]

Hello,
I'm trying to export *.gif files from a modal analysis, but the quality is extremely poor. The only available formats are *.avi and *.mpg — which is fine, I can convert them afterward — but the video quality is unacceptable.

I don’t understand why I can export simulation images as *.jpeg in absurdly high resolution, yet when it comes to videos, the quality is so low. There are compression artifacts, text becomes unreadable, and any small details in the model are completely lost in a blur of pixels.

Is there any way to improve the quality of exported video or gif files?

[skunks]

I use the free software CamStudio 😂

[ilyachaban]

😂This seems to be a solution for a specific case. However, we often use mapkeys to export multiple results in one go. If we want to export results directly from Creo, this functionality needs to be supported by PTC Creo Simulate Results.

[Chris3]

PTC hasn't updated this since the code was written and back then that resolution was "good enough". I have done this two different ways:

1. Write a macro that saves a frame of the animation as an image and then clicks on the next button and repeats for all of the frames. Then you can take all of those exported frames and make your own GIF from them. GIMP supports this if you put them all on a layers. PowerPoint can do it too if you put the images on separate slides.

2. Use ScreentoGIF. This is what I use most of the time because it is very user friendly

[ilyachaban]

wow, I did't think this way let me try this out

[MartinHanak]

---

@Chris3 wrote:

PTC hasn't updated this since the code was written and back then that resolution was "good enough". I have done this two different ways:

1. Write a macro that saves a frame of the animation as an image and then clicks on the next button and repeats for all of the frames. Then you can take all of those exported frames and make your own GIF from them. GIMP supports this if you put them all on a layers. PowerPoint can do it too if you put the images on separate slides.

2. Use ScreentoGIF. This is what I use most of the time because it is very user friendly

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... one more option ...

1.] use ShareX to record video

• start ShareX recording
• in Creo export multiple results in one go
• stop ShareX recording

2.] use Avidemux to split video into pieces corresponding to individual exports

[ilyachaban]

Sorry, I don't like to use 3rd party softwares for this kind of simple task. They won't allow me to use it from the creo. I've described the way I did it based on comments in this discussion. 

[ilyachaban · Accepted solution]

So, let's try approach you've recommended.

step 1: create mapkey which goes through all frames.
step 2: create mapkey which makes screenshots
step 3: join them together

NOW WE HAVE ALL SCREENSHOTS AT THE SAME FOLDER( MAPKEY IS RIGID SO IF THERE IS MORE OR LESS FRAMES MAPKEY WON'T WORK PROPERLY )

step 4: create something which is callable from creo and can make gif from screenshots for us
step 5: creating python script which parces folder and collects frames
step 6: creating part of code which joins all frames into 1 gif
step 7: creating *.bat file which is now callable from PTC creo (bat file can call compiled python as *.exe file or we can do it and call python script by py command)
step 8: test everything
step 9: WIP create modifications which will allow flexibility of this mapkey(more/less frames, go through modes, etc. )

RESULT:

 

[Chris3]

Looks great. Glad this worked for you.

[KenFarley]

In the past when I needed video information to show results I did the same. I think the program was something like Camtasia or a name like that. Maybe Creo has memory limits on amount of video data it can "grab" before it writes the file? Don't know.