How to play a 3D model's animation and review it with your client

To play a 3D model's animation in MeshMarkup, upload a file that carries animation clips (an animated GLB or glTF, or an FBX or DAE, which are converted with their clips). MeshMarkup finds the clips when the model opens and adds a Motion button to the toolbar. Nothing plays until you press play. On Solo and above you can let your client play it on the review link too.

#What counts as an animated model

MeshMarkup plays the animation clips stored in the file: parts that move, turn or scale (an assembly opening, a mechanism running) and skinned characters. A file can carry several clips, for example "Running" and "Bolts out".

If a model doesn't show the Motion button, the file has no clips MeshMarkup can play. See exporting an animated GLB for the settings in SolidWorks, Blender, Maya and 3ds Max.

#Play the animation

1. 1

   Open the model

   Open it from Models. Animated models show Animated · N on their card, N being the number of clips. The first time you open one, a note at the top of the stage says the model is animated and names its clips. Click Open Motion, or close the note.

2. 2

   Click Motion on the toolbar

   It's the clapperboard on the dark toolbar down the left of the stage. Press A for the same thing. A bar opens along the bottom of the stage.

3. 3

   Press play

   The blue button plays and pauses. Drag the slider to any moment, or click on it to jump there. The time shows as minutes, seconds and tenths (0:01.2).

4. 4

   Pick a clip

   When the file has more than one clip, the clip's name next to the play button opens a list of them.

5. 5

   Loop and speed

   The loop button plays the clip round and round (on by default). The speed button cycles through 0.25×, 0.5×, 1× and 2×.

6. 6

   Close Motion

   Click Motion again. The model goes back exactly to where it was before you opened the bar.

While the bar is open, the exploded view is folded away so the parts move from where the animation puts them. It comes back when you close the bar. When a model is animated, its triangle and mesh count moves from the bottom of the stage to the top, next to the round label, to make room for the bar.

#Let your client play it

1. 1

   Open Motion on the model's page

2. 2

   Turn on Clients can play it

   The switch sits at the right end of the Motion bar. It's off for every model until you turn it on.

3. 3

   Share the review link as usual

   The review link opens with a compact bar along the bottom of the model: play, the clip and the slider. Nothing plays until your client presses play.

On a phone, the client's toolbar folds into one gear button on the left of the stage. Tap it to open the tools in a row beside it.

#Notes your client pins to a moment

When Clients can play it is on, a note your client leaves while the bar is open can be pinned to that moment of the clip. Your note then shows the clip and time, and clicking it opens Motion paused at that moment. See pinning a note to a moment.

#In the free viewer

The free viewer plays animations too, with no account. When a dropped file is animated, the Motion bar opens on its own and the line under the model says how many animations it has.

#Common problems

• No Motion button. The file has no animation clips. Export it again with animation turned on, or check the clip isn't empty.
• Parts move in the wrong place. The animation moves parts relative to how the file built them. If you exported a different configuration from the one you animated, export again from the same one.
• My client doesn't see Motion. Check Clients can play it is on for that model, and that your studio is on Solo or above.