How to use 3DExcite’s Creative Experience

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExcite allows users to develop animated scenes using CAD models.

Creative Experience, part of the 3DExcite suite, allows designers and engineers to craft interactive 3D experiences. Here’s what it is and how it works.

What is Creative Experience?

Creative Experience is an app in the 3D Demonstrator role on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform. It leads the way in the 3DExcite suite by turning existing content into engaging 3D experiences. This app works with the 3DExperience platform to help different industries create, manage and share interactive content more effectively.

How to get started with Creative Experience

Creative Experience provides tools to create and manage interactive 3D experiences. This guide explores its user interface and essential features, including Content Management, Canvas Manipulation, 3D Area, Properties Manager Tab and Action Bar. User Interface Overview: To effectively create and manage interactive experiences with Creative Experience, familiarize yourself with its user interface components:

1. Project Panels: Detailed views and management options for different project aspects. Here, you can view and organize all elements of your project in a structured tree format.

Additionally, Shortcut Toolbars are available when you right-click, offering context-specific commands to simplify your tasks.

General: Modify, add, duplicate, delete.

Cameras: Sync, adjust viewpoint, set startup.

Lights: Align position, viewpoint.

UI Actors: Edit style, layout, adjust order.

Paths: Reverse direction.

2. Action Bar: Located at the bottom of your screen, the action bar serves as your command center, organizing essential tools into intuitive sections tailored to different project aspects.

• Assemble Section: Tools for organizing project components.
• Storytelling Section: Commands for managing narrative elements.
• Rendering Section: Options for visualizing your project.
• Panels Section: Access to detailed project management panels.
• Publish Section: Tools for finalizing and sharing your experience.
• View Section: Commands for project visualization control.
• Standard Section: Basic, frequently used commands.
• Twin Section: Specialized commands for managing digital twins.

3. Object Properties: Customizable properties for every element within your experience, allowing precise adjustments to actors, behaviors and other elements.

Managing Helicopter Controller properties

Let’s look at the example of a helicopter controller developed by Dassault Systèmes.

In the Properties panel, you can manage the helicopter controller properties for precise control over the helicopter’s behavior. Here’s a detailed overview of the options available:

General Settings:

• Active: Toggle this setting to determine whether the behavior is active during a session.

• Parameters:
  • Main and Tail Rotor Selection: Choose to configure the main rotor and the tail rotor. This setting is crucial for customizing the helicopter’s lift and directional control.
  • Maximum Speed: Define the maximum speed the helicopter can achieve. For instance, setting this value to 60 m/s will limit the helicopter’s speed to this maximum threshold.
  • Flight Altitude: Set the altitude limit for the helicopter’s operations. For example, a value of 20,000 mm (20 meters) specifies the maximum height at which the helicopter can fly.
  • Enable Turbulence: Activate this option to simulate turbulence effects, adding realism to the flight experience by mimicking environmental disturbances.

Advanced Settings:

• Acceleration: This parameter controls how quickly the helicopter’s speed increases. Adjusting this setting allows for smoother or more aggressive acceleration based on your needs.
• Angular Speed: Sets the rate at which the helicopter rotates. This adjustment is essential for controlling how quickly the helicopter can turn or tilt.
• Following Track Distance: Determines the distance the helicopter maintains from its intended flight path. A smaller value will keep the helicopter closer to the path, while a larger value will allow for more deviation.
• Landing Distance: Specifies the distance at which the automatic landing sequence is initiated. This is critical for ensuring the helicopter begins its descent at an appropriate time to ensure a safe landing.
• Automatic Landing Height: Defines the altitude at which the helicopter automatically starts the landing procedure. This ensures that the helicopter begins to descend from a predetermined height.
• Inertia Factor: Adjusts the helicopter’s response to changes in speed or direction. A factor of 0 means no inertia, resulting in immediate response to control inputs, while higher values introduce gradual changes to simulate more realistic flight behavior.
• Obstacle Detection Distance: Sets the range at which obstacles are detected ahead of the helicopter. This parameter helps prevent collisions by allowing the helicopter to react to obstacles before they come into close proximity.
• Obstacle Detection Frequency: Determines how often obstacle checks are performed based on the distance traveled. This setting helps balance performance and safety by regulating the frequency of obstacle scans.

Control Settings:

• Move Forward: Key for advancing the helicopter.
• Move Backward: Key for retreating the helicopter.
• Go Up: Key for initiating upward movement or take-off.
• Go Down: Key for landing or descending.
• Turn Left: Key for leftward rotation.
• Turn Right: Key for rightward rotation.
• Move Left: Key for horizontal left movement.
• Move Right: Key for horizontal right movement.

By configuring these properties, you can precisely control and customize the helicopter’s flight characteristics, ensuring optimal performance and realism in various scenarios.

Playing your experience

The below GIF demonstrates a helicopter moving within the 3DExperience platform, showcasing the practical application of the helicopter controller properties. It can provide a clearer understanding of how the above settings impact the overall user experience.

1. From the Compass, press Play to run the experience.
2. Optional: In the action bar, press Pause to pause your experience.

Note: Be sure to stop the experience before saving or making any edits.

Exploring the Helicopter Controller properties:

To visualize the practical application of the Helicopter Controller properties, check out this tutorial for a detailed walkthrough.

The second part of this article explores managing environments in Creative Experience with Ambience Studio.