Step 7b: Animation (particle movement)

  • Click the "Animation" button to bring up the Animation Dialog Box.
  • Set the animation speed by specifying the amount of travel time (in days or years) that is equal to 1 second of animation time.
  • Set the animation smoothness by specifying number of frames per second.
  • Click "OK" and wait for the window to be refreshed.
  • To start the animation, click anywhere inside the window (below the buttons).
  • Additional clicks alternately freeze and unfreeze the animation.
  • The elapsed travel time is shown at the bottom of the window.

Important Note: Animation of fluid particle movement is computationally intensive because particle positions are computed "on the fly," that is, during the animation process. Animating a large number of fluid particles at fast animation speed could result in a "jerky" animation because the computer cannot update the screen at the required rate. If this occurs, stop the animation, reduce the number of particles (draw a smaller polygon and/or increase the particle spacing), and use a lower animation speed (reduced the travel time per second of animation time).

Back to Step 6b
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