Assembly Animations
Author named poses and timed transitions for a multi-piece assembly, so customers can watch the product fold and assemble in 3D.
Assembly animations let you show customers how a multi-piece product goes together. You define a set of named states — poses of the whole assembly — and then author transitions between them on a multi-track timeline. Customers play the result in 3D on the storefront and in the Print Editor.
This is the multi-piece counterpart to Animations, which sets fold angles on a single dieline. An assembly animation drives both the folds of each member piece and the mates that hold the pieces together, so a single transition can fold a carton flat-to-formed while sliding its lid into place.
Assembly animations require the CAD Assemblies license feature and an assembly with at least one piece. See Assemblies.
States
A state is a named pose of the entire assembly. It records two things:
- Folds — the angle of every crease on every piece, in degrees.
0is flat and180is fully folded; the usable range is-90to180. - Mates — the rotation and offset values of every mate, so pieces can be positioned differently in different states.
Typical assemblies use states like Flat, Formed, and Assembled.
Creating states
Click Generate defaults to have PrintNow create a starting set of states from the assembly's current configuration. This is the fastest way to begin — you get a sensible flat and folded pose to adjust rather than building poses from scratch.
To edit a state, select it and choose a Piece. The fold list shows every crease on that piece with its angle in the current state. Pieces with no creases show "This piece has no folds."
Adjusting a state updates the 3D preview immediately, so you can pose the assembly visually and save the result as the state.
Transitions
A transition animates from one state to another. Each has a from state, a to state, and a set of tracks describing what moves and when.
Transitions only become available once the assembly has at least two states — until then the panel reads "Add a second state to get transitions."
Easing
A transition has a default easing curve, and each individual track can override it. The available curves are:
| Family | Options |
|---|---|
| Linear | linear |
| Sine | easeInSine, easeOutSine, easeInOutSine |
| Quadratic | easeInQuad, easeOutQuad, easeInOutQuad |
| Cubic | easeInCubic, easeOutCubic, easeInOutCubic |
Use easeInOut curves for motion that should settle naturally, and linear when several elements need to stay visually in step.
The Timeline
The timeline is the main authoring surface for a transition. It shows a shared time ruler with one bar per animating element beneath it, grouped by piece.
Each row is either a fold track (one crease on one piece) or a mate track (the positioning of one child piece). Only elements that actually change between the two states get a track.
Editing tracks
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Drag a bar | Moves the element's motion earlier or later without changing its duration. |
| Drag a bar's edge | Resizes it, changing the Start and End times of that element's motion. |
| Scrub the ruler | Moves the playhead. The 3D preview updates to show the assembly at that exact moment. |
| Play / Stop | Runs the transition in the preview at real speed. |
Staggering bars is what makes an assembly read clearly — fold the base before dropping the lid in, rather than moving everything at once.
Waypoints
A track interpolates smoothly from its start value to its end value. Waypoints add intermediate points so motion can overshoot, pause, or change direction mid-transition.
Select a point on a track to open the waypoint editor:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Time (ms) | When this waypoint occurs, in milliseconds from the start of the transition. |
| Value | The fold angle or mate values at that moment. |
| Delete waypoint | Removes the waypoint; the track reverts to interpolating through the remaining points. |
| Done | Closes the waypoint editor. |
Storefront and Print Editor Playback
Once saved, the animation ships with the assembly. Customers see the assembled product in 3D and can play the transitions you authored — watching a flat set of dielines fold and come together into the finished product.
The same animation data drives both the storefront 3D widget and the Print Editor preview, so what you author here is what customers see in both places.
Related Pages
- Assemblies — compose the pieces and mates an animation drives
- Animations — fold animations for single-piece standards
- Panels — panel roles referenced by folds and mates
- Custom Libraries Quick Start — Print CAD admin basics