New in Home Designer 2014: Create detailed walkthrough recordings along paths. Add key frames at any point on the spline to control view direction and speed; walk up or down stairs and to span walkthrough between floors. See Article 1045 for instructions.

A 3D Walkthrough is a series of picture files saved in .avi format that can be played by other applications such as Windows Media Player.

There are two ways to record a walkthrough:

• Draw a path in floor plan view using the CAD tools, then direct the program to record a walkthrough along that path.
  
  
• Create a 3D view, then begin recording and use the Move Camera tools to navigate through the view. 
  
  
  

Note: In this tutorial, we will be creating a walkthrough along a path. Information about recording a walkthrough using the Move Camera tools to navigate through the view is available in the program's Help.

1. First, launch the program and open the plan in which you would like to record a walkthrough.
   
   
   
   
   
2. If you want a door to appear as open in your walkthrough:
   
   
   • Select the door using the Select Objects  tool, then click on the Open Object  edit tool.
     
     
   • On the General tab of the Door Specification dialog, uncheck Draw Closed and click OK.
     
     
   • In Home Designer Pro, this checkbox is located on the Options tab.
     
     
     
3. In addition, since backgrounds are stationary, you may want to change your background to a solid color for the purposes of the walkthrough. To do this:
   
   
   • Select 3D> 3D Backdrop  and change the radio button to Solid Color. 
     
     
   • By default, White will be chosen, but you can click on the Select button to change this color. 
     
     
   • Click OK once you have chosen the appropriate color.
     
     

To create a path for a walkthrough

Any CAD Polyline or Spline can be used as the path for a walkthrough. In this example, we will draw a Spline.

1. Select the CAD menu and go to CAD> Draw Spline .
   
   
   • Draw the first spline segment just as you would a line. A single spline segment looks identical to a line.
     
     
   • Draw the second segment from the end of the first at a different angle. As soon as two straight spline segments connect end-to-end, the straight segments become a curve. The point where two segments meet is called a vertex.
     
     
   • Draw a few more segments, connecting each to the free end of a previously drawn segment. As additional segments are drawn, the spline's curvature changes to create an irregular curve that flows smoothly through each vertex.
     
     
      
     
     
     
2. Using the Select Objects  tool, click on the polyline or spline path.
   
   
    
   
   
   
3. If necessary, use the edit handles to adjust the spline. 
   
   
   
4. New vertices can be added by selecting the Break Line  edit tool and then clicking where you want the extra vertex on the spline.
   
   
   

To record a walkthrough along a path

1. Click on the Polyline or Spline that you drew to serve as your walkthrough path, then click the Record Walkthrough Along Path  edit button.
   
   
   • You can also select 3D> Walkthroughs> Record Walkthrough Along Path from the menu while the Polyline or Spline is selected.
     
     
     
2. An information message displays, reminding you that while a walkthrough is being recorded along a path, you should avoid using your computer. Click OK. 
   
    
   
   
   
3. The Select Movie File dialog opens next.
   
   
   
   
   
   • Click the Save in: drop down list and browse to the location where you want to save your walkthrough .avi file.  Two easy to find locations are your Desktop or in your My Documents folder.
     
     
   • In the File name: text field, type a short, descriptive name of the walkthrough and click the Save button. 
     
     
     
4. The Walkthrough Options dialog will display next. 
   
    
   
   
   
   • Specify the desired number of Frames Per Second, between 1 and 100. A higher number results in a higher quality recording, but also a larger .avi file.
     
     
   • Specify a Duration Along Path, in seconds. 
     
          Frames per Second  x   Duration along Path   = Total Frames to Record 
     
     
     
   • Specify a Compression percentage between 0 and 100.  A value of 0 gives the highest quality images, but also the largest file sizes.
     
     
   • Select a Rendering Technique from the drop-down list. Bear in mind that some techniques require more times to render than others. (Not available in Chief Architect X1 or Home Designer 8 programs.)
     
     
   • Click OK.
     
     
     
5. Depending on the length of your walkthrough path and the level of quality that you specified, it could take some time to record the walkthrough.
   
   
   • To cancel the recording as it is being created, press the ESC key on your keyboard. 
     
     
   • If you resize the current view window while recording a walkthrough, the program will stop recording.
     
     
     
     
     

To view your walkthrough

1. When the walkthrough is finished recording, it can be viewed in any media player that can play .avi files.
   
   
   
2. Browse to the location on your computer where you saved the .avi walkthrough file in Windows Explorer. 
   
   
   
3. Double click on your .avi file to run it in your default media player and see the results.
   
   
   
4. If you would like, you can return to your plan and further adjust the spline, as well as change the settings in the Walkthrough dialog, and then record a new walkthrough.