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Surfer : Recording Videos

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Recording MP4 videos in Surfer allows you to transform static 3D models into fly-through animations and engaging visual presentations. Exporting screen actions directly from the 3D View window delivers compact, high-quality video files that easily share complex spatial data with clients and stakeholders.

Topics covered in this article:

Choosing the Right Recording Method

Save Fly-Through Videos as MP4

Record Video

 

Choosing the Right Recording Method

Surfer offers distinct ways to capture video in the 3D View. Use the comparison table below to determine which workflow best fits your presentation goals:

Feature Record Video Fly-Through
Best Used For Capturing live, interactive screen actions (e.g., toggling layers, changing color scales, manual 3D rotations). Presenting smooth, guided camera flights along a pre-defined polyline or polygon route.
Pros
  • Quick and easy to set up
  • Great for demonstrating dynamic model adjustments and layer visibility
  • Produces smooth, professional camera movement automatically
  • Allows automated, repeatable playback along an exact path.
Video Export Export & Camera Controls

  • Framerate (FPS), resolution, and compression are manually set.

  • Camera movement is driven manually by mouse and keyboard input.

  • Framerate (FPS), path duration, resolution, and compression are manually set.

  • Flight path and camera angle are guided by vector path.
Limitations & Considerations
  • Panning and camera smoothness depend on manual mouse control
  • Can't exactly replicate a video.
  • Requires drawing or selecting a vector path prior to recording
  • Can't make dynamic model adjustments, such as turning on/off layers during the flight path

 

Save Fly-Through Videos as MP4

Fly-throughs are an intuitive way to guide viewers through your 3D surface and subsurface models. Fly through your model along a specified polyline or polygon path and record the fly-through to a file. Save your fly-through as an MP4 file, delivering higher quality with lower file sizes compared to legacy AVI formats.

Save a Fly-Through to an MP4 file! This example demonstrates a flight through Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord from Flåm to Gudvangen, Norway.

 

Record Video

3D visualization is one of the most effective ways to explore data, reveal patterns, and detect anomalies in spatial context. When presenting findings, recording your direct interactions within the 3D View window ensures every perspective is communicated clearly with 3D View | Output | Record Video.

Capturing on-screen actions is simple: start recording, rotate your scene, toggle specific layers, adjust color scales, or navigate surface features. Exporting your recording as an MP4 video provides a portable asset for stakeholder reviews, presentations, and technical reports.   

Press Start Record and record the 3D View window! Turn layers on or off, change colors, rotate the model,  it's all recorded for you to save in a compact MP4 file for you to share with clients and stakeholders.

 

 

 

 

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