Trajectory Animation on a Personal Computer

This paper describes, lists and demonstrates the features of a computer program which permits animation of a plan view of a vehicle's trajectory on a video monitor. Page-flip animation in the Microsoft QuickBasic 4.5 language for MS DOS compatible computers is used. The program accepts and uses a sequential data file, defined by the user, of vehicle positions and orientations over uniform time intervals. Following animation, the program allows selection of an arbitrary sequence of some or all of the vehicle's positions on the monitor for transfer to a hard copy. The computer program is being distributed for public use as a utility program.

A short review of the use of computerized animation software in legal environments is presented.