Camera Actions

Modifying the view cone graphically is a very quick way to set up a view for rendering. However, for more precise manipulation, you can select from the Camera Action options available in the Define Camera tool's icon bar. These allow you to quickly and precisely adjust a view with controlled movement of the view cone. This can be:

• Relative to the pointer movement in the camera view.

• With Controlled Movement, such that each data point moves, revolves, or rotates the view cone by a defined distance or angle.

• As defined by key-ins in the relative settings fields.

  To	In the icon bar, select
  Move the camera or the target radially (horizontally or vertically) relative to each other.	Pan
  Move the camera or the target radially (horizontally) relative to each other.	Pan Horizontal
  Move the camera or the target radially (vertically) relative to each other.	Pan Vertical
  Roll or tilt the camera.	Roll
  Move the camera horizontally or vertically.	Dolly/Elevate
  Move the camera in, out, or sideways.	Dolly
  Change the Lens Focal Length.	Lens Focal Length
  Change the Lens Viewing Angle.	Lens View Angle
  Walk through the view.	Pan/Dolly

Keyins to directly control the view camera

Two key-ins can be used to directly control the view camera — CAMERA ROLL and CAMERA PROJECTION:

• CAMERA ROLL [angle] — sets the roll (tilt) angle of the camera for a view. If no value is given for angle, then it is assumed to be zero. The angle also may be entered in the tool settings window, which appears when you enter the key-in. After entering the key-in, select the view required to have its angle set.

• CAMERA PROJECTION [ANGLE | ONEPOINT | TWOPOINT | THREEPOINT] — sets the projection mode for a view. If a projection mode is included in the key-in, then that projection mode is used. The projection mode also may be selected in the tool settings window, which appears when you enter the key-in. After entering the key-in, select the view required to have its projection mode set.

Controlling camera movement with the screen pointer

For manipulation of the active or camera view, via controlled movement, effectively the screen is sectioned off like a tic-tac-toe board.

Controlled Movement

For manipulations that allow movement horizontally and vertically, the middle section is the origin, and clicking in any other section produces movement.

Screen partitioning for controlled movement horizontally and vertically. Clicking in any of these sections produces movement as shown.

Where movements are restricted to the horizontal or vertical direction only, the center strip (horizontally or vertically respectively) becomes the origin. Here, clicking in the sections either side of the origin strip produces the desired movement.

Screen partitioning for controlled movement horizontally or vertically. Movements are as shown for horizontal (left), and vertical (right).

Continuous View Updates

When Continuous View Updates is turned on, the camera view updates dynamically, as the pointer is moved. The origin point for camera control, however, is the first data point in the camera view. Here, in effect, the screen sectioning is about this first data point. Thus, movement of the pointer from this data point produces the relative movement in the camera.

To calibrate the camera such that the viewing perspective matches that of a photograph or rendered image, use the Photomatch tool in the Rendering Tools tool box (see Photomatching).