Can the camera do Dolly tracking? Straight forward and back.

[Yon]

Can the camera be backed up along it's directional axis, a dolly tracking?  The scroll wheel on the mouse does something akin, and Walkthrough: if you are looking in a straight plane.

Thanks, Yon

[Justin Montoya]

Hey Yon!

Are you wanting to Animate the camera on a path?  You can, you need to either use the Animate Entities tool on the Camera Views you create  or you can create a path line, or spline and then animate the camera to that line. Check this out:

 

Edited January 30 by Justin Montoya

[Yon]

Justin, that is cool.  I'm testing it out. 

Really, I am hoping to just back up, without changing the camera to object path.  Like zooming, but the camera moves and not the view angle.  You know, you get something you like but you want to be closer or further.

 

Thanks again for the awesome info!

Yon

 

[Justin Montoya]

Oh!  Have you tried the Walkthrough tool?

  

It has options to Avoid Collisions, or not, as I prefer to use it without that option so I can more easily navigate the scene.  

To back up straight with the Walkthrough tool, you will just click and hold down the click and slowly drag downward a little bit with your mouse.   For forward walk, you will drag upward.

 

[Yon]

Walkthrough works great if you are looking level, but it seems to keep the Z value fixed ('formed' Z as a pun). So looking down you don't go straight back.  A work around is drawing a line from the target to where you want the camera.  And then you can move or copy the line to itself.  the camera can be placed on a line, but you can't seem to place a line on the camera or its interface (shame).

And again Justin, your detailed responses are awesome.  People who check out what you share can reproduce what you are saying.  Very valuable.

[etroxel]

You can use the Cone of Vision editor under the View pull-down menu to constrain the movement of the camera along the sight line axis. 

[Yon]

Yesssss!!!  That is it.  Thank you.  And it gives you the preview too.  I knew it was hiding somewhere. 

Thank you Etroxel. 

Now... is there a window to see what lights are pointing at?  It's all too much right

[etroxel]

Lights show up in there too, but unfortunately they can’t be modified. 

Alternatively, you can:

1. switch to quad view so you can fully see the light in 3d space
2. turn on light visibility in the Lights palette
3. select the light with the Pick tool
4. turn on Show Controls in the Inspector palette
5. adjust the light position (and some other things depending on the light type)

It’s not quite the same as in Edit Cone of Vision (you don’t get the axis like you do with the camera), but it’s probably ok.

[Yon]

Thanks so much, Etroxel (cap.. no cap?)  Sometimes you want a light to cast a very specific shadow, like onto a wall, so seeing what it lines up with (like a camera sees) is helpful.  Copying the coordinates of said camera works, but is an extra step.

[etroxel]

Agreed, some apps allow you to “look through” the light (like a camera) which is super helpful. I think this is more of a VFX or motion graphics thing. 

[Tech]

Depth Interactive navigation might be what you are after. Check the Key Shortcuts manager.

[Yon]

This is very close, but it uses the mouse screen position as well, which pulls you subtly (or drastically) away from the original line.  It does work, just differently

Thank you for the tip,

Yon

[CJTFORM-Z]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:32 PM, etroxel said:

Hi Evan & others,

On a side note, how do you get that 'dark-side' user interface ? 

 

[etroxel]

Upgrade to v10 😀