Cameras & Aim Constraints

[Jozvex]

Perhaps you're using not just a 'camera' but a 'camera and aim'?

Because 2 types of cameras are already aiming at their.....aimer thing.

Just create a 'camera and aim' and point constrain the aim to the object.

[mark_wilkins]

for most purposes, using "Camera and Aim" to create a two-node camera will work fine.

You can't constrain a camera once you've set keys on its position, is it possible that's the problem?

In most cases where I need to constrain a camera in some different or arbitrary way, I find it's better to group the camera, name the new transform node something like "cam_group," and then constrain the transform node.

Then, when you're looking through the camera, you can still move the camera (which moves the camera in its local space under the constrained group node) but it will still follow the motion of whatever the constraint target is.

-- Mark
(veteran of six months of constraining cameras to ships for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas)

[.Hack//Sign]

So basically, if I had put the camera on a path FIRST, it will not constrain?

This is how I set it up (and what I want it to do):
I have a central scene (a logo for a game I am working on) I made a path for the camera to go around and then stop facing the logo at a certain node, created a camera object, placed the camera on the path (animate>attach to path) and then I created a locator, placed it in the area I want the camera to face, selected the locator, then selected the camera also and pressed the Aim Contraint button, and my problem comes up.

To the reply prior to Mark's: No, I made sure it is just a camera object. What Mark posted sounds more plausable I just need it clarified.

Thanks for the help so far.

[mark_wilkins]

That's correct, it won't work if the camera is animated along a path.

The easiest thing to do is group the camera, animate the transform along the path, and then point the camera wherever it needs to be.

-- Mark

[.Hack//Sign]

Please bear with me... I am just a newbie at this.

I created the camera constraint but it doesn't face the object unless I set the offset to something special and only stays with the locator with minimal movement, so putting the camera on an object that goes around a path won't work the way I want it to. Is there something I need to do in order to have the camera's *lens* facing the locator (most of the time it faces it but the part that faces it is the side, not the lens) no matter where the camera moves to?

Also, how do I attach the object group to the path without the camera being physically attached to the path? I have created a group and I can either attach one object or both but not the camera to the object and then the object to the path.

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