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View Full Version : Dynamic Camera Parenting & Export -- (in Camera Edit)?

solar power
08-21-2003, 08:29 AM
Sorta still working this out in my head...

I want to set up several different cameras in my scene in MB... and use these cameras to sort of set up the framing of each shot. In addition, by being able to quicktly select between cams, I'll be able to switch between different views of the scene quickly.

The probem: you can only render one camera.

So: is there a way to dynamically parent the main cam to these others. By animating the main cam's parent relationship, (I envision) you can effectively create a jump cut to a different shot of the scene, without having to reposition one camera over and over.

FREX: Like the same way MB will "hand off" a charachter from one actor to another. But without any blend or tween.

Then during export, only the main camera will be imported back into the host 3D app and will jump to each shot in the scene.

Any ideas on how to approach this??


peace!!!
LFGabel
08-21-2003, 03:20 PM
Although I have yet to try this out, Solar Power, check out the Stories feature of MB. I think it may allow you to switch from one cam to another.
solar power
08-21-2003, 09:15 PM
this is what I have gleaned so far from the kaydara forum.....

you can always use multiple parent-child constraints to constraint a camera to each of the different cameras of the camera switcher. Then you will be able to animate the influence of each parent-child constraint. Simply make sure that you are using a constant interpollation
between each transition. Then plot the animation on the constraint Camera and merge it back or create it in a Max scene using the FBX plugin.

For more details, please take a look at the attach FBX file.



....but it also seems that......




The only thing that doesn't get plotted in the final camera
is the field of view channel. It would be really nice if there was
a feature in the camera switcher that would allow you to
bake the result into a single camera, that could then be
exported to any 3d app through the fbx plugin.




.....this seems to give me the end result that I'm lookin for.....still gotta work it out.

Any one have a link to any docs/info on the camera switcher or stories tool? I can't seem to find much info on it.

Also......as far as cameras in the viewer goes.... I a bit confused about how the cam's intrest is a separate control from the camera itself.

In LightWave you can choose the camera, and position all its attributes while you are seeing the 'camera's view' making it real easy to frame up a shot.

Unless I'm misunderstaning the multiple camera control....it seems like you can only do this with the 'Producer camera' in MB. This seems a bit unintuitive to me.

It seems if you have a camera selected...you can use the shift and control keys to translate and rotate.....

but....it only updates the *translation* properties of the chosen camera. I must need tons of practice, because this seems really confusing to me coming from LightWave :)

Yo!.....were all the pro-dawgs be at....!!!
Shower me with your sophisticated, time-tested, MB workflow tips! Is all this moot with the new tools in MB5??


Thanks for the shout out lfgabel...
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