About Cameras

The camera context menu lets you adjust the viewpoint.

This page discusses:

See Also
Creating a Camera

Camera Context Menu

The camera context menu helps you adjust the viewpoint.

To do so, right-click the camera in the tree. In the context menu, the following commands are available:

Icon Command Description


Update From View Adjusts the camera when the viewpoint is modified.

To automatically adjust the camera, double-click the camera in the tree.



View Angle Modifies the focal length directly in the 3D viewer.

To increase the focal length, drag the green arrow counterclockwise or clockwise to decrease it.

To manually edit the parameter, right-click the green arrow and then select Edit.

Important: In the View Render Style panel, you can select a perspective or parallel camera type. For more information, see Camera Lens.

Camera Visualization

After creating a camera, you can visualize and manipulate it in the work area.

The camera visualization in the 3D area is affected by zoom. To activate it, select a camera in the scene or in the tree.

Conical Camera. The pyramid height corresponds to the focal length. The pyramid base corresponds to the film dimensions.

Cylindrical Camera. The plane corresponds to the film dimensions.

  • The source point (1) rotates the camera around its target point.
  • The target point (2) rotates the camera around its source point.
  • The source green square translates and rotates the camera around its target point.
  • The target green square translates and rotates the camera around its source point.

Camera Parameters

Camera parameters let you adjust the camera lens and position.

To do so, right-click the camera in the tree, and then select Properties.

Camera Lens

In the Lens tab, the following camera types are available:

Type Description Focal
Perspective

Corresponds to a standard conical camera with a nonzero focal length.

In the 3D Viewer, parallel lines in the camera line of view intersect at the same point.

These cameras are close to human vision.

You can modify the focal length. It is the distance between the camera origin and the viewing plane in millimeters.
Parallel

Corresponds to a cylindrical camera.

In the 3D Viewer, parallel lines in the camera line of view never intersect.

These cameras define architectural viewpoints.

You can modify the scale. It is a zoom factor that determines the scale of view.

To edit the focal length or scale, use the slider or enter a value.

A preview window helps you visualize the modifications. You can also modify the camera directly in the preview window.

Camera Position

In the Position tab, the following options are available:

Option Description
Origin Defines the coordinates of the eye position in millimeters.
Target Defines the coordinates of the center of rotation of the camera (the point located at the center of the viewport). You can specify the center of rotation by middle-clicking a point: the coordinated are memorized with the camera.

To reset values, select Reset value next to each parameter.

To automatically adjust the camera whenever you modify the viewpoint, select Update Camera from Current View.