Hi!

I´m quite new to iClone, having used version 6 some time and recently updated to 7.

I´m very confused about camera movement in v7. In v6, you could move, tilt and pan the camera while viewing the camera image in the main viewport - like operating a normal camera. In v7, it seems this is not possible. I just cannot get the pan to work, the camera always seems to follow some track (orbiting something, even when nothing is selected). As I´m a film student, not an animator, this makes using the software for previsualization extremely clumsy for me. Just "operating" the camera would be the perfect way for me.

So my questinon is, is there any way to mimic "real" camera operation while watching the camera image? I tried to link the camera to a dummy, but when I move to the camera view, movement functions apply to the camera only and the dummy unfastens from the camera. If I put the camera image to the Mini viewport, the only way to operate the camera seem to be the Modify numerical inputs, which is superbly unnatural and slow.

It is most likely I just don´t how to use the software correcly. But in v6 this worked very well, I cannot understand what I´m doing wrong.

I´d appreciate any help very much! Also any advanced user tricks to manipulate camera as "camera operator" way as possible would be absolutely great!

Yours,
Fýr

Hi...

If you have a Camera selected from the dropdown on the top toolbar (see below), you can then use the Zoom (Z), Pan (X) or Orbit (C) controls and this will move the camera around.

Note: Make sure you have the correct Camera selected and not the Preview Camera.




                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Peter,

I don't think that's what the op is saying. He is talking about an issue that first appeared in IC 7, as I found out as well.

In IC 6, with the camera selected from the dropdown, when you pressed C to orbit it, the camera would orbit by turning on its axis. Now, when you try to orbit the camera, it seems to move in the X axis as well.

Imagine shooting with a real camera and turning your body 90 degrees while holding your feet still. That's what the camera did in IC 6. Now it is moving as well.

I was wondering why was that implemented but I didn't see anyone mentioning it and I forgot it.


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Phoenix  

You have to use the Transform tools to that. That would have been the same in iClone 6. 

Select the camera in the view port  (you will need another camera or Preview to see it) and then you can rotate and move while the camera is visible.

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..plus, if you hit CTRL+Q, you may transform camera with mouse and keyboard without external camera view. Just matter of getting used to....

Reference: CTRL+Q is a trigger to enable / disable transformation with a gizmo vs mouse / keyboard transformations.

Shortcuts reference

Yes, it is true that you can do it with the Gizmo.

But, in iClone 6, that wasn't the only way. You could enter the camera view and just rotate using C, and the camera would rotate on its axis.

Do the following test: Create a camera at frame 0, enter it's view with the dropdown, go to frame 200 and press C to rotate it 90 degrees. Theoretically the camera should only rotate on its axis, because you just used the Rotate hotkey.

Now exit the camera view, and make your camera visible. You will see that the transform settings change as well, the camera moves around. This shouldn't happen. Only the rotation should change because you used the Rotate function (C), as it was in iClone 6.

If no one understands what I say, I will post a simple project scene to make it apparent.


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Phoenix  

Ι did it anyway. Apologies for the cursor not showing, I don't know how to make it visible. But I used captions.

I hope you understand the difference.

The truth is that, being able to move the camera as if it was a real camera without exiting its view, is a very important tool. I know you can go to preview mode and use the gizmo and the mini viewport, but it's just not the same. People who have weilded a real camera will maybe understand me.


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Phoenix  

I understand you, and we are some people who noted that difference between IC6 and 7 for camera movements . I have manipulated many times cameras without problems  in IC6 and since IC7 I spend more time to correct camera movements who is totally illogic and strange if we compare to IC6, I remember a discussion about it . I understand you but life is like that, some evolutions are good for us, some are bad . I agree that there is another way as mentioned above but that I don't understand is "why complicate something which was simple before ?  


     

I don't know folks. I understand it maybe a matter of preference, but it is not all that bad.

The only different is, when the camera itself is selected.
In iClone 6 it does revolve around itself (with "C"), while in IC7 it seems orbiting the center (I do not know why they did that).

But the panning has been improved in IC7 as oppose to IC6!

If someone still has IC6 and IC7, give yourself a favor:
Open both, add a Camera (camera should be selected), hit "X" and try to pan.
In IC6 it is barely moving (even with SHIFT). It was always bugging me in IC6.
In IC7 it is finally moving normally.

With all that, I almost never use camera movements.
Unless I make some test/demo clips, I always attach/link it to some prop and drive the prop itself.
Sometimes, I have to un-link and link the camera to a different prop in the middle of the clip.
Extra work? Yes. But no version of iClone is capable of smoothly orbiting objects in the scene just yet.

Well, I would have to check with iClone 6 once I'm back home in a few weeks, but in my experience camera movements were always a bother without some object selected.

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