Is there a way to create different cameras with different properties? (FOUND!)
Blind Owl
Posts: 504
Every once in a while it would be handy to switch between cameras that are configured differently, e.g. from a 16:9 aspect ratio to a 4:3 or a 1:1, or from f 22 to f 8, an18mm lens to a120, etc.
As it is, if you change one camera's settings you change them all.
It's not a big screamin' deal, but I'm wonderind if there's a way to have several different camera configurations in the same scene at the same time.
Post edited by Blind Owl on
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If you select the camera in the Scene tab, you should be able to change it's specific properties like f-stop and focal length. However, aspect ratio is determined in the Render Properties Tab and applies to all cameras.
Select the camera in the Scene tab, go to Dimensions/Use Local Dimensions and click them on and you can set the dimensions there which are separate from the global ones.
Oh, very nice. I had been wondering the same thing.
How did you get to know so much?
Thanks, fishtales!
With the original question answered thanks to Fishtales (again), I thought I'd share the idea that provoked the question in the 1st place.
I wanted to use this: https://www.daz3d.com/professional-dslr-camera in a scene, showing exaclty what the DSLR is allegedly seeing through the lens, rather than a near approximation.
I created a Daz Studio camera, named it "P.O.V. camera" and parented it to the DSLR after carefully placing it where it should be. I found it a bit of a pain to switch from my usual 1080p render format to the 728 X 512 of the DSLR's view screen and viewfinder (ISO Paper Landscape is the nearest built-in DS preset), then remembering to switch back to 1080p once I had pasted the preliminary P.O.V. render to the DSLR's screen 1 surface.
The video camera screen in this: https://www.daz3d.com/ghost-hunter-equipment is the standard 16:9 format, but using it in a 1:1 final render involves some back & forthing.
Okay, so you can't define different f stops, ISOs, or focal lengths, but it's still a pretty cool trick.
This is exactly what I did in Fashion Studio. I wanted the user experience to be similar to a photographer at work, so I set up the internal DAZ Studio camera as described, using Local Dimensions, etc, then parented it to the digital camera prop. So as the camera prop is moved, the view changes to match. I did add one extra tweak though. I linked the camera Foical Length so the user can zoom in and out. Quite a nice trick and fun to play with.
Oh, btw, I also made a 'real-time' light for the Iray preview. That's fun to use; dimming it, changing spot size, etc. Heh! I love these little hidden extras in DS.
aaaah! now i finally understand the use of this feature (being able to assign dimensions to a single camera in the properties tab)! i always wondered what the point was since you can adjust the dimensions of your render in the render panel - while i often use different cameras i.e. points of view or properties like focus etc, it never crossed my mind to use cameras with different dimensions in the same scene.. i had to adjust the size or ratio in my render panel every single time... this is an awesome gain of time otherwise stupidly wasted.
thank you @Fishtales for this explanation! :D
You're all very welcome. I always try to help where I can. As to where I find out about everything is in the Forums, I use 'Recent Discussions' and that way I don't miss any new posts, most I don't read but some have interesting things that I might miss if I don't go into a specific forum, and 'Click and See'. Click on something and see what it does. Like walking into a room with multiple doors, you wont know what is behind them unless you open them, Ctrl/Z is your friend. Do something you don't like then go back and try something else, slide sliders to see what happens. I haven't broken anything yet :)
Stonemason does this on his later sets.
If the same idea occurred to you, it must be a pretty good one! Makes me feel a bit smarter than I actually am. Every little bit helps these days...
My mistake: you can define quite a few parameters separately, including focal length and f-stop, depth of field and who knows what else. Further investigation is obviously in order.
For what it's worth, I've also been playing around with 'camera as wearable'. If you're using a camera (i.e. the 3D prop that appears in the scene) on a tripod, it's simplest to parent it to the tripod, then parent a DS P.O.V. (virtual) camera to the camera prop. Tilt and pan the tripod head and the prop and P.O.V. camera move with it. No problem. Switch views and what you see is what the prop camera sees.
But if a character is holding the 3D prop and you want to depict what's being seen through the viewfinder, it seems easiest fo parent the prop to the P.O.V. camera rather than the other way round, and then parent that to the character. So instead of adjusting a tripod, you'll be adjusting the character's location and posture; things like lower abdomen bend & twist, etc. Not such a pain as you might think, since by switching views to the P.O.V. camera you can see immediately how your character manipulations are affecting the view.
For the attached screenshots I parented the big video camera prop to the P.O.V. (virtual) camera, then parented that to the camera operator's right collar. Grabbed a quickie render from the P.O.V. camera, then applied the texture to the monitor on the back wall. If the video camera had its own view screen, I'd apply the same textue to that, and make sure to show it in the final render.
Mindless fun, but with some interesting possibilities.
p.s./afterthought @maclean: You'll notice I used your 'Streets' product for the view out the window. Still waiting for your long-promised 'Streets 2' follow-up.
I set my main camera at 172, cm which is 5'8 inches, my height, and lock the x parameter for portraits or general landscapes. The camera is then locked to eye level, approx., so it can then only be moved left/right or back/forward. If I then want to raise, lower and angle it I use another camera which is free to move in any direction.
Sorry, I missed that comment in the postscript. Unfortunately, that won't be coming out. I spent 4 months on it but DAZ didn't like it (despite revisions), so it won't be released. I could take it somewhere else, but to be honest, I can't be bothered with the hassle.
I'm sorry for promising something I couldn't deliver on, but the final decision wasn't mine.