3D Compositing with Action > Action: Camera >

# Adding a Camera

By default, a camera exists in the Action scene (you may need to pan in the schematic to see the camera node). You can add multiple cameras in order to change point of view or depth of field from one camera to another. Add and animate multiple cameras when creating compositions. You can also switch from one camera to another at any point.

To add a camera:

1. Do one of the following:
   - Drag the camera node from the node bin and place it in the schematic.
   - Drag the camera node from the node bin to Result view, so you can see its effect on the scene before placing it exactly where you want.
   - Double-click the camera node. The node appears next to the last added object. You do not need to be in Schematic view to add a node in this manner.

   A new camera is added to the scene. An icon representing the camera is added to the schematic.

2. To display the Camera menu, double-click the selected camera in the schematic, or follow the tab population rules for the Object menu. See Populating Menu Tabs of Selected Objects.

   The result camera always appears as the first tab on the right side of the Object menu. To allow you to easily access the camera without losing your place in the scene, this special camera tab (appearing in orange) does not follow the tab population rules. If a camera node is selected in the schematic, the special Camera tab does not appear, and the normal tab population rules apply.

Camera Menu Settings

X Eye field
  Displays the position of the camera eye on the X axis. Editable

Y Eye field
  Displays the position of the camera eye on the Y axis. Editable

Z Eye field
  Displays the position of the camera eye on the Z axis. Editable

Motion Path button
  Enable to animate the camera eye on a motion path. See Moving the Camera Eye and Point of Interest.

X Point of Interest field
  Displays the position of the point of interest on the X axis. Editable.

Y Point of Interest field
  Displays the position of the point of interest on the Y axis. Editable.

Z Point of Interest field
  Displays the position of the point of interest on the Z axis. Editable.

X Rotation field
  Displays the level of camera rotation along the X axis. Editable.

Y Rotation field
  Displays the level of camera rotation along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Rotation field
  Displays the level of camera rotation along the Z axis. Editable.

Camera Type box
  Select Free (to view the scene in the direction that you aim the camera), or Target (to aim the camera at a target object in the scene based on a point of interest).

  Free cameras are easy to use because you do not have to manipulate the point of interest. You can simply animate the camera rotation or camera tilt as though it were on a tripod. Use the Distance field in conjunction with Free Camera.

Roll field
  Displays the amount of camera roll (available with Target Camera). Editable.

  Use the Roll field in conjunction with Target Camera.

Field of View field
  Displays the camera field of view value, measured in degrees. Editable.

Distance field
  Displays the position of the camera's focus. Editable.

Near field
  Displays the near view of the selected camera. Editable.

Far field
  Displays the far view of the selected camera. Editable.

See Moving the Clipping Planes.

Export Camera button
  Opens the Export Camera file browser to save a camera.

  Exported data includes Eye X, Y, and Z; Poi X, Y, and Z; Fov; Roll, Target or Free Camera; motion path and explicit keyframe camera animation. See Importing and Exporting Cameras.

Import Camera button
  Opens the Import Camera file browser to import a camera. See Importing and Exporting Cameras.

Result Camera box
  Specify which camera is active. The active camera is the one that will be used when processing/rendering your scene.

Result Camera field
  Displays the active camera number. Non-editable.

Reset Camera button
  Resets the Camera menu to its default settings.

Camera box
  Not shown. When in Camera view, select which camera is used in the image window.

Parenting Offset box
  Not shown (Found in the Param2 tab). Select an offset option for viewing an image when parenting a camera node. When parenting a camera node, the image offset gets reset to the camera origin, which is not always the desired viewing option. Origin sets the image to the camera origin; Target sets the image to the default viewplane distance relative to the camera; and Live Target sets the image to the current viewplane distance based on the FOV. The offset value is computed from the default camera field of view and the default image size, and does not change even if other camera parameters are changed. This value is displayed in the Parenting Offset field.