Film Settings area

The Film Settings area lets you change MotionBuilder camera settings to mimic those of real-world cameras. Use these settings to set the camera’s film size, aperture size, and squeeze and aspect ratios.

Film Format menu

Use the Film Format menu to set the width, height, and pixel ratio of the camera’s settings to one of the available standard camera types.

NoteIf you change the Film Format setting for a custom camera in the Camera Settings Advanced pane, the Viewer window view does not change. This is because the new Film Format settings (for example the Focal Length or Optical Center) adjust to match the display of the current camera view in the Viewer window. This lets you use the Viewer window to set up shots more accurately. To change the current camera view in the Viewer window so it reflects the Film Format settings change, change the settings in the Advanced pane manually.

If you want to use a film format setting and also see the changes in the Viewer window, change the settings in the Advanced settings pane using this table:

To simulate this film format:	Change the following settings:
16mm Theatrical	Film Size: 0.404, 0.295 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.369.Field of View Y: 12.26.
Super 16mm	Film Size: 0.493, 0.292 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.688.Field of View Y: 12.13.
35mm Academy	Film Size: 0.864, 0.630 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.371.Field of View Y is set to 25.83.
35mm TV Projection	Film Size: 0.816, 0.612 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.333.Field of View Y: 25.12.
35mm Full Aperture	Film Size: 0.980, 0.735 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.333.Field of View Y: 29.95.
35mm 1.85 Projection	Film Size: 0.825, 0.446 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.850.Field of View Y: 18.44.
35mm Anamorphic	Film Size: 0.864, 0.732 inches. Film Aspect Ratio:1.180.Field of View Y: 29.84.
70mm Projection	Film Size: 2.066, 0.906 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 2.280.Field of View Y: 36.50.
VistaVision	Film Size: 1.485, 0.991 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.498.Field of View Y: 39.67.
DynaVision	Film Size: 2.080, 1.480 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.405.Field of View Y: 56.62.
IMAX	Film Size: 2.772, 2.072 inches. Film Aspect Ratio: 1.338.Field of View: 74.04.

NoteThe Film Format field is automatically set to Custom if the Film Size, Film Aspect Ratio, or Squeeze Ratio fields are changed from the settings used for the Viewer window’s display.

Aperture Mode menu

Use the Aperture Mode menu to select the aperture of the camera lens. You can use these settings can to match a MotionBuilder camera with a real-world camera.

There are four possible aperture modes:

Aperture mode	Function
Horizontal and Vertical fields	Select to set the angle values for both the horizontal and vertical settings. This setting activates Field of View X, Field of View Y, Optical Center X, and Optical Center Y.
Horizontal	Select to use the aperture and film settings to set only the horizontal angle. This setting activates Focal Length, Optical Center X, and Optical Center Y.
Vertical	Select to use the aperture and film settings to set only the vertical angle. This setting activates Focal Length, Optical Center X, and Optical Center Y.
Focal length	This setting activates Focal Length, Optical Center X, and Optical Center Y.

Film Width and Height fields

The values in the Width and Height fields depend on the selection in the Picture Format field. They automatically set the Field of View, Focal Length, and Film Size fields based on the selected film.

For example, when the Frame field is set to Fixed Width resolution, the Height field is shown as a ratio of the Width field, which is expressed in pixels.

NoteOnly the first field is active if you select Horizontal as your Aperture Mode setting.

Film Aspect Ratio field

The Film Aspect Ratio field gives the ratio between the horizontal and vertical Film Size. If you change either of the two Film Size fields, the Film Aspect Ratio is recalculated.

NoteIf you change the Film Aspect Ratio when the Film Format field is set to a supplied format (16mm Theatrical, Super 16mm, IMAX, and so on), the Film Format field is automatically set to Custom.

Squeeze Ratio field

The Squeeze Ratio represents the horizontal compression of the camera lens. The Squeeze Ratio only works when the Aperture mode is set to Horizontal.

NoteSqueeze Ratio is active only if you select Horizontal as your Aperture Mode setting. Increasing the Squeeze Ratio affects the Field of View X settings.

See Aperture Mode menu.

Camera Tracking settings

The following settings are used with the Camera Tracker to help synchronize MotionBuilder cameras with a real-world cameras. You can change Focal Length value to choose a lens, or shift the camera’s X or Y-axis orientation to its interest.

Option	Description
Field of View X	Use the Field of View X values to set the camera aperture’s width. The Field of View X setting is disabled when the “Aperture mode” is set to Vertical. You can animate this setting when the Aperture mode is set to Horizontal or when it is set to Horizontal and Vertical.
Field of View Y	Use the Field of View Y values to set the camera aperture’s height. The Field of View Y setting is disabled when the Aperture mode is set to Horizontal. You can animate this setting when the Aperture mode is set to Vertical or when it is set to Horizontal and Vertical.
Focal Length	The Focal Length value changes the lens used to film the scene. When you change the Focal Length, the Field of View is recalculated to reflect the new focal length. You can animate this setting but it disables the Field of View settings.
Optical Center X	Use the Optical Center X values to shift the camera’s X-axis orientation to its interest. The Optical Center X setting is disabled when the Aperture mode is set to Vertical.
Optical Center Y	Use the Optical Center Y values to shift the camera’s orientation to its interest. The Optical Center Y setting is disabled when the Aperture mode is set to Horizontal.

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