Rotoscopy is the use of images in the background of the 3D views. You can use rotoscopy in different 3D views (Front, Top, Right, User, Camera) and any display mode (Wireframe, Shaded, etc.). Furthermore, you can use different images for each viewport.
Single images are useful as guides for modeling in the orthographic views.
Image sequences or clips are useful for matching animation with footage of live action in the perspective views.
There are two types of rotoscoped images:
By default, rotoscoped images that are displayed in the orthographic views (Front, Top, and Right) have the Image Placement option set to Fixed. This allows you to navigate the camera while modeling without losing the alignment between the image and the modeled geometry. Fixed images are sometimes called image planes, and they can be displayed in all views, not just the one for which they were defined.
Fixed images are always displayed at the same scene coordinates, and can be shown in all viewports.
On the other hand, rotoscoped images that are displayed in perspective views have Image Placement set to Attached to Camera by default. This means that they follow the camera as it moves and zooms so that you can match animation with live action plates. If you want to temporarily "lock" the image in place, for example, so you can zoom in on a portion, see Navigating with Images Attached to the Camera.
Manta in hidden line mode mapped over a rotoscoped image of a wintry landscape.
Choose Rotoscope from the Display Mode menu (at the top right of a viewport's toolbar) to toggle rotoscopy on or off.
If rotoscopy options have not been defined for this combination of viewport and view yet, the Camera Rotoscopy property editor opens, where you can select an image or sequence and set other options. See Camera Rotoscopy Property Editor [Properties Reference].
If rotoscopy has already been defined for this viewport and view combination, it gets activated using the previously defined options.
To change the rotoscopy options for a view, such as the image used or other settings, choose Rotoscopy Options from the Display Mode menu (at the top right of a viewport's toolbar). See Camera Rotoscopy Property Editor [Properties Reference] for a description of the options.
