camera command

Go to: Return value. Related commands. Flags. Examples.

Synopsis

camera [-e|-q] [flags] [camera]

Create, edit, or query a camera with the specified properties.

The resulting camera can be repositioned using the viewPlace command. Many of the camera settings only affect the resulting rendered image. E.g. the F/Stop, shutter speed, the film related options, etc. Scaling the camera icon does not change any camera properties.

Return value

[string[]] (transform name and shape name)

Related commands

cameraView, dolly, listCameras, lookThru, orbit, roll, track, tumble, viewCamera, viewClipPlane, viewFit, viewHeadOn, viewLookAt, viewPlace, viewSet

Flags

aspectRatio, cameraScale, centerOfInterest, clippingPlanes, depthOfField, displayFieldChart, displayFilmGate, displayFilmOrigin, displayFilmPivot, displayResolution, displaySafeAction, displaySafeTitle, fStop, farClipPlane, farFocusDistance, filmFit, filmFitOffset, filmRollOrder, filmRollValue, filmTranslateH, filmTranslateV, focalLength, focusDistance, homeCommand, horizontalFieldOfView, horizontalFilmAperture, horizontalFilmOffset, horizontalRollPivot, journalCommand, lensSqueezeRatio, motionBlur, nearClipPlane, nearFocusDistance, orthographic, orthographicWidth, overscan, position, postScale, preScale, rotation, shutterAngle, startupCamera, verticalFieldOfView, verticalFilmAperture, verticalFilmOffset, verticalLock, verticalRollPivot, worldCenterOfInterest, worldUp

Long name (short name) [argument types] Properties

-aspectRatio (-ar) float

The ratio of the film back width to the film back height.

-centerOfInterest (-coi) float

Set the linear distance from the camera's eye point to the center of interest.

-clippingPlanes (-cp) boolean

Activate manual clipping planes.

-cameraScale (-cs) float

Scale the camera.

-displayFieldChart (-dfc) boolean

Activate display of the video field chart when looking through the camera.

-displayFilmGate (-dfg) boolean

Activate display of the film gate icons when looking through the camera.

-displayFilmOrigin (-dfo) boolean

Activate the display of the film origin guide when looking through the camera.

-displayFilmPivot (-dfp) boolean

Activate display of the film pivot guide when looking through the camera.

-depthOfField (-dof) boolean

Determines whether a depth of field calculation is performed to give varying focus depending on the distance of the objects.

-displayResolution (-dr) boolean

Activate display of the current rendering resolution (as defined in the render globals) when looking through the camera.

-displaySafeAction (-dsa) boolean

Activate display of the video Safe Action guide when looking through the camera.

-displaySafeTitle (-dst) boolean

Activate display of the video Safe Title guide when looking through the camera.

-farClipPlane (-fcp) float

Specify the distance to the far clipping plane.

-focusDistance (-fd) float

Set the focus at a certain distance in front of the camera.

-filmFit (-ff) string

This describes how the digital image (in pixels) relates to the film back. Since the film back is defined in terms of real numbers with some arbitrary film aspect, and the digital image is defined in integer pixels with an equally arbitrary (and different) resolution, relating the two can get complicated. There are 4 choices:

horizontal: In this case the digital image is made to fit the film back exactly in the horizontal direction. This then gives each pixel a horizontal size = (film back width) / (horizontal resolution). The pixel height is then = (pixel width) / (pixel aspect ratio). Now that the pixel has a size, resolution gives us a complete image. That image will match the film back exactly in width. It will almost never match in height, either being too tall or too short. By playing with the numbers you can get it pretty close though.
vertical: This is the same idea as horizontal fit, only applied vertically. Thus the digital image will match the film back exactly in height, but miss in width.
fill: This is a convenience item. The system calculates both horizontal and vertical fits and then applies the one that makes the digital image larger than the film back.
overscan: Overscanning the film gate in the camera view allows us to choreograph action outside of the frustum from within the camera view without having to resort to a dolly or zoom. This feature is also essential for animating image planes.

-farFocusDistance (-ffd) float

Linear distance to the far focus plane.

-filmFitOffset (-ffo) float

Since we know from the above that the digital image may not match the film back exactly, we now have the question of how to position one relative to the other. Thus fit offset. Normally the centers are aligned. Fit offset lets you move the smaller image within the larger one. Specify the distance for film offset (inches).

-filmRollOrder (-fro) string

Specifies how the roll is applied with respect to the pivot value.

Rotate-Translate: The film back is first rotated then translated by the pivot point value.
Translate-Rotate: The film back is first translated then rotated by the film roll value.

-filmRollValue (-frv) float

This specifies that amount of rotation around the film back. The roll value is specified in degrees. The rotation occurs around the specified pivot point. This value is used to compute a film roll matrix, which is a component of the post-projection matrix.

-filmTranslateH (-fth) float

The horizontal film translation. Values are normalized to the viewing area.

-filmTranslateV (-ftv) float

The vertical film translation. Values are normalized to the viewing area.

-focalLength (-fl) float

This is the distance along the lens axis between the lens and the film plane when "focal distance" is infinitely large. This is an optical property of the lens. This double precision parameter is always specified in millimeters.

-fStop (-fs) float

A real lens normally contains a diaphragm or other stop which blocks some of the light that would otherwise pass through it. This stop is usually approximately round, and its diameter as seen from the front of the lens is called the lens diameter. The lens diameter is often described by its relation to the focal length of the lens. A lens whose diameter is one-eighth its local length is said to have an F-stop of 8. This is an optical property of the lens.

-homeCommand (-hc) string

Specify the command to execute when "viewSet -home" is applied to this camera. All occurances of "%camera" will be replaced with the cameras name before viewSet runs the command.

-horizontalFieldOfView (-hfv) float

This is the film back width as seen by the lens when focused at infinity (ie., focal length away) measured as an angle. Note that it has nothing to do with pixels or the digital image or any aspects. Angle of view is a derived field, that is, it is not used internally by Alias and can be completely determined from other information. It is included as a convenience for the user. Its derivation is aov = 2 * atan( fbw / (2 * f) ) where "aov" is the angle of view, "fbw" is the film back width and "f" is the focal length.

-horizontalFilmAperture (-hfa) float

The horizontal width of the camera's film plane. The camera's film is located on the film plane. The extent of the film which will be exposed to an image of the scene in front of the lens is limited to a rectangular area described by the film back. This double precision parameter is always specified in inches.

-horizontalFilmOffset (-hfo) float

Horizontal offset from the center of the film back. Normally the film back will be centered on the lens axis. However, this need not be so. Film offset is the displacement of the center of the film back from the lens axis, also measured in inches. Note that offsetting the film back will distort the image, but will not alter the focus. This double precision parameter is always specified in inches.

-horizontalRollPivot (-hrp) double

The horizontal pivot point from the center of the film back. The pivot point is used during rotation of the film back. The pivot is the point where the rotation occurs around. This double precision parameter corresponds to the normalized viewport. This value is a part of the post projection matrix.

-lensSqueezeRatio (-lsr) float

This is presently just an information field in the camera editor is meant to convey the horizontal distortion of the anamorphic lens normally used with some film formats. If it were used, it would do something like pixel aspect. Remember however that lens distortion (intentional or not) is slightly different than the output hardware's quantization. The fact that a "net" distortion parameter could be used for both may or may not confuse the issue.

-journalCommand (-jc) boolean

Journal interactive camera commands. Commands can be undone when a camera is journaled.

-motionBlur (-mb) boolean

Determines whether the camera's image is motion blured (as opposed to an object's image). For example, if you want to blur the camera movement when you are performing a flyby.

-nearClipPlane (-ncp) float

Specify the distance to the NEAR clipping plane.

-nearFocusDistance (-nfd) float

Linear distance to the near focus plane.

-position (-p) float float float

Three linear values can be specified to translate the camera.

-postScale (-pts) float

The post-scale value. This value multiplied against the computed projection matrix. It is applied after the the film roll.

-preScale (-prs) float

The pre-scale value. The value is multiplied against the computed projection matrix. It is applied before the film roll.

-orthographic (-o) boolean

Activate the orthographic camera.

-overscan (-ovr) boolean

Set the percent of overscan.

-orthographicWidth (-ow) float

Set the orthographic projection width.

-rotation (-rot) float float float

Three angular values can be specified to rotate the camera.

-shutterAngle (-sa) float

Specify the shutter angle (degrees).

-startupCamera (-sc) boolean

A startup camera is marked undeletable and implicit. This flag can be used to set or query the startup state of a camera. There must always be at least one startup camera.

-verticalFieldOfView (-vfv) boolean

Set the vertical field of view.

-verticalFilmAperture (-vfa) float

The vertical height of the camera's film plane. This double precision parameter is always specified in inches.

-verticalFilmOffset (-vfo) float

Vertical offset from the center of the film back. This double precision parameter is always specified in inches.

-verticalRollPivot (-vrp) float

Vertical pivot point used for rotating the film back. This double precision parameter corresponds to the normalized viewport. This value is used to compute the film roll matrix, which is a component of the post projection matrix.

-verticalLock (-vl) boolean

Lock the size of the vertical film aperture.

-worldCenterOfInterest (-wci) float float float

Camera world center of interest point.

-worldUp (-wup) float float float

Camera world up vector.

Flag can appear in Create mode of command	Flag can appear in Edit mode of command
Flag can appear in Query mode of command	Flag can be used more than once in a command

Examples

   // Create a camera and get the shape name.
   string $cameraName[] = `camera`;
   string $cameraShape = $cameraName[1];

   // Get the focal length of the camera.
   float $focalLength = `camera -q -fl $cameraShape`;

   // Change the film fit type.
   camera -e -ff "overscan" $cameraShape;