David_Fine wrote:
As regards using the camera tool, I am still confused about how to know when to flat line in terms of the vertical position. I know you use the timeline to see where the red line is horizontally, but that does not tell you how high to raise the line to flat line when you want to hold. It seems entirely arbitrary.
I'm not sure how to answer that question precisely as to
"why". Maybe someone from the TVPaint Development team can chime in on this to explain it better.
All I can say is that the Camera Tool function is
WYSIWYG , so when I use it there's some "eyeballing" , then fine-tuning, that goes into constructing a camera move that must
Start -- Hold -- Start moving again --- Hold again -- Start moving again . In the example posted above where I was creating the whole move within a single Clip , using the Time Profile for the starts and stops (instead of ZigOtto's method of using split clips with each phase of movement rendered on a separate clip) , I set my first position "A" and last position "D" ... then I set the "B" position with a new point along the camera path (Pos. "C" would be created with the Time Profile to make a new hold position on the path between "B" and "D" by flat-lining the path. ) . I had planned the timing so that the camera would start on "A" -- holding for 12 frames before the move starts -- then truck-out to "B" from frame 13 to frame 59 and hold from frame 60 to frame 92 ... the answer to your question
"Why does the line go flat at this elevation ? Why not , for instance, up here along this line ?" is that to make it hit Position "B" at frame 59 that's where I had to place the point on the path for it to hit Pos. "B" precisely at 59 ... if I moved that point up or forward it would have changed the frame when the camera had pulled out fully to Pos. "B" . Having hit my hold position at 59 I then flat-lined the path to hold from fr. 60 to fr. 92 .
Then I knew I wanted the camera to move to Position "C" (holding on the cactus) by frame 160 , hold 24 frames , then resume , so by clicking on the Time Profile path midway between "B" and "D" I dragged the new point until it had placed Position "C" at frame 160 , then I flat-lined it from fr. 160 to fr.184 for the hold . I wanted a faster move from "C" to "D" so I just clicked-and-dragged the last point to make Position "D" hit on frame 207 , and then it flat-lines to hold to the end of the scene.
As Paul noted , it's easier to do this in LINEAR mode first , then switch it over to SPLINE mode (which will temporarily mess up the flat-lined portions) but then add the extra points close to the stop and start points to restore the
flatness of the flat-lined (held) portions and to be able to adjust the curve of the path to cushion in and out of the holds .
When I started I had planned where I wanted the camera to be at Pos. "A" , "B" , "C" , and "D" and how long the camera would pause at "B" and "C" (as well as the length of the holds at the start and end) , so then it was just a matter of dragging the points to hit those positions on the desired frames , "eyeballing" it and adjusting it .
It actually wasn't that difficult or time-consuming . However , as I mentioned in my previous post , I have come to the conclusion that the
'Split Clip method' is easier to manage , so then you only need to do a simple point - to - point move on each successive Clip (section) in the Scene . When the Scene is played back in continuity the camera move is seamless as it starts , holds , resumes , holds, resumes , holds .
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To add a visual example to something else Paul mentioned in his previous post:
Paul Fierlinger wrote:David, it just occurred to me; do you have your view finder activated when you plot your camera move? I ask because if you did, you would see where your camera's position (view) is in time and space.
He means the Viewfinder in the Display Settings , so that your current camera position will always be clearly highlighted :
[click image to view LARGER]
.
