Camera creation

The camera creation is the last step of the modeling process and in the modeling process itself serves the purpose of reviewing the model through the lens of the camera setup that will be used to render the product. It gives the modeling artist the ability to focus on the shape, proportion, rotation and overall feel of the model by seeing it as it is meant to be reviewed.  

The camera creation process is done entirely through the Modeling Panel in the “Camera” tab where all of the presets and parameters can be found. In order to avoid non-standardized presentation of the products and for the purpose of creating the best possible presentation, the camera setup has been standardized by using these presets and parameters. 

The settings of the camera creation such as type of camera, presets and parameters may vary and are dependent on the information provided for each product and project.  

Before the actual Camera creation process can start, there are some standards that all models must follow in order for the camera to be created properly.

1. Make sure that the pivot of the model and the model itself, are centered correctly in the scene by X, Y and Z axis (*Product Placement and Pivot in the Product Settings section of this document) If the model is not placed correctly it will not fit properly with the camera view. It might result in faulty rotation, swinging side to side, exceeding the margins (white space) and many more.

2. Make sure the model has the correct scale and that the system unit setup is set to Cylindo Standards (*System Unit Setup in the Scene Scene Settings article of this section)

As mentioned above, the camera creation process is done entirely with the Modeling Panel through the “Camera” tab. In the following section all of the settings and parameters of the Camera tab will be explained as well as how to use them in order to create the correct camera setup for each product.

In the image above it is presented how the Camera tab looks like. The tab is divided into 3 main sections:

1. Product Info - general information about the product name, client name, project name and product code. 
2. Presets - the most important section, where all of the predetermined presets can be found. These presets are based on the Cylindo standards and serve as guidelines for creating the correct camera setup
3. Parameters - this is the artistic part of the Camera tab, where the artist needs to make sure that the model has the right look and feel when seen through the camera lens 

The focus in this section will be primarily on the Presets and Parameters of the Camera tab. The first part is self-explanatory, and it is there to provide overall info about the product the camera is being set up for.

The first part to creating the camera is to start from the presets section in the Camera tab. This part will create the actual camera in the scene and by using the correct presets it will automatically import basic parameters to the camera itself.

1. Create Camera Rig

The first step is to cling on the “Create Camera Rig” button, after which, the panel will automatically create an animated 360o camera rig consisting of 32 frames.
Check if the camera rig is correct by moving the animation timeline slider back and forth.

2. Make sure that the resolution field is displaying an actual resolution

For every project it is mandatory to have the resolution of the camera entered in the CMS. Then the resolution is automatically added by the modeling panel in the camera tab. Do not manually add resolution or white space percentage. If the panel does not read the resolution automatically please contact Cylindo support.

3. Load Grid

This will load the grid in the camera viewport that will be used for adjusting the vertical offset (camera target) and the margin offset (white space limit)

4. Select Type of product

Select the type of product that the camera is being created for (sofa, ottoman, sectional etc.). These are predetermined presets depending on the type of product that the camera is being set up for.

5. Select camera preset

Select the camera height based on the information provided on CMS. This information can be found in the overview section on CMS in the Data Collection Tab.

The combination of the choices from the previous two steps will automatically adjust the settings of the camera, such as tilt angle, focal length, camera height, target height and many more, to predetermined values which will give the best visual representation of the product by Cylindo standards.

This part of the camera tab in the modeling panel is where the adjustments of the camera are made. No matter how detailed the presets are, there will always be a need for an artistic touch into making the camera correctly for each product.

1. Adjust the Side Offset

• The value of the side offset needs to be adjusted so that the widest or the highest points of the model does not exceed the margin offset (white space) limit of the camera on the grid. 
  • You will find the white space info in the same place as the resolution info, on the product page on CMS in the general overview section. 
• Please keep in mind that the widest / highest point is never on the first frame. The model needs to be rotated through all the frames to make sure which one is the widest / highest point and start adjusting the offset from there. 

• Each square of the grid represents 10%. Following the grid will help adjust the side offset to the correct margin (white space). 
• If the model is higher than it is wider (for example office chair, barstool, cabinet etc.) than the vertical grid numbers should be followed instead of the horizontal ones

Below you will find a step-by-step guide on how to correctly set up the precise margin offset (white space) and also how to check that the correct value has been set. 

Finding the widest point

Adjusting the side offset (white space)

Making sure that the model does not exceed the margin offset on any frame

2. Adjust the Camera Target

• The value of the camera target needs to be adjusted so that the model is vertically centered within the camera view.  

• Adjust the camera target to a point where there are the same grid squares at the same grid number above the highest model point and below lowest point model point. 

• The adjustment of the camera target should be done on the first frame, because at that frame the model is not influenced by the perspective as much as it would be on any other frame. 

3. Tilt Angle

• Use this slider only when it is specifically requested by the client. 
• Mainly this is requested for tables, when the client wants the table top to be more visible

There are 3 parameters that should not be modified under any circumstances:

1. Focal Length
2. Auto vertical tilt
3. Mode

Under no circumstances should these parameters be altered, unless instructed to do so directly by the Modeling Supervisor. If there is a need for these parameters to be modified the Modeling Supervisor will prepare an explanation on how to use them as well as the specific product or list of products on which it should be used.   

There are cases where two or more products can use the same identical camera. For example: 

• Products with the same overall dimensions - if there are two products in the same project, that share the exact same bounding box dimensions
• Fabric and leather version of the same product 
• Flipped models - such as RAF and LAF chaise or flipped sectionals 

When there are such cases the 3D Modeler needs to leave a note on CMS that for that particular product the camera will be reused from another product and to specify which one by leaving the Product ID.

After the camera is properly set, it needs to be published using the Modeling Panel. The only camera related process that is not in the Camera Tab of the Modeling Panel is when the camera needs to be published/saved. Same as with the model, this can be found in the “Publish” tab of the Modeling Panel.

When publishing a camera, make sure that the “Camera” checkbox in the Publish tab of the Modeling Panel is checked.  The final step is to click on the “Publish” button.

When there is feedback specifically for the camera, then the camera needs to be imported in the scene and edited. The camera can only be imported by using the “Import Camera from Product” button. 

• The import camera window will then open where the product ID needs to be entered and then the camera can either be imported as the original camera rig or as reference if there is a need to start the camera creation from scratch while still having the original camera as reference.

     When editing a model, there is no need to edit the camera, unless the edits require the overall dimension of the model to be changed. In such cases, the camera will need to be edited to make sure that it is following the presets and parameters as described in the Cylindo standards. 

NOTE: For better understanding of the Camera Creation process, you can look at the video guides listed below

• Camera creation process - Sofas
• Camera creation process - Beds
• Camera creation process - Cabinets
• Camera creation process - High camera (furnitures sets)