Monthly Archive for: "July, 2018"

By clicking on the icon with the arrow in the lower left corner of the screen (image below), you can open an additional panel for selecting A, B , C and D signal sources for your studio. There are also Load, Reset and Studio Editor icons located on the right side of the panel. Picture below.

If you want to load a new studio, click on the Load icon (in the upper right corner of the picture above) and select a studio file from the disk. The supported 3D studio file formats are: *.obj, *.fbx, *.3mf, *.recSet.
Note! Remember that, if you introduced your own set of virtual cameras V/C shots earlier, then loading a new studio will erase the results of your work.
Select a file in a file selection window that opens up. When you click on the file, a preview of its set design appears in a window on the right.

Remember: if, during the session, you Load a new studio with the Load icon (i.e. not using a previously created and saved session), then initially all the default shots are set in their first positions for all cameras V/C. You need to change that, as otherwise both PREVIEW and PROGRAM screens will show the same view.

The Reset button, located below the Load button, resets 3D studio cameras to the default shots.
It means you return to the initial default camera settings, as if a brand new studio was loaded.

In order to avoid losing your work associated with setting virtual cameras’ positions in the studio, you will be warned with a message when you press this button .
If you want to keep the results of your work, save a session file. In this file such settings as a kind of studio you used and all the virtual cameramen’s camera settings you have created will be preserved. You can use them later in realization of your program.

During the production, you can change the settings of each cameraman by clicking on the shots’ miniatures. You can then wander around the studio with one selected cameraman, e.g. with a camera set to move according to the ORBIT motion, as in an earlier example.
Producer can also switch between V/Cs, choosing a virtual cameraman an image from whom will be show on the vision. Switching between views from different virtual cameramen V/C can be done with a production mixer and functions: Take, Auto or with a T-Bar handle.
After switching to a different cameraman, you can operate again on the shots defined in this V/C group.
Possibilities of cameras’ movements provided by the virtual studio Reckeen 3D are the same as in a real TV studio. Hence, we can recreate diverse, complex camera movements used in TV or film techniques and assign them to virtual cameramen V/C.
If, for example, the loaded studio has sub-studios, then one virtual cameraman can operate in the main studio and a different one in the sports studio, with another in a the weather studio and so on

For your convenience, default speed of transitions between camera shots had been defined in the Reckeen 3D Studio system. They can be switched on with S, M or F icons – Slow, Medium, Fast.
Speed of transition can be also controlled with up-down arrows located below S, M and F buttons.

6 cameraman V/C 3 shots for ORBIT motion have been set in the previous section.
There are 3 ways to navigate between camera positions in the virtual studio: Cut, Linear or Curved. Remember that shots are set in the Camera setup window, and in the 3D Production module, the realization of transitions between the given shots takes place. As shown below.

It can be done with Cut transition, that is immediately, without any delay. Cut is triggered by right-clicking on the shot’s thumbnail.
There is also a possibility to set the time and type of camera’s transition movement from one position to another – Linear or Curved . These functions can be triggered with a left-click on the thumbnail.
If you choose Linear function, the camera will move between successive positions along straight lines, even though the camera positions have been set on a circle.
The picture below.

If you want the camera to move along an arc also between the shots – select the Curved function. The camera will be moving on a curve calculated by the Reckeen 3D Studio system, as shown above. Camera movement will become ‘fluid’ and will recreate the Orbit motion more naturally.
Enabling the Curved function corresponds to a real camera movements in a studio (see the picture: Description of camera movements in a studio) – Arc right, Arc left (if you move the camera trolley on the studio’s plane) or Tongue right, Tongue Left movement (if you operate a camera on a crane horizontally), or Crane or boom up / Crane or boom down (if you move the camera on a crane vertically).

Select a virtual cameraman, V/C 3 for example. You start with one initial camera shot (preferably one where the camera is facing the Talent directly). The desired distance between the camera and the Talent is set with a mouse scroll (that is with ‘riding the camera trolley’ forwards and backwards). This will be a radius of a circle, a center of which is the Talent. With a left-click, select your object, which highlights in red. Remember not to move the mouse at the same time, as it won’t select the object, it will only change the view.
With a left mouse button set a desired height of camera’s view vertically. Now use Lock axis function and block X and Z axes (see the picture below) to get an Orbit motion solely along a circular track without changing the height of the camera.
Execute camera’s Orbit motion (rotate) around the Talent with a right-click and select the first shot.
Make a clone of this shot. Then, in a new shot, move the cameraman to the next position using the right mouse button. Set the desired camera position.
Make another clone and repeat the steps to get a satisfactory number of camera positions. The more camera shots you create, the more accurately the camera will move along a circular track.
In this case, 6 camera shots, that will rotate around the Talent, were chosen.
As all the shots are Camera 1 shot clones, they have the same name. If you want to change them – use the Rename button. Six camera shots were created for the virtual cameraman V/C 3, starting from the left side of the studio and ending on its right side, all the time moving along a circular track. You can see the last shot in the picture. Picture below

Another type of movement that can be executed in the 3D studio when setting the camera shots, is an Orbit motion. Imagine that you are sitting on a rotating carousel looking all the time at the center of a circle, namely at an axis of rotation. A camera in the studio can make a similar movement – a circle around a selected item, all the while pointing at it.
Note: To better explain what the Orbit motion is, let’s assume the camera always looks straight ahead at an object, for example, a Talent. Orbit motion can, in fact, maintain any chosen angle direction of viewing. For example, if you move a camera by an angle to the side in Orbit motion, seeing the Talent on the side of the screen, as if ‘from a corner of your eye’, the moving camera will keep this angle the whole time. This means that during the subsequent shots you will see your Talent ‘from a corner of your eye’ all the time, namely on the side of the screen.
You can, for example, set several virtual camera V/C 2 positions around the Talent. See the image below.

Positioning a camera in Orbit motion starts with selecting an object in the studio, which will be the center of rotation for the virtual camera orbit (circular motion).
Click the left mouse button on a figure of a presenter. A whole rectangle with the Talent figure lights up in red – it represents a view from the real camera. A 3D Gizmo appears on the rectangle – it will facilitate setting X, Y, and Z axes in your studio.
Additionally, 3D Gizmo facilitates determining the center of, for example, a group of objects, if such a group has been created by a graphic designer. A group of objects, e.g. lights in the studio, can be highlighted all in red, but thanks to the 3D Gizmo, you will be able to specify where the center of the object is, that is where the camera will be pointing at. Picture below.

Then, with a right-click, you can change and select more virtual camera’s positions around the Talent in the studio.
Your camera will be able to move to a different position on a circle (orbiting), and also up and down, all the while facing the Talent. You can, for example, select a position in a circle, but under the studio’s ceiling – the camera is pointing at the center of the selected object all the time. See the picture below.

If you want to achieve Orbit motion solely along a circular track without changing the height of the camera, you should use Lock axis function and block X and Z axes.
The Orbit motion is possible also with axes Y and Z locked. You get the effect of a camera moving along a circular track, but vertically. Just like the Ferris Wheel: you can imagine that the cameraman is sitting in the wheel’s carriage and the camera is looking at its center, where the selected object is located. It means, at the starting position the camera can be, for example, at the floor level and then, with the circular motion, it can move to the studio ceiling – all the while facing the Talent.

If you lock only the Y axis, then, in addition to a vertical Orbit motion (‘Ferris Wheel carriage’) carried out with a left mouse button, you can move the camera from side to side – to the left and to the right using a right-click

Setting several camera movement parameters at the same time can be difficult at the beginning, so you can make this process easier by disabling some of the movement possibilities. This is done with a function that blocks the axes (Lock- unlock axis). The icons of this function are located in the upper left part of the screen (see the picture below)

n the picture above, you can see a situation where a camera movement in Y and Z axes has been locked. Axes’ icons have turned color and picture of padlock has appeared. Movement in the X axis is allowed (if you also block the X axis, the camera will be completely immobilized).
In the case shown above, the camera will be able to move only to the left and to the right when you use the left button of the mouse, and to rotate up and down when you use the right button.
To illustrate this situation, you can imagine that the camera moves along a long tube and can move only lengthways or along its perimeter.

When you lock X and Z axes – Y axis is unrestrained. In this case, the camera will be able to move only up and down when you use the left mouse button, and to rotate to the right and to the left if you use the right button.

In case of locking X and Y axes – you have Z axis unrestrained.
In such circumstances, only a mouse scroll operates, which corresponds to the camera trolley movement forwards and in backwards. The rotation can be achieved through changing the Z value in the Rotation section (by clicking on the up and down arrows).

This kind of blocking the two axes allows for accurate and precise positioning of the camera in the studio, in one of the selected axes. After adjusting the camera in this axis, you can move on to the next one, and so on, until you achieve the desired camera view. You have then an exact position of the camera (a shot) set.
You may also block just one of the axes, enjoying the greater freedom of camera movement, but it is then more difficult to position a camera accurately and precisely.

At the top right of the Camera setup screen, there are 3 sections available: Position, Rotation and Other with Zoom function. Picture below.

The X, Y, Z coordinates show the exact position of the camera in the studio in relation to a point X = 0, Y = 0 and Z = 0, the position of which was set by a graphic designer of a particular studio. If you want to find this point in a studio, type a 0 value in the fields X, Y and Z – and a camera will move to this point. In the case of the presented studio, this point is located more or less on the floor behind the desk.
To enter a specific value, position your cursor at a beginning of a value field and drag (select) the entire field, then type in the desired value with a keyboard. You can also change the value by clicking on the white up/down arrows on the right side of each value field.

Movement in the X axis: moving the camera trolley to the right will mean increasing the positive values for our studio, and moving the camera trolley to the left – increasing the negative values.
Movement in the Y axis: raising the camera above the floor – increasing the positive values, while lowering the camera below the floor – the negative ones.
Movement in the Z axis: if you increase the positive values – the camera moves away from the desk, and if you increase the negative values – the camera moves forwards, deep into the studio.
Our virtual camera has no limits!
Note: in the studio ,all the values of X, Y, Z are given in centimeters when they represent a linear motion. This means that, for example, a value of 100.80 means 100.8 cm in a virtual 3D studio. If the values refer to the circular motion, they are expressed in degrees, that is, for example, a value of 45.00 for Rotation stands for 45 degrees.

The coordinates represent a rotation, that is, an angle at which the camera is pointed. The camera trolley is stationary and the camera stands still, but it can ‘look’ in all directions. In this set design, the Rotation 0 point means that the camera is pointed exactly straight at a Talent (a presenter) behind the desk.
Movement in the X axis means increasing the positive values for this studio – namely lifting the camera lens on a tripod (up until the camera is looking at the ceiling). Increasing the negative values – tilting the camera lens down (until the camera sees the studio floor).
Movement in the Y axis: camera rotates to the right with the increase in the negative values, and to the left – when the positive values increase.
Movement in the Z axis means tilting the camera from side to side. In an actual film or TV studio, this movement is called cant and is used, for example, to achieve the Dutch View, where a camera is tilted slightly to one side in relation to a vertical axis, all resulting in tilting of the image. (See the picture – a description of camera movements at the beginning of this section).
Zoom function: this feature sometimes substitutes a shot where a trolley moves straight ahead, but the difference between these two methods of operating the camera is significant. Zoom enlarges or reduces the camera image without causing changes in a perspective and in the image of a studio space. The trolley movement, on the other hand, brings you closer to an object, just as zoom does, but at the same time it changes the perspective and image of a studio the camera ‘sees’.

Now, you set your own camera positions for virtual cameraman V/C 2.
Click on the first window on the list of shots – Camera 1. In a large window, a studio image your chosen camera ‘sees’ at the moment will appear. You can now adjust its view by hooking the mouse cursor on the screen.
With a left mouse button, you can move the camera in along X Y axes (X – horizontal, Y – vertical). If you want to move the camera forwards or backwards – use the mouse scroll. The same effect can be achieved by pressing the middle mouse button (usually the scroll roller) and moving the mouse up and down.
Let’s imagine that the camera is on a trolley which can be moved – from side to side, and forwards or backwards, – and the camera can be raised or lowered vertically when the trolley is standing still.

The movements a virtual camera performs due to the mouse movements correspond to the actual camera movements in a studio (see the image below): movement of the trolley from side to side – Track right, Track left.
movement of the trolley forwards and backwards – Dolly in, Dolly out raising and lowering of the camera vertically – Pedestal up, Pedestal down
Description of real camera movements in a studio.

Now let’s use the right mouse button.
Click the right mouse button, hook the cursor on the screen and direct the view of your camera.
This reflects a real situation, where a camera stands still on a tripod in the studio, and you only change the direction of its vision on a tripod head, that is rotate it horizontally and vertically.
This corresponds to the actual camera movements in the studio – turn to the left and to the right, that is Pan right and Pan left.
Rotation in the vertical plane: turn up and turn down: Tilt up, Tilt down.
In addition, there is a Zoom function – not available with a mouse, but from the screen level in the Other section.
In the Zoom function, you can adjust the image from the camera, zooming in and out without making any changes in the perspective or on the image plane. This is an equivalent of changing a focal length of the lens.

The startup application allows you to use the default shots immediately after loading. Each user has their own preferences, so there is a possibility to change these settings freely to suit your needs. Here, it will be shown with a case of the second virtual cameraman (V/C 2)
If you want to change a position of a camera handled by a virtual cameraman V/C in a studio – first, click on the V/C 2 tab. A view of a shots group opens. Then click on the Camera setup icon.

A window with settings of virtual cameraman’s positions will open along with the loaded shots.

At the bottom left side of the screen, you can see a menu with a list of functions concerning camera settings (shots).

You can, for example, delete shots – by clicking first on the shot image at the bottom of the screen, and then on the Remove button. You cannot remove all the shots – there always has to remain at least one.
There is a possibility to create a new shot with the Add button. The first shot that was set as a default for the studio (here Camera 1) will be always loaded as a first view.
You can clone, that is copy, a position of a camera, and create a new shot on its basis. This is done by selecting the current shot, and then using the Clone icon.
Reset button allows you to reverse the current shot to the default settings, i.e. to the first shot (Camera_1).
Rename button enables you to assign your own name to the shot, e.g. associated with a camera position in a studio.