Automatically generated camera shaking (with TUTORIAL!)

Artwork Blender Tests
1

See how it looks within blender (click here)
(click the image for the video)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/2255744418_bbcdc716c5_o.png

This is just a simple rig to make your camera automatically jiggle and tumble when keyframed. It’s surprisingly simple, and doesn’t take up that much resources at all! The next best thing is that the jiggle is controllable! Just change the settings on the softbody! (see below)
EDIT: THIS TUT ONLY WORKS WITH THE SVN VERSION

Want to know how it works? Aren’t you lucky! Here’s a tut! (It’s a wip, I’ll update it in a few minutes)

Start off by making a plane, then moving it so it’s parallel with the z and x axis.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2254908237_e9a29c18aa_o.png

Next, go into edit mode and merge the top two vertices.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/2255706888_5541da42aa_o.png

Select all the verts, then subdivide the mesh once.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2254908259_19ceb14ede_o.png

Delete the default camera and light.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2140/2254908271_9e6d343bcb_o.png

Add an armature
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/2255706928_fda6aa2d3a_o.png

Select the triangle, and set the armature as a modifier.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2255706952_856326f87d_o.png
2255706952_856326f87d_o.png285×520

Select the bone, and hit CTRL+TAB to set it into pose mode.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2255706966_2621c8968c_o.png

Select the triangle, and hit CTRL+TAB to go into weight painting mode. Then, paint the outside corners. (Opacity is 1)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2255707042_de65cca4d7_o.png

Go back to Object Mode, then make the triangle a softbody.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2254908393_66e92f912d_o.png

Make sure that the Armature modifier is on the TOP of the stack. (use the arrow buttons)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2399/2255707084_c88150957d_o.png

Hit Num 7 to go into TOP view. Then, add a camera.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2187/2255707106_47814c5fc6_o.png

Rotate the camera 180 degrees.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2378/2255707124_580976386f_o.png

Go to SIDE view with NUM 3 and rotate the camera 90 degrees.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2255707146_700bb75fa0_o.png

Select the camera, then SHIFT select the triangle.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2307/2255707160_74b2192d24_o.png

Go into EDIT mode, then select the three inside verts. Then hit CTRL+P to make the camera parented to these vertices.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2018/2254908515_02f106cb4a_o.png

Move the camera back one Blender Unit on the Y axis.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2326/2255707208_22f83665e6_o.png

Give the triangle a transparent material.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/2255707262_bd1ffb44bf_o.png
2255707262_bd1ffb44bf_o.png833×202

And that’s it!
Now all you have to do is keyframe the bone in pose mode to animate the camera! The camera and the softbody will do all the jiggling!

2

epic massive awesome. this should be moved to tutorials. great work.

3

That’s interesting! Some other ways include using mouse recording, the jitter script, or slow parenting.

4

epic massive awesome.

Never better said.

5

Very innovative use of s-b, and looks very useful for doing faux-hand-held shots. Vive le cinema verite! (sorry for the lack of accents :wink: )

6

OMG! Thats awsome!

7

But the video doesn’t look like camera shake at all?
Your just panning around. I’m sure it is impressive, but I don’t see the point.

8

But the video doesn’t look like camera shake at all?
Your just panning around. I’m sure it is impressive, but I don’t see the point.
It’s a shake produced by inertia, not earthquake shake.

@yoyofargo: I try it in 2.45, it works perfectly!!! i made an add: in the end, i’ve selected the three interior edges and just deleted away. This way you don’t need to assign a transparent material, and renders quickly. :wink:

by the way, there are some script or some way to do a earthquake shake? i try recording mouse movement, but requires too much tweaking to be real.

9

The camera motion shown includes positional overshoot and rebound that is characteristic of handheld camera work and very hard to achieve this well by keyframing. To call it “shake” may be a little inaccurate, as that’s used for everything from small jitters to massive (earthquake!) oscillations, but I think with some tweaking this approach might have a substantial range of “shake” possible, not just that shown.

10

the jitter script doesnt work for me

11

looks very great,

it has always been a problem to achieve such effects, very nice solution

12

It’s easy enough with this rig. Simply change the spring settings on the softbody, lower the dampening/friction, then key the bone to move up and down over and over. (or, just copy and paste ipos… but whatever…)

13

wow, thats pretty cool. it would be great in one of those look around sequences…

14

This isn’t camera shake, its more like camera swing, something that can be combined with camera shake.

15

Great yoyofargo! thanks a lot.

16

It’s probably a little more stedicam than handheld, although with a little more jitter it could pass for a shoulder mount. Very impressive IMHO.

17

This is great,
It makes much more controlled camera shakes without much work/ overdoing the shaking.
Thank you!

18

I’m using similar setup by myself for a long time. But I’m also using camera target on softbody springs. The only problem can be if you forget to move wind emiters away from the camera layer. I’ve forgot once and then started rendering animation without previous softbody baking. As result I had drunk camera operator :wink:

19

Looks great!

I think, it will be make motion like a handheld camera.

This idea is realistic, exciting and amazing!

20

Nice !

why do you add the camera from top view ?
Adding from back view directly can be done with ctrl-1numpad .