camera question

how do i change where the camera is pointed. and have any tips for moving the camera around i can never get it pointed at my mesh to render it :stuck_out_tongue:

you can grab it and rotate it just like any object, but the best way in my opinion is to go to camera view ( number pad 0 ) then hit shift F to go into fly mode. then you can fly around with the camera seeing all the different possible angles before you decide on one. Left mouse click to accelerate forward, mouse movements to turn, middle mouse button to go backwards, and space bar to stop.
<edit> oh, another way that is good is to use multiple screens. one with camera view, one with fron view, one with top view, and one with side view.

thanks that camera fly thing is cool. not only does it work great but it is fun :slight_smile: just one other question. is there a way to adjust how far the “fade away” is. or i could just down scale my images…

if you are refering to how far away the camera still “sees” an object, that would be the ClipEnd value in the camera edit buttons (select the camera and hit F9) It also helps to set the ShowLimits button so that the 3d view will have a line from the camera that will show you exactly where the camera stops seeing things.

BTW- you can also see “through” things by setting the ClipSta value so that the camera doesn’t start seeing anything until it is past that object

two easy ways:

1:

rotate any 3D view so, that you see your object from the desired angle/position. then press SHIFT+NUMPAD 0. this will move/rotate the camera so that it matches the viewport you currently use. then (this is important) select the camera and press I>>LocRot. this has to be done to update the camera’s IPO so that it stays where you want it.

2:

create an empty. name it cam.target. select the camera, clear rotation. with the camera selected, shift-select the empty and press ctrl+T. choose constraint. this will make your camera always point to the empty. maybe you’ll need to play the constraint’s axis-buttons

The use of a empty is very handy and very usefull in many various occasions like in the creation of a animation or a game, but to create a nice render it is very handy and quick to use the fly mode as described in previous replys.