Track to constraint - Incorrect axis?

Support Animation and Rigging
1

Could someone explain to me how this constraint uses the axis settings avaible.

I have a camera set up to track an empty, the camera has been moved in the -Y direction, while the empty resides at position 0,0,0.

They seem to be incorrect as setting Y in the ‘up’ option, and -Z in the ‘to’ option would give the user the expected results of setting Z in ‘up’, and Y in ‘To’.

This would be due to the cameras front facing down the Y axis, while the top of the camera would be facing towards the Z axis, i.e. parallel to the grid floor.

2

The camera is a special case

When you add a camera it faces down the z axis by default… just clear the rotation and see.

That’s because for a camera Z is always depth into teh screen

so to point a camera at an object then Y must be up and -z is the “to”

it makes sense really! it’s just different to what you might expect for say a car which faces down Y by default…

3

I see, that does make sense.

I always thought the reset rotation of the camera to be strange, and quite a pain usually. But if it’s for a valid reason then I can just make note of this case and remember it for the next time.