Mike Metheny wrote:
> 
>  How do I declare various camera
> positions/lookats in one easy declaration so i can just change ...?


Ugh!  Ignore the solutions others have posted, for I am your saviour and
offer the one true way...


Here's what I do (put on your sunglasses, this is brilliant!)


---------- BEGIN CAMERA WISDOM -----------

#declare FinalCamera = camera {
       location  <-1.2*OneFoot-epsilon, 1.7*OneFoot+BenchTopY,
-2.5*OneFoot>
       look_at  <VisePlateSeparation *.4 - 0.7*OneFoot,    
ViseHeight*.7+BenchTopY, BenchFrontZ>
       angle 63
}

#declare FlourCamera = camera {
       location  <-epsilon, 1.7*OneFoot+BenchTopY, -4*OneFoot>
       look_at  <VisePlateSeparation *.4,   .40+ 
ViseHeight*.7+BenchTopY, BenchFrontZ>
       angle 75
}
#declare PlanCamera = camera {
       location  <-epsilon, CeilingY-OneFoot,  0>
       look_at  <0,   BenchTopY, BenchFrontZ>
       angle 94
       orthographic
}

#declare EndView = camera {
	location < LeftWallX+OneFoot, ViseMoundRelY, 0>
	look_at  < 0, ViseMoundRelY, 0>
	angle 50
}


#declare BackWallCam = camera {
	location < -OneFoot, BenchTopY+2*OneFoot, OneFoot>
	look_at < -OneFoot,  BenchTopY+OneFoot, BackWallZ>
	angle 101
}

#declare DramaCam = camera {
	location < -OneFoot, BenchTopY+ 10, -10>
	look_at < -OneFoot,  BenchTopY+OneFoot, BackWallZ>
	angle 90
}


//camera { FinalCamera }
//camera { FlourCamera }
//camera { PlanCamera }
//camera { EndView }
//camera  {BackWallCam }
camera { DramaCam }


------ END OF CAMERA EXAMPLE -------


Just uncomment one line, comment out all others.   The names remind me
of what each one is for. There's always FinalCamera, or FinalView, for
the finished product, several Check cameras, and some aimed at special
objects while I'm modelling and texturing them, like BackWallCam. 
Rarely, I use PlanCamera to show a top-view floor plan of everything,
but most scenes come together without need for that.  This scene had a
2nd FinalView that was more dramatic, called DramaCam.  So much fun, so
little time...


Gee, I hope I didn't sound biased, I did my best to be objective,
hee-hee-hee!

-- 
Daren Scot Wilson
dar### [at] pipelinecom 
www.newcolor.com
----
"A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for"
                                            -- William Shedd

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