hi,

I'm very new to pov ray, (got it yesterday), and I'm having a little bit of
trouble understanding how to position the camera.

I use Anim8or to model everything and setup a scene. Then I use a program
called ani2pov to convert the scene to .pov format.

Here's my problem: the camera should be set up so that it looks like this:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/986/an8cityva8.jpg

But it ends up looking like this:
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/2738/scene01tp6.png

I have no clue how to change the code to re-adjust it. No matter what I try,
the camera doesn't seem to move.

Please Help

Kevinaz

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Kevinaz,

You can try PoseRay. It matches its preview with the POV-Ray camera.

http://mysite.verizon.net/sfg0000/

Just import the geometry. Set up the preview the way you want it and 
export to POV-Ray.

good luck,

FlyerX

Kevinaz wrote:
> hi,
> 
> I'm very new to pov ray, (got it yesterday), and I'm having a little bit of
> trouble understanding how to position the camera.
> 
> I use Anim8or to model everything and setup a scene. Then I use a program
> called ani2pov to convert the scene to .pov format.
> 
> Here's my problem: the camera should be set up so that it looks like this:
> http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/986/an8cityva8.jpg
> 
> But it ends up looking like this:
> http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/2738/scene01tp6.png
> 
> I have no clue how to change the code to re-adjust it. No matter what I try,
> the camera doesn't seem to move.
> 
> Please Help
> 
> Kevinaz
> 
>

Post a reply to this message

I don't just want to load the models, then export to pov-ray, I want to be
able to load a whole .an8 (anim8or) scene, with the anim8or light and
camera setup, then render in pov-ray. it sems to me that the only "scene's
you can import into pose-ray are daz and poser.

Again, I'd just like to know how to position the camera with code in pov-ray


Kevinaz

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Kevinaz wrote:


Perhaps you could post a snippet of the pov-formatted camera statement.
Also tell us where you thought you had it located and pointing relative 
to the origin in anim8or.
My first guess is that anim8or uses a different "handedness" than does 
pov. The export program may not be taking this into account properly 
with its camera settings?

Post a reply to this message

"Kevinaz" <Kev### [at] ctmetrocastnet> wrote in message 
news:web.45ec947b3b1cee0529e876c50@news.povray.org...
> hi,
>
> I'm very new to pov ray, (got it yesterday), and I'm having a little bit 
> of
> trouble understanding how to position the camera.
>
> I use Anim8or to model everything and setup a scene. Then I use a program
> called ani2pov to convert the scene to .pov format.
>
> Here's my problem: the camera should be set up so that it looks like this:
> http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/986/an8cityva8.jpg


     You might want to scale those lamp posts down a little.


>
> But it ends up looking like this:
> http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/2738/scene01tp6.png
>
> I have no clue how to change the code to re-adjust it. No matter what I 
> try,
> the camera doesn't seem to move.

   Like Jim says, it might be the 'handedness', or co-ordinate system of 
Anima8or, (which it looks like to me), so if your camera code has a 'Z' in 
it, change it to 'X', or vice-versa, and re-render.

    You should take a look at PoseRay sometime too.

      ~Steve~



>
> Please Help
>
> Kevinaz
>
>

Post a reply to this message

I agree with the idea of coordinate changes but I have another idea as well.
It happens to me when working with several pov files (for example having
different models in different files) that you forget to remove the cameras
from your model files. Then pov finds several cameras and when you change
the camera settings in your main file nothing happens because it is
actually using another camera. As you say that when you change camera
settings nothing happens could be this the problem? That you have defined
more than one camera?

Post a reply to this message

"kike" <dry### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> I agree with the idea of coordinate changes but I have another idea as well.
> It happens to me when working with several pov files (for example having
> different models in different files) that you forget to remove the cameras
> from your model files. Then pov finds several cameras and when you change
> the camera settings in your main file nothing happens because it is
> actually using another camera. As you say that when you change camera
> settings nothing happens could be this the problem? That you have defined
> more than one camera?

here's the code snippet:


camera {
   location <-3.509800,33.472000,168.360001>
   up <0,1,0>
   right <-4/3,0,0>
   direction <0,0,1>
   look_at <-11.923838,34.394115,163.035004>

}

I know I have the right camera, because I can still change attributes like
"sky", and "Direction", but the other attributes still don't work.

Kevinaz

P.S. could you explain that again Kike, in "laymens terms". As I'm new to
pov ray, (and 3d for that matter), I'm having a little trouble
understanding what you wrote.

thanks

Post a reply to this message

"Kevinaz" <Kev### [at] ctmetrocastnet> wrote:
>> P.S. could you explain that again Kike, in "laymens terms". As I'm new to
> pov ray, (and 3d for that matter), I'm having a little trouble
> understanding what you wrote.
>
> thanks


If you have included files (#include) in your scene and these files have a
camera in them. PovRay uses the last camera in the scene. Look at the
outputted scene file and check that there is only one camera. By that I

adjusting a camera that is not active.

PS I know that you only want to use PovRay as a rendering engine but it is a
good idea to become familiar with SDL. I use a modeller myself but I spent a
couple of weeks learning the scripting language. It is invaluable for
troubleshooting.

Stephen

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"Kevinaz" <Kev### [at] ctmetrocastnet> wrote in message 
news:web.45ed830a19f1c36729e876c50@news.povray.org...

> here's the code snippet:
>
>
> camera {
>   location <-3.509800,33.472000,168.360001>
>   up <0,1,0>
>   right <-4/3,0,0>
>   direction <0,0,1>
>   look_at <-11.923838,34.394115,163.035004>

  You could of course, just change that camera for PoV's default camera, 
which might make it a little easier for you:

 // perspective (default) camera
  camera {
  location  <0.0, 2.0, -5.0>
  look_at   <0.0, 0.0,  0.0>
  right     x*image_width/image_height
   }

   I would adjust it to match the original image. Just play with the 
location part, and to do that fairly quickly, comment out the slow parts of 
the scene and turn AA off.

     ~Steve~

Post a reply to this message

Kevinaz wrote:
> "kike" <dry### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> 
>>I agree with the idea of coordinate changes but I have another idea as well.
>>It happens to me when working with several pov files (for example having
>>different models in different files) that you forget to remove the cameras
>>from your model files. Then pov finds several cameras and when you change
>>the camera settings in your main file nothing happens because it is
>>actually using another camera. As you say that when you change camera
>>settings nothing happens could be this the problem? That you have defined
>>more than one camera?
> 
> 
> here's the code snippet:
> 
> 
> camera {
>    location <-3.509800,33.472000,168.360001>
>    up <0,1,0>
>    right <-4/3,0,0>
>    direction <0,0,1>
>    look_at <-11.923838,34.394115,163.035004>
> 
> }
> 
> I know I have the right camera, because I can still change attributes like
> "sky", and "Direction", but the other attributes still don't work.
> 
> Kevinaz
> 
> P.S. could you explain that again Kike, in "laymens terms". As I'm new to
> pov ray, (and 3d for that matter), I'm having a little trouble
> understanding what you wrote.
> 
> thanks
> 
> 
Well that seems consistent with the two pictures you posted, in that in 
the pov result the camera seems to be over near the far lamppost and 
looking in the -x and -z direction.  We see the building with the
bevelled corners near it.  You should also notice that currently the
location point and the look_at point are very close to one another
which suggests that *something* is wrong.

It would seem that in the "correct" view, the camera is pointing mostly 
in -x direction with a pan to the +z a bit.

My guess is the location has the x and z values reversed
I would try
location <-168.360001,33.472000,3.509800>
instead of
location <-3.509800,33.472000,168.360001>

and leave the look_at the same?

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