I've built a POV model and I would like to perform a "fly-by". In most 3D
packages you would simply set the location and direction of the camera at
specific frame numbers and the package would smooth out the camera motion
during the complete animation.

Can this be done in POV, perhaps via some sort of GUI utility?

Thanks

Colin

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On Wed, 23 Apr 2003 13:57:10 +0100, "CB" <col### [at] nospamcouk> wrote:
> I've built a POV model and I would like to perform a "fly-by". In most 3D
> packages you would simply set the location and direction of the camera at
> specific frame numbers and the package would smooth out the camera motion
> during the complete animation.

In POV SDL (scene description language) camera can be at any place and look in
any direction. That's you who defines how it is located: constant or with some
movement. As for movement it can be precalculated for every frame or it can be
calculated with macro, function, spline or any possible tool of SDL expressions.
Probably splines best fits your needs. Look in manual for its description.

ABX

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3ea68d4c@news.povray.org...
> I've built a POV model and I would like to perform a "fly-by". In most 3D
> packages you would simply set the location and direction of the camera at
> specific frame numbers and the package would smooth out the camera motion
> during the complete animation.
>
> Can this be done in POV, perhaps via some sort of GUI utility?

Perhaps Chris Colefax's Spline macro will help you.
www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/spline/index.html
Bye

Txemi Jendrix
http://www.txemijendrix.com

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> Perhaps Chris Colefax's Spline macro will help you.
> www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/spline/index.html

Thanks both. That would take care of the camera path, but I would like to
change the speed of the camera too - for example I'd like the camera to
begin from a standing start and then accellerate just as a real camera with
real mass would.

It looks like I won't be able to do this in POV.

This prompts a second question which I'll post as a new thread ....

Colin

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On Thu, 24 Apr 2003 09:02:54 +0100, "CB" <col### [at] nospamcouk> wrote:
> Thanks both. That would take care of the camera path, but I would like to
> change the speed of the camera too - for example I'd like the camera to
> begin from a standing start and then accellerate just as a real camera with
> real mass would.
>
> It looks like I won't be able to do this in POV.

Why you think that? It only requires some function from clock measurement of
animation to spline t parameter. For example:

#declare S=spline{ linera_spline 0 <0,0,0> 1 <1,0,0> }
#declare Position=S(clock);       // linear movement
#declare Position=S(clock*clock); // acceleration

> This prompts a second question which I'll post as a new thread ....

Which is unnecessary inthis case :-)

ABX

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On Thu, 24 Apr 2003 09:02:54 +0100, "CB" <col### [at] nospamcouk> wrote:
> It looks like I won't be able to do this in POV.

BTW: look into samples in standard distribution. There is an animation
[POV]\scenes\animations\splinefollow\splinefollow.pov . Header of this file
contains hints about suggested options used to render it. You can also get my
ini files for this task from
http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.utilities/25029/

ABX

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In article <hs7favgrfuhs3hoptc7b678gasv4d7sd36@4ax.com>,
 ABX <abx### [at] abxartpl> wrote:

> Why you think that? It only requires some function from clock measurement of
> animation to spline t parameter. For example:
> 
> #declare S=spline{ linera_spline 0 <0,0,0> 1 <1,0,0> }
> #declare Position=S(clock);       // linear movement
> #declare Position=S(clock*clock); // acceleration

Or just construct the spline so you accelerate. Assuming P1..P5 are 
approximately equal distances along the path:

0.0, P1,
0.4, P2,
0.7, P3,
0.9, P4,
1.0, P5

It will go from P1 to P2 as the clock goes from 0 to 0.4, from P2 to P3 
in the next 0.3 clock interval, from P3 to P4 in the next 0.2 clock 
interval, and finally from P4 to P5 in the next 0.1 clock interval.

Or if you want, you could use the spline to define physical forces on 
the camera, and then do an iterative simulation to compute the camera 
position. However, you will never be certain where the camera will end 
up, it will take a lot of trial and error, and probably won't look any 
better.

-- 
Christopher James Huff <cja### [at] earthlinknet>
http://home.earthlink.net/~cjameshuff/
POV-Ray TAG: chr### [at] tagpovrayorg
http://tag.povray.org/

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Not true. Using the autoclck.mcr, an enhancement to Chris' stuff, you can
accelerate, decelerate and a whole lot more.
Syntax is:
#declare ACCclock = (From (0, 1) To_Using (5, 5,"A"));

the "using" line allows for many types of non-linear curves.

Then use ACCclock for whatever parameter you wish to speed up
d.

"CB" <col### [at] nospamcouk> wrote in message
news:3ea799d2$1@news.povray.org...
> > Perhaps Chris Colefax's Spline macro will help you.
> > www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/spline/index.html
>
> Thanks both. That would take care of the camera path, but I would like to
> change the speed of the camera too - for example I'd like the camera to
> begin from a standing start and then accellerate just as a real camera
with
> real mass would.
>
> It looks like I won't be able to do this in POV.
>
> This prompts a second question which I'll post as a new thread ....
>
> Colin
>
>
>
>

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Colin,
Check out 
    http://www.geocities.com/emory_stagmer/povherm
This is a stand-alone hermite curve generator that has
all the qualities you're looking for with examples and
descriptions of the this type of curve.  I've used it for
both camera motions and object motions.  It's not as slick
as Chris Colfax's stuff, but I find it easy to set stuff up
quickly.

Emory

CB wrote:
> 
> > Perhaps Chris Colefax's Spline macro will help you.
> > www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/spline/index.html
> 
> Thanks both. That would take care of the camera path, but I would like to
> change the speed of the camera too - for example I'd like the camera to
> begin from a standing start and then accellerate just as a real camera with
> real mass would.
> 
> It looks like I won't be able to do this in POV.
> 
> This prompts a second question which I'll post as a new thread ....
> 
> Colin

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