Camera Object

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Camera Properties Dialog Box

A camera object can be placed in the scene to change the user's viewpoint. Cameras are designed to work with zones and have no effect when used alone. To use a camera, it must be given a name, and then the named camera must be set as the camera for one or more zones. When the user enters the zone, their view will switch to a camera object with the same name.

When a camera is placed in the scene, a wireframe cone will appear, showing the direction and shape of the camera view. This can be used as a guide when lining up the camera to point at a specific area.

Camera Options

Tag Name

Use this to assign a name to the camera. A camera must have a name to be used.

Once the camera is named, enter the name in a zone object. When a user enters the zone, their view will switch to the camera. A camera may be shared by any number of zones. Note that if the same name is given to multiple cameras the behavior is undefined.

Zoom

Enter 1 for a normal ninety-degree view. Lower values will produce a wide-angle lens, while higher values will produce a zoom effect.

Track User

If this is selected, the camera will always point at the user (everyone using the camera will see it pointed at themselves). If this is not checked, the camera will point according to the object's rotation. Simply rotate the object until it is pointed the desired direction.

Note that when the camera is tracking the user, it attempts to look at the "head" of the avatar. This is usually a point at 90% of the avatar's height. If the avatar has an unusual shape (like an animal) then the camera may not really point at the avatar's head. This problem becomes more obvious when using very strong zoom lenses.