NEED help here please for how to do cameras in animate2

Drekkan

sorry about the dramatic title but I am frustrated in trying to simply use cameras Animate2. I am trying to get a camera working for the scene and can't find any vid or basic tutorials to help with this whatsoever. Someone I asked help from before explained it as the following:

 

1) In frame 1, create camera and place it at the correct distance and height for the shot

2) Create null.  Turn off "Parent items in place"  and parent null to figure's hip

3) turn on "Parent Items in Place" and parent camera to null.

4) slowly move through animation, rotating the null on the Y axis a few more degrees every few frames (keeping the rotations and the number of frames even, so depending on the length of the walk and speed of the rotation maybe 15 degrees every 10 frames or something), and correcting any X/Z rotations in the null caused by hip movements - this may have to be done frame by frame.

 

Could someone PLEASE do a simple BASIC screenshot tutorial or vid tutorial on this using the general steps from above. It would REALLY help as I am trying to figure this out and tearing my hair out in frustration at how its apparently so simple yet difficult for me. Thanks.

 

Sven Dullah

Ok here is what  I would do:

1) Switch to the time line, go to the first frame (frame 0).

2) Go to create/create new camera and modify placement and parameters as needed.

3) Go to create/create new null (or create new primitive and make it invisible) A null has no geometry, only transforms data, so it's invisible by default. Place the null object where your character is, by selecting it in the scene tab and using the sliders in the parameters pane or dragging it in the viewport with the universal tool.

4) Go to the scene tab, you will see the null object and your camera. Grab the camera and drag/drop it onto the null object to parent it.

5) With the null selected, go to the timeline and click the + button to add a keyframe for the null on frame 0.

6) Go to the last frame of your animation and create a keyframe using the same method.

7) In the viewport, switch to your camera view, so you look through your camera.

8) Assuming your character is moving along the z-axis, make sure the null is still selected, go to the parameters pane and use the z-translation slider to move the null to where your character is, while looking through your camera in the viewport. Click the + button just to be sure you have created a keyframe for the null on the last frame.

9) If you want the camera to spin around your character while moving along the z-axis, rotate the null along the y-axis on the last frame.

10) Since DS uses ease in-ease out by default you will want to make the translations linear(moving/rotating at constant speed). If you own the keymate plugin, select the first keyframe for the null and set it to linear. If you don't have that, here is a simple workaround: Go to frame 1(the second frame) and click the + button to create a keyframe (with the null selected). Then go to the second last frame and repeat. Now you should have linear transforms between those keyframes.

11) Sit back and enjoy your work;)