Valleys & Hills

Valkeerie

I am super impressed with this product. It produces huge, naturalistic wilderness landscapes without blowing up on my system, and doesn't take too long to render.

My only gripe is my own fault: I don't know how to navigate huge scenes. I don't know how to place or move cameras, or place and move objects.Normally I might select an object and move the camera to it in one click, but in this product this tends not to work. Rolling the mouse wheel is futile.

The only sure way is to edit the XYZ params of an object or camera, with values in the 1000s or 10000s, and that feels dumb. It's hard work.

Is there a better way to work in large scenes? Thanks

Richard Haseltine

Try switching to the Top view, then frame the scene (using the [ ] icon in the view controls, or cmd/ctrl F) and roughly placing the camers with their gizmo by drag and drop. You could also use one of the side vews to adjust height. Once that is done you can use the standard controls to refine their placement. I would tend to switch the Viewport to one of the split modes for something like this (Window>Viewports menu).

Diomede

Richard, two thumbs up.    In addition to that, I sometimes insert a couple new cameras just for arranging and posing scene elements.  Can pull back the cameras physically then zoom the lens.  Gives a little more control than the default directional cameras.  Can switch to them for arranging, then switch away for rendering.

RGcincy

For large scenes, I reset a camera's Nudge values for X and Z translate. Click on the gear icon at the upper right of the paramater slider, choose Parameter Settings, and set Nudge to something like 5, 10, or even higher if needed. Then use the X & Z sliders to move the camera at a much faster speed. Many times you can ignore Y but if needed it too can be adjusted. This will not speed up the viewport controls, so you need to select the camera and use the parameter dials.

Valkeerie

Thank you all - all good suggestions. I have just tried modifying the "nudge" value for X & Y on a camera from 1.0 to 100 and now my movement is supercharged :-) And 100 is about right for the scale of the product.

Odaa

RGcincy said:

For large scenes, I reset a camera's Nudge values for X and Z translate. Click on the gear icon at the upper right of the paramater slider, choose Parameter Settings, and set Nudge to something like 5, 10, or even higher if needed. Then use the X & Z sliders to move the camera at a much faster speed. Many times you can ignore Y but if needed it too can be adjusted. This will not speed up the viewport controls, so you need to select the camera and use the parameter dials.

Had no idea we could do this...thanks!

benniewoodell

Wow, this could be the most informational thread I've read in a long time, so much I didn't know! 

jardine

RGcincy said:

For large scenes, I reset a camera's Nudge values for X and Z translate. Click on the gear icon at the upper right of the paramater slider, choose Parameter Settings, and set Nudge to something like 5, 10, or even higher if needed. Then use the X & Z sliders to move the camera at a much faster speed. Many times you can ignore Y but if needed it too can be adjusted. This will not speed up the viewport controls, so you need to select the camera and use the parameter dials.

wow--that's an excellent trick.  thank you, RGcincy! 

:)

j