Back to Tracked Camera Billboards: Occlusion
Introduction
This document provides an overview of the CAMERAS control board of the TrackedCam compounds. It discusses how to control cameras using the TrackedCam compound in Aximmetry, including virtual camera movements combined with tracked camera motions.
You can find the CAMERAS control board on the menu bar:
After clicking on it, you should see the following control panels on the board:
NOTE: The screenshot above was taken using the [Common_Studio]:Camera\TrackedCam\TrackedCam_3-Cam.xcomp compound. Other tracked camera compounds' CAMERAS control boards may vary in the number of cameras they can handle.
Select Camera
The CAM buttons on the SELECT CAMERA control panel control which virtual camera is used for the program output.
Parameters
Here, you can select if the camera's view should be rendered locally, or with a Multi-Machine, remotely.
You can read more about these settings in a Multi-Machine use case scenario here: Cameras
Camera X VR Path
When using tracked cameras, we use tracking devices to follow the studio cameras' movement with the virtual cameras. The virtual cameras, however, are still capable of moving independently; that is, we can still add virtual camera movements on top of the tracked camera movements. This is especially useful in the case of small studio environments, where the tracked cameras only have limited space for their movements.
The CAMERA X VR PATH control panels offer programmable paths to set up additional virtual camera movements for the cameras.
IMPORTANT: In the case of Aximmetry rendered scenes, the Use Billboards and Allow Virtuals parameters (INPUTS/SCENE) must both be turned on for the use of virtual camera movements with tracked cameras.
IMPORTANT: In the case of Unreal rendered scenes, the Use Billboards parameter (INPUTS/SCENE) must be turned on for the use of virtual camera movements with tracked cameras.
VR Path
Path numbers 1 to 8 can be programmed with any sort of virtual camera movement, following the same steps as in the case of the Virtual Camera Workflow.
NOTE: The paths can be overwritten by re-editing them. See the steps for Defining New Camera Paths.
Trk
You can specify an additional tracking device to move only the virtual camera, whereas the tracking device earlier specified on the INPUT X control panel of the INPUTS control board would still move the camera, the studio mask, and the Billboard.
Trk turns on/off the use of this additional tracking device's input to move the camera.
Smooth
The Curve button turns on/off the smoothing effect on the virtual camera movements.
Attributes
Tracking
Tracking Device allows for specifying an additional tracking system used to add virtual camera movement on top of the tracked camera movements.
NOTE: Works only when the Trk button is turned on on the Camera X VR Path control panel.
Tracking Delay allows for manually setting a delay value for this tracking device.
Duration
These parameters specify the amount of time it takes to play the virtual camera movements. They use seconds for measurement.
Smooth
Smooth provides an easy-in and ease-out effect on the virtual camera movements. In other words, it affects the speed curve of the virtual camera movements. The higher its value, the longer it will take for the virtual camera movements to speed up and down, resulting in softer, smoother movements.
NOTE: Works only when the Curve button is turned on.
Master Smooth affects the smoothing effect of every VR PATH (except for Trk).
Path X Smooth affects the smoothing effect of a single VR PATH.
Camera Mode
The CAMERA MODE control panel allows choosing between Free, Program, and Playlist camera modes, as well as to stop, pause, and play the virtual camera movements.
Free Mode
Free Mode allows you to navigate the camera freely within the virtual scene. It is primarily recommended for use during the setup process or when checking your settings.
By default, Free Mode starts at the selected camera’s position due to the Free Cam Lock to parameter.
NOTE: To see the Billboards in Free Mode, the Allow Virtuals pin (INPUTS\SCENE\Pin values) must be turned on.
NOTE: To learn more about how to control/move the camera, please refer to the Camera Mover Mouse Control document.
Program Mode
In Program Mode, you control the program output using the SELECT CAMERA control panel.
Playlist Mode
In Playlist Mode, you can program/externally control your cameras. In the Flow Editor, use the following pins on the TrackedCam compound to do this:
The Playlist Select Cam pin controls the SELECT CAMERA control panel's buttons (i.e., allows for switching between CAM 1, CAM 2, CAM 3, etc...)
The Playlist Cam X Path pins control the CAMERA X VR PATH control panels' buttons (i.e., allows for switching between camera paths)
NOTE: Programming the control of the cameras requires the use of the Sequencer.
NOTE: To learn more about this, you can refer to the Sequencer and Sequence Editor document.
NOTE: Externally controlling the cameras requires the use of External Controllers.
NOTE: To learn more about these, you can refer to the External Controllers documents.
Control buttons
The control buttons allow for Stopping, Pausing, and Playing the virtual camera movements.
Camera Mode Parameters
Edit On Channel
Here, you can limit which channels (preview and output) the cameras can be moved on. 0 = editable in all channels.
Reset Free Cam
Reset the free cam to the default position.
CAM Motion Rate
Camera movement speed when moving the Free camera or when editing camera paths.
CAM Zoom Rate
Camera zoom speed when zooming with the Free camera or when editing camera paths.
CAM Rotation Rate
Camera rotation speed when rotating with the Free camera or when editing camera paths.
Free Cam Lock To
Locks various aspects of the Free Camera Mode to the Selected Camera's tracking.
The Lock Height, Lock Tilt and Roll, and Lock Lens parameters allow you to individually enable or disable these restrictions. If all these options are turned off, the only effect of setting Free Cam Lock To on the Selected Camera is that the Free Camera will start from the current position of the Selected Camera when activated.
Lock Height
When Free Cam Lock To is set to Selected Camera, enabling this parameter prevents the Free Camera from moving vertically. This ensures it always maintains the same height as the currently selected camera.
Lock Tilt and Roll
When Free Cam Lock To is set to Selected Camera, enabling this parameter prevents the Free Camera from tilting or rolling relative to the Selected Camera’s tracking. Rotational movement is restricted to the horizontal (yaw) axis only.
Lock Lens
When Free Cam Lock To is set to Selected Camera, enabling this parameter synchronizes the Free Camera’s lens characteristics with the Selected Camera. This means the Free Camera will always have the same zoom level, focus distance, aperture, and lens distortion as the Selected Camera.
Put Scene At Free Cam
This is identical to the Put Scene at Free Cam trigger found in the SCENE panel. For more information, see: Put Scene At Free Cam
Keep Height
When the Put Scene at Free Cam trigger is used, enabling this option prevents the Scene’s height from changing. If disabled, the Scene will be positioned at the height of the Free Camera, minus the height of the tracked Selected Camera. For example, you should disable this option if you want to move the camera between different floor levels in a virtual building.
Edit Camera Path
This control panel allows you to create simple virtual camera paths by defining their starting points (A) and ending points (B), as well as their playback mode and speed curve.
IMPORTANT: Editing the camera paths must always start by ensuring the right camera path is selected (i.e., the one you want to edit). By editing camera paths, all changes made to the path will overwrite the path's previous corresponding settings (e.g., changing the transformation of point A only will overwrite the previous transformation of point A only).
Defining New Camera Paths
The following buttons are used to create and manage camera paths:
Playing
When the Playing mode is selected, the virtual camera path cannot be edited, but it can be controlled by the CAMERA MODE control panel's control buttons, and by the CAMERA X VR PATH control panels' attributes.
A and B
A and B set the transformation (position and rotation) for the starting point (A) and ending point (B) of the virtual camera path. When selected, you can freely move the virtual camera in the virtual scene.
When A or B is selected, you'll see an EDIT MODE overlay on your preview video output:
NOTE: The screenshot above was taken using the [Studio]:News Room\News Room - TrackedCam_3-Cam.xcomp compound.
NOTE: Move the camera to the position you want your virtual camera path to start from (A) and arrive at (B).
Copy/Paste
To make setting up points A and B easier, you can copy/paste their transformation from one point to another.
Use the double document button (Copy) to copy the transformation of the currently selected point (A or B).
Use the single document button (Paste) to paste the transformation onto the currently selected point (A or B).
NOTE: It is recommended to copy/paste A to B first. This helps you move the camera to the ending position more easily.
Delete
This button resets the position and rotation of the selected point to the default values (A or B) by deleting its previously set transformation.
Global Settings
Global Settings affect the playback mode and speed curve settings of every virtual camera path.
Playback Settings
NOTE: The screenshot above represents the default settings of every TrackedCam compound.
Loop (left button): Creates a loop of the Virtual Camera Path, resulting in the following, endlessly repeated pattern: A -> B | A -> B | A -> B | ...
Bounce (center button): From the ending point (B), the Virtual Camera Path bounces back to its starting point (A), resulting in the following pattern: A -> B -> A
NOTE: You can choose multiple playback modes at the same time (e.g., Loop and Bounce).
Speed Curve Settings
NOTE: The screenshot above represents the default settings of every TrackedCam compound.
Linear (left button): Sets a constant speed for the playback of every virtual camera path.
Smooth (center button): Also called ease-in & ease-out. The speed increases when leaving an endpoint (A or B) and decreases upon arriving at an endpoint (A or B).
Mixed (right button): The speed is Linear on one end (point A by default) and Smooth (ease-out) on the other end (point B by default).
NOTE: You can only choose one speed curve at any given time (Linear, Smooth, OR Mixed).
Numeric Editing of Camera Paths
When the EDIT CAMERA PATH panel is selected, the A and B path points for the currently selected path are displayed as editable parameters:
These parameters can be modified directly and are automatically saved after each edit. Additionally, these values are automatically updated when creating the camera path in Edit Mode.
Virtual Path Methods
Each Position, Zoom Factor, Focus Distance, and Aperture parameter has a corresponding Method parameter.
The Method parameters allow you to specify whether each virtual camera path position uses virtual values (by selecting the Override option) or data from the tracking device (by selecting the Use Tracking Data option). Smooth transitions are supported between path points that use different methods, for example, transitioning from point A, which uses tracked data, to point B, which uses overridden values.
For the Focus Method parameter, an additional Keep Target option is available. When this option is selected, and when using virtual camera path positions (with the Position Method set to Offset), the virtual camera’s focus distance remains locked on the same target as the physical camera.
Camera to Edit
When changing the camera using the SELECT CAMERA panel, the Camera to Edit parameter will automatically update to reflect the newly selected camera. This ensures that you are always editing the currently selected camera. However, you can also manually change this parameter to edit the path of a camera that is not currently selected. This feature is useful in multi-machine setups or when making changes while on air.
Preview Monitor Content
Let you change what is displayed on the Preview output (of the TrackedCam compound):
Program
This will put the program's (final) output on the Preview.
NOTE: In this case, the content displayed on the Out pin and Preview pin of the TrackedCam compound will be the same.
Matrix
This will display a matrix view on the Preview. The Matrix view consists of the Cameras (3, 4, or 8) and the Program out.
NOTE: In the case of Aximmetry rendered scenes, only the currently selected camera will be rendered at the highest quality. The other preview cameras are default rendered at a lower quality. This is to save performance.
NOTE: In the case of Unreal-rendered scenes, the virtual scene will only be visible on the program output. Additional preview outputs can only show the billboards' images. To see the complete scene on every output of the Matrix view, you must use a Multi-Machine setup.
Cam 1,2,3...
This will display the selected camera on the Preview.
Parameters
Preview Height
Sets the height of all non-selected camera previews in Matrix view. You can define the height in pixels.
Matrix Gap
Adds a gap between the previews in Matrix view. You can define the gap in pixels.
Matrix Camera Number
Specifies the number of camera views (Cam 1, Cam 2, Cam 3, etc.) to be shown in the Matrix view option.
NOTE: For mixed camera setups, this parameter is separated into "Matrix V CAM Number" for virtual cameras and "Matrix T CAM Number" for tracked cameras.
Matrix Show Program
Displays the program output in the Matrix view.
Antialias
Adds antialiasing to the various preview views. Can be None, 2x, 4x, or 8x.
Full Resolution Preview
Previews are by default rendered at lower resolutions than the final output. This is to save GPU time. However, you can set the preview to full resolution (same as the Program output).
Show Name
Whether to show the Cam 1,2,3... Name parameters in the top left text of the Preview Monitor Content and in the On Screen Info label.
Font Size
Sets the font size of the label at the top left.
Font Color
Sets the color of the label at the top left.
By adjusting the alpha value, you can change the transparency of the label's background. If the font color is too dark, the background will automatically change from black to white for better readability.
When not using the Program view, the label's background will turn red if the current camera view matches the Select Camera.
Cam 1,2,3... Name
Allows customization of each camera view's name. Changes made here will be reflected both in the top left text of the Preview Monitor Content and in the On Screen Info label.
NOTE: This also sets the name displayed in the MONITOR panel views of the INPUTS control board.
Show Engine
Displays the Cam Engine of the currently viewed camera when using a Multi-Machine setup.
On Screen Information
Displays information on the Preview output by adding additional overlays. All of these buttons can be turned on simultaneously.
Info
Displays the following information on the preview output:
CAM: Show the currently selected camera's name. The exact text displayed (instead of "CAM") is determined by the Show Name and Cam 1,2,3... Name parameters in the Preview Monitor Output panel.
PATH: The currently played virtual camera path. Then the value separated by “-” indicates the remaining time of the camera path, in seconds.
Lens
Displays the following information on the preview output:
FOV: The current Field-of-View value of the camera. Then the value separated by “/” shows the matching focal length in millimeters (mm).
FOC: The current focus distance of the camera. Then the value separated by “-” is the aperture’s f-number.
Note: To display the correct focal length, the sensor size must be correctly specified for your camera.
Safe
It places a safe area mark on the selected camera on the Preview.
NOTE: Notice the two white frames close to the edge of the image.
SDI
Displays detailed technical SDI input information on the Preview:
This display will also indicate whether the program output is genlocked. For more information, see: Genlock Aximmetry Video Output
Parameters
Font Size
Sets the size of the text.
Font Color
Sets the color of the text.
By adjusting the alpha value, you can change the transparency of the label's background. If the font color is too dark, the background will automatically change from black to white for better readability.
Show on Program
All selected on-screen info will also be displayed on the final Program output.
Show on Preview
All selected on-screen info will also be displayed on the Preview output.
Show Matte SDI
Displays SDI information of the external keyer's SDI input.
NOTE: Displayed only when SDI is turned on at the ON SCREEN panel.
Show Warning
Displays various warnings or error messages on both the Preview and Out (final) outputs when set to On Preview and Out.
These warnings are not affected or related to the other settings or buttons in the ON SCREEN panel.
Streaming
Use this panel to start your stream directly from Aximmetry. More on streaming here:
Continue to Introduction to Green Screen Production
With this document, you have finished the Tracked Camera Workflow. You can head back to the Introduction to Green Screen Workflow to learn more about Green Screen Production:
