Hi all,

I thought I ask the experts!

I am now pretty familiar with external camera views, rotating, moving, zooming etc BUT :

Is there a way to move the camera in the PF2 view instead of rotating it always around the center of the aircraft?

I was already trying everything but was not able to move the camera (parallel to the aircraft). At the key definition a combination of CTRL+KEYPAD 1-9 should do that but that doensn't work at all in PF2 view (does that work anyhow?)

I am trying to make some cool cockpit views but want to do it in PF2 view and NEED this move instead of rotate!!! I want a shot from behind the pilot (over his shoulder!!) to see the cockpit very close with all the instruments etc.

I did it in the terrain view with PF11 - where you can move the camera all over and stop etc. That works for planes on an airfield but how should I find a aircraft somewhere in the sky or on a carrier with PF11? So I have to use PF2 I think.

CAN YOU HELP ??

Many thanks

Thomas

Yeah, the camera angle you want is possible to use.

You know when you hit F4 view, you get this fixed camera on your plane looking backwards right? Well, you have to edit this view somewhere in the lock on folder. I know that it is possible to move this camera anywhere you want on the body of the plane, but sadly i don't know how to do this myself, all i know that it is possible.

I am sure someone in here could fill you in.

In server.lua you edit the parameters that I have in bold type:

function GetRearCameraPosition(iType)
local p = CockpitLocalPoint[iType]
local r = {}
r[1] = p[1] - 3.7
r[2] = p[2] + 2.4
r[3] = 0.0
return r[1], r[2], r[3]

You guys are great !!! I will check that out tomorrow. Many thanks for your help so far !!
Thomas

I played around with the parameters for the rear view and got the shot I wanted.
Is there any view (except PF11) where I could use this combination of CTRL+KEYPAD 1-9 which should NOT ROTATE but MOVE the camera????

In relation to the plane exactly what do you want to do? We need more info.

Hi BSR_RuGGBuTT,
thanks for your reply. I don't want to overstress this point. I got the view I wanted I was just wondering if it is possible to:

look at the plane from the side (plane is very close and on the ground)

now move the camera parallel to the plane (from the nose to the engine). I mean just moving it along the side of the plane and always facing the plane(not rotate it over or around the plane

that means looking at the side and moving sideways (lets say in the right direction)

Thanks for your patience!
Thomas

like a dolly shot right?
Nothing standard, other than using ctrl+f11 and "free-cam'n" it.
Another trick I have used tha would work for the shot you described above is to put a chopper or vehicle flying the path you would want the camera to follow then set your shot up from there. Make sense?

What the heck is a "dolly shot" ?? :-)
Good idea with another plane flying parallel to the plane but what about doing that on the gound. I guess I can't pick a car or something else!! ---- geeee what did I start here !!! :-)

like this?
straffe camera example "save target as"

heres how it was done.

The moving vehicle is where the camera is located. Set the desired speed and then the camera is swivled into the proper position during the record or edit .trk
Then rendered using these settings (1.38gigs for 15secs)
NOTE: I also punched this track in at 30secs and it remembered the standard rotate, shift+esc rotate, regular zoom, and ctrl+* zoom


Then I opened the raw .avi in vegas and tweaked around a bit, and rendered the track down to 1024x768
NOTE: The clip will now play cleanly through media player and this would be the basic stage they are left at to compile into a movie.
(Size is now 1.22gigs for 13secs)


Once you have finished your entire movie you need to compress it. I like Dr.Divx.
These are the settings used to create the final 6.15meg .avi that you saw.

Hi LOCisPeedOFF,

MAN THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR !!!!!
How can I thank you? Many, many thanks for your help even with screenshots and attached movie example. This couldn't be better! I think I really found an expert here!

Your shot really reflects what I am planning to do on the ground. I will definitely try that during the next days. What a cool trick!! That didn't come to my mind. Great - using a moving vehicle for that!!! Perfect! What did you use a tank :-) ?

One more thing:
Yes I also got Dr.Divx and also want to use it. I also got VEGAS 6 (I am all set to go!) but
don't you use FRAPs for recording? I saw all the guys are using this. Is it because of the movie quality, performance reasons or any other ...?

Many thanks so far!! If I could do anything for you - just let me know.

Thomas
(Germany)

LOC (and I) use the in game AVI tool. Before 1.1 it had some unpleasant "idiosyncracies", but there were workarounds. Now the AVI tool works much better.

Nice tutorial BTW LOC. <S>!

ok - does the ingame AVI tool also produce better quality?

I would try and use non-hostile entities like trucks and transport choppers when applying this trick otherwise it might shoot at something or deviate course.

Sounds like your good to go, and using fraps or the in-game tool is personal. You can get better quality with the in-game render tool.
Notice the settings on the render screen, coupled with a full overcast stormy mission, and all GC settings maxed (6x AA, 16x AF).....add fraps to that and your going to need a super good comp to render it smooth, even if you do it at 1/2 speed, because fraps is rendering what you see in real time.
The avi tool is slower because it renders frame by frame at your computer's speed, but the result is much cleaner IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by krel01:
ok - does the ingame AVI tool also produce better quality?

When rendering using the AVI tool, turn all settings up to max.

Ok guys - I think now I got all the information I was still looking for. I wanted to use FRAPS with 1/2 speed but maybe I will also use the new ingame AVI tool which is slower. I will check that out.

My vacation starts on Saturday and I got VEGAS installed on my laptop for doing first tests and reading the manual.

When I am back home I hope I can do the location setup in LOMAC FC, do some shots, some stunts etc, I already picked some cool music. It will be my first movie - so don't expect too much but you guys will be the first who get to know when it is done! The storyboard is already in my mind! :-)

Thank you so much again
Thomas

PS.: I am wondering if there will really be a chopper in LOMAC 1.3 ?!?! GUNSHIP was a pain !!

It'll be a KA50 in 1.2. And supposedly the chopper will have as complicated and a realistic flight model as the Su25T has.

What I really like about the AVI tool is that I can save my shots, note where to punch in and out and I can render a high quality movie while I watch TV. It takes longer but the quality is worth it IMHO.