How to make smooth movements with the Camera?

[xxx]

I don't get it. Dunn's tutorial is far too fast, I can't follow. Can someone please explain what's going on. I tried animating the camera without the help of expressions but 6 splines/parameters are too much to juggle once there's more than 2 keyframes per spline. Or does anyone have a simple example for linking the camera to a target and then animating the targets position. I'm new to fusion and can't even pickwhip in 8.2, need to open 7.7 top do that. Thanks in advance!

[Dunn]

Hey there triple X. Welcome aboard!

Yeah, that tutorial was just to show how you can use custom paths in 3D space & to create a Camera rig. It´s a bit advanced I think, If you just started using Fusion. But all cool, we are here to help too. In Fusion there are many ways to do what you are looking for, so I will share with you a small setup which I think gives you more control on animating your Camera. Its uses the Coordtransform Position Modifier to follow the Target. Just copy and past this code into the Flow.

Code: Select all

{
	Tools = ordered() {
		Shape3D1 = Shape3D {
			Inputs = {
				["Transform3DOp.Translate.Y"] = Input {
					SourceOp = "Shape3D1YOffset",
					Source = "Value",
				},
				["MtlStdInputs.MaterialID"] = Input { Value = 2, },
				["SurfacePlaneInputs.ObjectID.ObjectID"] = Input { Value = 2, }
			},
			ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { 791, -36 } },
		},
		Shape3D1YOffset = BezierSpline {
			SplineColor = { Red = 252, Green = 57, Blue = 47 },
			NameSet = true,
			KeyFrames = {
				[0] = { 0, RH = { 46.6666666666667, 1.66666666666667 }, Flags = { Linear = true } },
				[140] = { 5, LH = { 93.3333333333333, 3.33333333333333 }, Flags = { Linear = true } }
			}
		},
		Note1_1 = Note {
			Inputs = {
				Comments = Input { Value = "Using the CoordTransform Modifier to follow the Target \n\nTo use the CoordTansform Modifier , you have to rightclick on the Transforms X Offset >> .. then select Modify with >> .. CoordTransform Position. \n\n\n\nThen Drag the Shape3D node to both slots.\n\nTip* -- I would use the This transform X / Y / Z  Rotation  for Banking and Pitching ;-)", }
			},
			ViewInfo = StickyNoteInfo {
				Pos = { 451, 32 },
				Flags = {
					Expanded = true
				},
				Size = { 227, 255.3 }
			},
		},
		Note1 = Note {
			Inputs = {
				Comments = Input { Value = "Animated Target -- - -->\n", }
			},
			ViewInfo = StickyNoteInfo {
				Pos = { 519, -44 },
				Flags = {
					Expanded = true
				},
				Size = { 168, 37.3 }
			},
		},
		Transform3D1 = Transform3D {
			CtrlWZoom = false,
			Inputs = {
				SceneInput = Input {
					SourceOp = "Camera3D1",
					Source = "Output",
				},
				["Transform3DOp.Translate.X"] = Input {
					SourceOp = "CoordTransform3D1",
					Source = "Position.X",
				},
				["Transform3DOp.Translate.Y"] = Input {
					SourceOp = "CoordTransform3D1",
					Source = "Position.Y",
				},
				["Transform3DOp.Translate.Z"] = Input {
					SourceOp = "CoordTransform3D1",
					Source = "Position.Z",
				},
			},
			ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { 519, 168 } },
			Colors = { TileColor = { R = 0, G = 0.592156862745098, B = 0.0274509803921569 }, }
		},
		CoordTransform3D1 = CoordTransform3D {
			CtrlWZoom = false,
			Inputs = {
				TargetObject = Input {
					SourceOp = "Shape3D1",
					Source = "Output",
				},
				SceneInput = Input {
					SourceOp = "Shape3D1",
					Source = "Output",
				},
			},
		},
		Merge3D1 = Merge3D {
			Inputs = {
				SceneInput1 = Input {
					SourceOp = "Transform3D1",
					Source = "Output",
				},
				SceneInput2 = Input {
					SourceOp = "Shape3D1",
					Source = "Output",
				},
			},
			ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { 792, 164 } },
		},
		Note1_2 = Note {
			Inputs = {
				Comments = Input { Value = "The camera can still be re-positioned / Animated\n", }
			},
			ViewInfo = StickyNoteInfo {
				Pos = { 124, 204 },
				Flags = {
					Expanded = true
				},
				Size = { 220, 80.3 }
			},
		},
		Camera3D1 = Camera3D {
			Inputs = {
				["Transform3DOp.Translation"] = Input { Value = 0, },
				["Transform3DOp.Translate.Z"] = Input { Value = 2.92906443891534, },
				["Transform3DOp.Rotation"] = Input { Value = 0, },
				["Transform3DOp.UseTarget"] = Input { Value = 1, },
				AoV = Input { Value = 19.2642683071402, },
				["Stereo.Mode"] = Input { Value = FuID { "Mono" }, },
				FilmGate = Input { Value = FuID { "BMD_URSA_4K_16x9" }, },
				ApertureW = Input { Value = 0.831496062992126, },
				ApertureH = Input { Value = 0.467716535433071, },
				["SurfacePlaneInputs.ObjectID.ObjectID"] = Input { Value = 1, },
				["MtlStdInputs.MaterialID"] = Input { Value = 1, },
			},
			ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { 169, 169 } },
		}
	}
}

You can PM me if you need more help

Cheers.

[xxx]

Hey Dunn, thanks so much! I can see what's going on and it's exactly what I need for now!

[xxx]

Hi Dunn,
I do need more help now. I animated the camera with your small setup and it works just fine! Thanks again!

But now, after a long camera move which I animated, I need the camera to do a tracked move for a few seconds. So I added another camera, imported the .ma and tried all sorts of connections to my main camera . But I just can't get my main camera to follow the .ma tracked camera because my main cam uses the target. And I can't just uncheck "use target" because that will throw off my long animation.

Any idea how I can insert a tracked move into my setup without starting all over again? This is my 1st fusion job. It's taking longer than expected and now I ran into a wall, there's no way I can start all over. The only thing I haven't thought of/tried yet, is to position the tracked camera at exactly the same position as my main camera and then render the tracked camera for the duration of the tracked sequence. I'm just not sure if I can get the 2 cameras to line up identically. Actually I'm too tired to try that now. I'll give it a shot 1st thing tomorrow morning. Unless of course you or someone has a better idea.

Thanks!

[xxx]

I got it! I made a copy of my main cam, unchecked "use target". Added a transform node to compensate for the offset created by the target and added another transform node which I connected to the tracked camera. Tweaked some, done.

[Dunn]

Sweeeet! Glad that it worked out man.

[mcchicken]

I love this forum. That is what i treid to achive in The fusion tab of Davinci Resolve. very nice. Thank you for the detailed video.

[GreenGlass]

Quaternion rotation would probably help. I don't know the math or the Fusion well enough, but I bet someone here does. I do use it in Cinema 4D, and it helps with smooth camera motion. I also hear the robot engineers I work with mention it a lot.

[mcchicken]

Is that really the only way to do a camer animation smoothly in fusion. The video shows it but that is a very very complicated way.

[Dunn]

Well, that's just one way you do camera animation with abit of control in fusion.
If you are interested in another solution, you can check out this camera rig : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1821&p=18570&hilit= ... rig#p14034

or just animate by hand and use the spline editor to smoothen your cam movement.

[mcchicken]

That rig in the linked thread well...it tales like forever...zero performance. Found another one, also very bad performance. 32 gb ram, 8 core 2700x and a 1070ti doesnt seem to be enough here.
The only one performing solid is the one in your video. Thank you for that.
I really did not expect that there is no "easy way" in fusion to just paint a 3d math and add a camera to it. Again i got totally ambushed

[SirEdric]

Well...it's not about painting math. It's evaluating expressions.
Expressions are some high level ('easy'...) way to connect tools together.
However, at some point evaluating a multitude of those 'easy' approaches will slow down everything.
Fusion will have to check all upstream tools (which could potentially be animated) for interconnecting values to other tools
(which could be animated as well) and so on, and so forth.
If you really want to 'paint math', go and write your own Fuse. And you will see Fusion fly...

[SecondMan]

I think mcchicken meant to say "paint a 3d path"...

[SirEdric]

Oh. Dang. The verbatim precision of the German strikes back...
But still, there's a big difference between painting a path for the camera (which somehow works)
and having an FK/IK Camera Rig based on expressions...

[mcchicken]

opsy
Yes i meant "3d path"
In general, camera animation in fusion seems to be a very rare topic. The most useful stuff i found is in these forums.