Enter 1998 September/ENTER9_2.bin/SIMPLY3D/DOCS/UG_VIEW.DP

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/CGDC
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The View Designer
LThe View Designer is a window in which view resources are created and edited
*2Lfor the current project.  A view includes a camera position and is populated
*2Lwith object and light resources.  The camera, object and light resources are
*2Loriented in 3D space to create a scene for rendering.  A project can contain
*2Mmultiple views, either of a common scene or completely different scenes.  The
*2Jdifferent views are displayed as icons in the View Resource Palette on the
*27Resource Manager area of the Project Designer window.
*B*The resources that make up a view include
objects
 and
lights
, whose individual
tOproperties are defined in the Object Designer and Light Designer, respectively.
*2KThe purpose of the View Designer is to populate a view with resources.  The
*2Sposition and rotation of these resources to create the desired spatial relationship
*2Kwithin a view is defined elsewhere, either by X, Y and Z coordinates in the
*2PObject and Light Designers, or visually in the viewport of the Project Designer.
*AMIn addition to objects and lights, each view contains unique properties for a
camera
, including
Position
Rotation
 and
Field of View
Focal Length
t8Additional properties that are unique to a view include
, which gives the
tKillusion of distance by causing more distant objects to be obscured by fog;
Ambient Light
|6, which sets the light environment of the scene; and a
Background
C, displayed as a backdrop behind the objects used in the view.  The
t,background may be a solid color or an image.
*AMThe View Designer is opened, closed and controlled in the same way as each of
*2Gthe other Resource Designers.  For a complete discussion of the general
*2Lloading, saving, renaming, etc, of resources, as well as a discussion of the
*2Sdifferent kinds of control entities (wells, dials, buttons, type-ins, etc.), please
*20refer to the Renderize Live EZ Overview chapter.
The Default View
*cKIf the View Designer is opened by dropping the "default" view resource icon
*2Kinto the Edit Well of the Project Designer, then the properties in the View
*2QDesigner are updated to the default settings.  The default view has no resources.
*2QThere are no objects or lights assigned to the view, and the background is set to
*2Nthe default color of black.  The camera position and rotation is at its "zero"
*2Sposition, and the lens is set to 50 millimeters, the standard focal length for a 35
mm camera.
*AMThe default view cannot be altered: it is the starting point for creating new
*2Mviews from scratch.  Therefore, as soon as this view is dropped into the View
*2MDesigner, the name is automatically changed (to default_1, if no view by that
*2Mname currently exists) so that any changes to the view can be saved under the
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Inew name.  More than likely, however, a meaningful name would be assigned
*2=to the new view, describing it in the context of the project.
Creating a View
*cOA view is created by populating it with object and light resources, determining
*2&a camera position and rotation, etc.
*d0Adding and Removing Lights and Objects in a View
*PKThe right side of the View Designer contains two Resource Palettes; one for
*2Pobjects, and the other for lights.  These Resource Palettes list the objects and
*2Llights that populate the current view.  Below the Resource Areas are the Add
*2Hand Remove Wells; these Wells are the "doorway" through which object and
*2Glight resources pass when being added or removed from the current view.
*APTo add an object or light resource to a view, point to and select on the desired
*2Iresource icon in the Project Designer's Resource Palette.  Hold the mouse
*2Dbutton down and drag the resource icon over the Add Well in the View
*2QDesigner, then release to drop the icon into the Well.  This resource is added to
*2Fthe view, and the icon appears in the current view's Resource Palette.
*AHAn object or light can also be added directly to a view from the Project
*2JDesigner.  First, drop the desired view resource into the View Well of the
*2MProject Designer to make it the current view.  Now drag the desired object or
*2Mlight from its Resource Palette and drop it into the View Well, on top of the
*2Qview icon that is already in that Well: that object or light is incorporated into
the current view.
*AMTo remove an object or light resource, select and drag that resource from the
*2PResource Palette on the View Designer, and release it when it is positioned over
*2Othe Remove Well; the object or light resource that was selected is removed from
*2Tthe current view.  Note that the resource still exists in the project: it has simply
*2%been removed from the current view.
*d,Adding Parent and Children Objects to a View
*PQAs discussed in the Object Designer chapter, a single object can be split up into
*2Omultiple objects, with a different object created for each material definition.
*2MWhen you split objects up, separate icons are created for each object, and an
*2Qadditional icon is also created to act as the "parent" of all of the objects in a
*2Emodel.  This "parent" object, marked with the word "node", is used to
*2Dmanipulate all of the "children" objects in the view as a whole.
*APTo load an entire model into the current view, simply add the "parent" object to
*2Nthe view: you will be asked if you wish to include the children as well as the
parent.

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t(Positioning Lights and Objects in a View
*PNAdding lights and objects to a view is only the first step in creating a view:
*2Lthese lights and objects must then be positioned and oriented in relation to
*2Mone-another to create the desired 3D spatial relationships that make the view
*2Imeaningful.  This is not done in the View Designer.  It is done either by
*2Ndefining cartesian coordinates (coordinates on the X, Y and Z axes to define a
*2Nposition in 3D space) in the Light and Object Designers, or by positioning the
*2Oobjects and lights visually in the viewport of the Project Designer.  Typing in
*2Gcoordinates, described in the Object Designer and Light Designer Window
*2Ochapters, allows for extreme precision.  Positioning in the viewport, described
*2Jin the Project Designer Window chapter, provides the visual feedback which
*2Tlends itself to the understanding of the spatial relationships of the resources in a
view.
*ANNote that the position and orientation of objects and lights are properties of
*2Qthose objects and lights: changing the position of an object or light in one view
*2Kaffects the position of that same resource in any other views in which that
*2Tresource is included.  If different views require different spatial relationships of
*2Mthe same resources, it is advisable to make copies of these resources so that
*2Jdifferent positions and orientations can be defined for different views.
*AMThe position of a group of objects relative to one another can be manipulated
*2Qquite easily in Renderize Live EZ.  This work is greatly facilitated, however, if
*2Mthe objects in complex scenes, such as an office interior, are created in the
*2Hproper relative scale and position during the original modeling process.
Positioning the Camera
position
 and
)T    rotation
3of the camera in a view is a very important element
tLof the view.  Quite often, in a project with multiple views, the position of
*2Gobjects is the same in each view, but the camera position is different.
*AOThe View Designer contains type-in boxes to define the cartesian coordinates in
*2Ka world coordinate system for camera Position and Rotation.  These type-ins
*2Ocan be used to define a precise camera viewpoint which is useful in cases where
*2Hthere is an attempt to duplicate a known view from another project or to
*2Kduplicate the results of some other software.  In addition, notice that the
*2MRotation button acts as a toggle; select on this button to express the camera
orientation in terms of a
Target
)z/ position.  Changing the target position of the
tMcamera effectively changes the camera's rotation, but does so by expressing a
*2,point in space where the camera is pointing.
*AMAnother method for setting the camera is to do so visually in the viewport of
*2Mthe Project Designer.  This method shows the spatial relationship between the
*2Pcamera and the objects and lights in a view, which makes it quite easy to create
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Oa desired viewpoint.  This method for positioning a camera is described in full
*2(in the Project Designer Window chapter.
*AOThe aesthetic considerations of camera viewpoint in a view are discussed in the
*2+View Realism section later in this chapter.
Setting the Camera Lens Optics
*cMAnother factor that influences the way objects are displayed in a view is the
*2Noptics of the camera lens.  The focal length, or field of view, determines the
*2Mamount of perspective distortion the objects will undergo in the camera view.
*2LThe camera in Renderize Live EZ is designed to act like a normal camera.  If
*2Othe focal length is a high number, the camera is "zoomed" and the perception of
*2Pdepth between objects is reduced; the objects look crowded.  If the focal length
*2Ois a low number, the camera is set to a "wide-angle" display, and those objects
*2Mthat are close to the camera may appear distorted and appear to "leap out" of
*2Nthe scene.  The default focal length of about 50 millimeters emulates the view
of a standard lens on a camera.
*APThere are actually two different ways of altering the optics of the camera lens:
Field of View
 type-in and the
Focal Length
 type-in.  These type-ins,
Idescribed below, represent two different ways of achieving the same goal:
*25changing one of these settings updates the other one.
*AQThe aesthetic considerations of camera lens optics in a view are discussed in the
*2+View Realism section later in this chapter.
The Field of View Type-in
*PMThe value entered here modifies the optics of the camera lens by defining the
*2Mangle of the field of view of the camera.  The wider the field of view of the
*2Icamera, the lower the focal length and the greater the perceived distance
*2Pbetween objects.  The narrower the field of view, the higher the focal length of
*2>the camera, making the objects appear closer to one another.
*AJYou can type-in a value here, or click on the arrows beside the type-in to
*2)increase or decrease the displayed value.
The Focal Length Type-in
*PMThe value entered here modifies the optics of the camera lens by defining the
*2Ldesired lens type.  Remember, a 50 millimeter lens, the default lens on most
*2Kcameras, simulates the optics of the human eye.  Any number below 50mm will
*2Mcreate a wide-angle, or "fish-eye" effect.  Any number above 50mm will create
a zoom effect.
*AJYou can type-in a value here, or click on the arrows beside the type-in to
*2)increase or decrease the displayed value.

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Defining a View Background
*cGThe Background Well in the View Designer is used to define a background
*2Jover which a view is created.  This background can be either an image or a
*2Msolid color.  A view background does not show any of the effects that objects
*2Ndo:  they are not illuminated by light sources nor shaded by shadows: they are
*2Nsimply a backdrop that always exists at the back of the camera's field of view
*2)and on the same plane as the camera lens.
Defining a Color Background
*PLThe default background color is black.  The color in this Well can be set by
*2Mpointing to the Well and selecting the left mouse button to open up the Color
*2KToolbox, from which a new color can be assigned.  The use of Color Wells is
*2Fdescribed in full in the Renderize Live EZ Interface Overview chapter.
Defining an Image Background
*PMTo use an image as the background for a view, the desired image must first be
*2Mloaded into the Image Resource Palette on the Project Designer.  This is done
*23using the File, Load Image command on the Menu Bar.
*AKTo load an image into the Background Well, drag the desired image icon from
*2Kthe Image Resource Palette and drop it into the Background Well on the View
*2LDesigner.  This image will now serve as the background for the current view,
*25but will not be displayed until the view is rendered.
*AIAn image background can also be added directly to a view from the Project
*2JDesigner.  First, drop the desired view resource into the View Well of the
*2NProject Designer to make it the current view.  Now drag the desired image from
*2Mthe Image Resource Palette and drop it into the View Well, on top of the view
*2Nicon that is already in that Well: that image is incorporated into the current
view as the background image.
*AORegardless of the aspect ratio of your final-rendered image, the image that you
*2Ouse as a view background should have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (X:Y).  This is the
*2Paspect ratio of the Project Designer viewport where the image will be displayed.
*2QImages that are not in this aspect ratio will be stretched to fit, distorting the
image.
Removing an Image Background
*PJTo remove an image from a view, point to the image in the Background Well,
hold down the
)89 key on the keyboard and press the left mouse button: the
image is removed from the Well.
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$Setting the Amount of Ambient Light
*cOAmbient light is an indirect light source; light which permeates a view without
*2Nhaving a definite source.  In the real world, ambient light is a result of the
*2Lreflection of light off of all the surfaces with which it makes contact.  In
*2LRenderize Live EZ there is no reflected light so ambient light is controlled
independently.
*ANThe Ambient Light type-in on the View Designer is used to indicate the desired
*2Lamount of ambient light for the current view.  The higher the number that is
*2Jentered here, the more ambient light will be available in a view.  You can
*2Ntype-in a value here, or click on the arrows beside the type-in to increase or
decrease the displayed value.
*AHThe effects of the ambient light setting can only be seen when a view is
*2Mrendered.  If a view has a low amount of ambient light, then the areas of the
*2Oview not illuminated by a direct light source will appear quite dim relative to
*2Jthe illuminated areas.  Conversely, if a view has a high amount of ambient
*2Plight, those areas of the view not illuminated by a direct light source will not
*2Mappear as dim: the contrast between directly illuminated areas and indirectly
*2'illuminated areas will not be as great.
*AOThe aesthetic considerations of ambient lighting in a view are discussed in the
*2+View Realism section later in this chapter.
'Defining a Depth Cue: The Fog Check Box
*cLFog is the effect that gives the perception of distance to a view containing
*2Oobjects at various distances from the camera.  In reality the space between the
*2Qviewer and an object is never empty; it contains air, moisture and dust particles
*2(which over distance reduce visibility.
*B&When the Fog Check Box is selected, a
Fog Distance
 type-in and a
    Fog Color
KWell appear for defining the thickness and color of the fog.  The aesthetic
*2Pconsiderations of these fog settings in a view are discussed in the View Realism
section later in this chapter.
The Fog Distance Type-in
*PMUse this type-in to set distance at which fog begins to affect the view.  The
*2Rhigher the fog distance setting, the clearer the "air" will be; background objects
*2Qwill look relatively crisp in relation to foreground.  The lower the fog distance
*2Psetting, the hazier the "air" will be; background objects appear less clear than
*2Pobjects in the foreground.  You can type-in a value here, or click on the arrows
*2?beside the type-in to increase or decrease the displayed value.

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The Fog Color Well
*PKThe color of the fog is determined by the color in the Fog Color Well.  The
*2Lcolor in this Well can be set by pointing to the Well and selecting the left
*2Hmouse button to open up the Color Toolbox, from which a new color can be
*2Oassigned.  The use of Color Wells is described in full in the Renderize Live EZ
Interface Overview chapter.
Defining a Clipping Plane
*cPIf an object in a view is too close to the camera, the wireframe lines that make
*2Nup that object may appear to come from every direction, making it difficult to
*2Munderstand what you see.  Therefore, Renderize Live EZ allows you to define a
*2M"clipping plane" at a distance in front of the camera such that any wireframe
*2Ilines that occupy the space between the clipping plane and the camera are
*2&"clipped", so that they do not appear.
Clipping Plane
> type-in is used to set the clipping plane.  The default value
tOis 0.2, meaning that the clipping plane is located just in front of the camera.
*2IValues greater than 0.2 place the clipping plane farther from the camera;
*2Lvalues less than 0.2 place the clipping plane closer to the camera; negative
*2Kvalues place the clipping plane behind the camera.  You can type-in a value
*2Khere, or click on the arrows beside the type-in to increase or decrease the
displayed value.
$Creating Multiple Views in a Project
*cPQuite often it is desirable to create an environment of objects and lights, then
*2Jview that scene from different viewpoints.  To do so in Renderize Live EZ,
*2Lsimply create the first view, and after the lights and objects are correctly
*2Jpositioned and oriented, copy the view and change the camera viewpoint and
*2Loptics to create a new view.  To copy a view, simply load that view into the
*2LView Designer and save it under a new name.  Now the original view continues
*2Mto exist, and changes to camera properties, ambient light, fog and background
*2Mcan be executed without altering the original.  Remember, however, that light
*2Mand object positions are properties of the lights and objects; changing their
*2Rpositions in one view alters their positions in all views in which they exist.  If
*2Pyou need to re-position objects or lights, copy them first and use the copies in
subsequent views.
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View Realism
*cQBecause realism is in the eye of the beholder, realism in rendering is an elusive
*2Ogoal.  Rather than achieving a "mechanically perfect" realism, it may be better
*2Oto work toward a rendering which achieves the purpose for which it is intended.
*2JThis may mean, in some cases, deliberately degrading an image to avoid too
perfect a picture.
*AOWhen we look around us, we see only the reflected light from the objects in our
*2Ofield of view.  Without much trouble, one can imagine that these reflected rays
*2Ncould be totally undecipherable to the brain.  There are years of practice and
*2Mexperience which go into training our brains to make sense of the images sent
*2Lto it by the eyes.  The brain extracts information embedded in the images to
*2Kform clues used to decipher them.  If we want to render an image which will
*2Rlook "realistic" to the eye, we must include as many of these clues as possible in
*2Nour view.  Renderize Live EZ provides the tools you need to achieve the degree
*3+of realism you desire. These tools include
l    viewpoint
lens optics
ambient
lighting
, and
)7=.  The use of each of these features is described above.  The
Nsections below attempt to address each of these features in terms of achieving
view realism.
Views and Camera
*PDAmong the most important factors in defining a view are the "camera"
*2Lviewpoint and optics.  The viewpoint establishes which surfaces are visible,
*2Lfrom which angle and which surfaces are hidden.  The focal length determines
*2Mthe amount of perspective distortion the objects will undergo in rendering.
*ALIf we want to "see" a wider area of our view, we can either "back the camera
*2Nup" (increase the distance from the viewpoint to the nearest object) or "use a
*2Kwider lens" (increase the angle of view, thereby increasing the perspective
*2Sdistortion).  Both of these methods allow us to see a wider area; the visual effect
*2Lthat they produce, however, differs.  Each option is valid, depending on the
*2Rdesired effect; the important thing is to understand the effect of each option and
choose the correct one.
*ALThe proper viewpoint and focal length combination is a matter of experiment.
*2RThere is no right setting, just as there is no right setting in the placement of a
*2Hreal camera.  There are wrong settings, however, but some of them can be
*2Qeasily avoided.  Don't use too wide a view angle (too small a focal length).  The
*2Keffect is to make nearby features "leap out" of the scene.  Don't place the
*2Iviewpoint too far away with a very small angle of view (too large a focal
*2Plength).  It will make near and far objects look crowded together.  Focal length
*2Land viewpoint must be set by experiment, but a good place to start is with a
*2Jcamera focal length of 50mm.  That's the standard lens on a camera.  After
*2Mviewing the effect of a 50mm focal length, try 100mm for a more long distance
*2.effect or 35mm for a more wide-angle effect.

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Views and Lighting
*PKWhen lighting a view, use whatever methods necessary to achieve the desired
*2Peffect, instead of trying to imitate the lighting parameters as they would be in
*2Nthe real world.  For example, if you are creating an outdoor scene, creating a
*2Lsingle light source and placing it way out in space to emulate the sun won't
*2Qgiven you the effect you desire: you'll find that shaded areas of the view appear
*2Qtoo dark.  Instead of trying to solve that by increasing ambient light, you might
*2Mget a better effect by using one or more well-placed "fill" lights.  In other
*2Pwords, when lighting a view, you need to approach it as a film or video lighting
designer might.
*AIRealism in rendering requires that there be some ambient light; otherwise
*2Ishaded areas would appear completely dark.  Lower ambient light makes the
*2Pscene more "contrasty", since the difference between areas in light and in shade
*2Qis starker.  The higher you set the ambient light, the less dramatic the lighting
*2Meffects become.  Creative lighting can be one of your most effective tools in
*2Screating realistic renderings.  Additional lights are easy to create (See the Light
*2MDesigner chapter), and can add interest and focus to the rendering as well as
*2Pgreater realism.  The effects of highlights and shadows greatly influence the 3D
*2Meffect in a rendered image, not to mention the "mood" of that image.  The use
*2Nof attenuated lighting, which becomes dimmer as distance from the light source
*2Lincreases, and fog, which makes images in the foreground crisper than images
*2?in the background, also play an important role in view realism.
*AQRemember that the position of a light is a property of that light.  If you change
*2Sa light's position in one view, that orientation is changed in all other views that
*2Pcontain that light.  If you have a case where a single light must have different
*2Opositions in different views of the same project, make a copy of that light (by
*2Ldropping it into the Light Designer and renaming it) before incorporating it
into subsequent views.
Views and Depth Perception
*PPThere are two factors that influence the perception of depth in a view: the lens
optics and the fog setting.
*AQIf the focal length of a lens is set too large (too much of a zoom), the distance
*2Mbetween objects (in depth) appears reduced.  Objects in the background appear
*2Ocloser to the foreground of the image.  This is discussed a bit in the previous
*2"section titled "Views and Camera".
*ALA second factor that influences the perception of depth in a view is the fog
*2Psetting.  Without our realizing it, fog becomes one of the clues we use to judge
*2Kthe distance of an object from our eye.  The perceived difference between a
*2Rsmall tree in the foreground and a large tree in the distance is partly the amount
*27of fog through which the distant tree must be viewed.
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SIn a rendered view, it is not likely that real distances will be used in all cases.
*2M(That building in the distance is not really 2 miles away!)  The Fog Distance
*2Kdial allows the fog effect to be used to whatever degree is necessary for a
*2Qrealistic view.  This dial must be set by experiment to achieve the right effect.
*2/In rendering, if it looks right, it is right.
*AM"Fog" is usually white or gray (The default fog color is gray).  Haze or smog
*2Lhas more yellow.  Smoke is blue.  The fog color must be set by experiment.
Views and Objects
*PHThe speed with which a view is rendered depends in part on the number of
*2Fobjects in that view.  To minimize the time required to render a view,
*2Nremember to include only those objects required for that view.  Objects beyond
*2Othe reach of the camera and objects totally hidden by the foreground must still
*2Jbe computed during rendering.  Objects that are in the background or small
*2Eobjects may not need to have to have extreme detail in their material
*2Nrenderings.  Use the tools that Renderize Live EZ provides when necessary, but
*2Lfor the sake of rendering time, use only those tools required to produce the
result you want.
*AJRemember that the position and rotation of an object is a property of that
*2Nobject; if you change an object's orientation in one view, that orientation is
*2Pchanged in all other views that contain that object.  If you have a case where a
*2Msingle object must have different orientations in different views of the same
*2Pproject, make a copy of that object (by dropping it into the Object Designer and
*2;renaming it) before incorporating it into subsequent views.

The View Designer
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Nick Josephs

Visual Software, Inc.

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