Share/import cameras?

[andy.engelkemier]

How do you import the camera from one file to another?

[KeyShot]

Hi Andy,

In KeyShot 2.2 (just about to be released) you can import cameras from any bip file (as well as FBX files).

Henrik

[millansky]

Nice to hear .FBX format is fully implemented.

[jbeau]

The biggest issue I found is that KS doesn't apply the proper FOV from 3dsMAX. You have to manually change your FOV to match 3dsMax cameras.

Here is what I would like to see added to KS.
1. Camera animation support for free and target.
2. FOV has proper values.
3. It would be nice if KS auto resizes its viewing window on import to the same size as Max/Maya render output size, or at least locks in the proper aspect ratio. I know this needs to happen on the FBX side, just a thought.

Below is an quick test image to show that the pixels are matching.

Regards,
~Jbeau

[NormanHadley]

Hi Henrik

You say

In KeyShot 2.2 (just about to be released) you can import cameras from any bip file (as well as FBX files).

Can you (or anyone else) explain how this is done. please? I have a previous project where I have saved a view and taken renders. I have then made changes in the source application (Pro/E) and re-imported to Keyshot (I'm on 2.265).

My problem is - even if I write down all the settings listed (Azimuth, twist etc) from the first BIP, I can't precisely recreate the view in the second BIP because it doesn't seem to store the pan x- and y- co-ordinates.

Anyone?

[guest84672]

Are you importing it into the same scene?

[NormanHadley]

Hi Thomas.

Truth be told, I've never had much success importing Pro/E geometry into Keyshot scenes. My usual workflow is to do all the geometrical work in Pro/E an use the plug-in to export to Keyshot. For me, it's about 100 times faster and a 1000 times more reliable that way round.

The problem is that Keyshot then treats the geometry as if it has never seen it before. What would be really useful is to save a camera position from one scene* and import it into another so you're looking at your geometry from exactly the same angle as before. I've tried doing this manually, by writing down all the parameters in the camera dialogue box. But those parameters don't fully record the view - it seems as if you can type in the same figures and get a different view because it doesn't remember the pan coordinates (x & y).

Thanks in advance for your help

Norman

*I tacked my question onto this thread because Henrik's post hints that the save/import camera idea can be done in 2.2.

[PhilippeV8]

Once you got your camera setup ok for the scene remove all geometry from the file and save again as "new-name.bip"
Now in any new scene you create, if you import "new-name.bip", it will import the camera setups you had in that first scene.

[NormanHadley]

Thanks, Philippe. That's a cunning workaround that'll get me out of a hole today. The only thing is, it's brought my Core i7-920 box to its knees, speedwise. It's as if the previous incarnation of the geometry is still in RAM somewhere. I still think it'd be a nice feature to output a camera position and read it into another scene.