Camera

Camera Objects determine which part of a Scene is shown on the Screen and how.

Every Scene comes with a default Player Camera that is created when the Scene is created. The Player Camera is the Camera that is played when a Scene starts, and it can be set on the Attributes of the Scene.

Camera Objects can be handled as any other Object in Incari, they have Transformation Attributes with which they can be translated and rotated.

Besides the usual Attributes, Camera Objects have a particular set of Attributes that allow the user to configure the Camera. These are described in detail in Camera Attributes.

A Scene can have multiple Cameras and they are managed in the Logic using the Camera Nodes.

There are several features that allow the user to know how a Camera will show the Scene while working on editing said Scene:

  • In the Viewport, the Player mode shows what the Player Camera will show when running the Project.

  • Picture-in-Picture: By selecting a Camera in the Scene Outliner, the user can see at the bottom-right corner of the Viewport how the Scene looks like through that Camera.

  • Look Through: Mode that allows the user to see in the Viewport what a Camera shows.

Camera Attributes

There are some Attributes that are specific for Cameras. These are the following:

Angle of View

Angle of View determines how much of a Scene can be seen by the Camera, much like the focal length of a camera lens. Increasing the AOV will make off-camera Objects progressively appear in the periphery of the screen and will therefore increase the amount of perspective distortion. Conversely, lower AOV levels will show a smaller range of Objects, with lower perspective distortion, and are good for more orthographic views.

When this Attribute is enabled, the aspect ratio of the Camera is obtained from the Screen. If it is disabled, the Aspect Ratio Attribute can be directly edited.

Aspect Ratio

This Attribute determines the aspect ratio. If Link Aspect Ratio to Screen is enabled, it is obtained from the Screen's Attributes and cannot be edited. Otherwise, it can be set at the user's discretion.

Near / Far Clipping Plane

Clipping planes define the range that will be rendered, in relation to the position of the camera.

Near Clipping Plane determines the minimum depth that will be rendered, while Far Clipping Plane determines the maximum depth. Anything that falls outside of this range will be ignored when rendering the frame.

Render to Texture

This Attribute is used to render the Scene from the viewpoint of the Camera into a texture. When enabled, the resulting texture is added to the Asset Database and can be used for all Objects which allow for textures (such as Materials, Sprites, or Images). It is removed again when the Attribute is disabled.

This Attribute can also be used to draw multiple Scenes, combine them, or bring them into another Scene.

Player Mode

The Player Mode shows what the Player Camera will show once the Scene starts playing. To access it, simply click Player on top of the Viewport. Then, to go back to the 3D View, just click on 3D:

Picture in Picture

When a Camera is selected in the Scene Outliner, an inset window appears at the bottom-right of the Viewport showing what the selected Camera shows. The Picture-in-Picture inset window is highlighted in the picture below:

The example below shows the Picture-in-Picture feature throughout several Cameras in a Scene:

Look Through

The Look Through mode allows the user to see in the Viewport what a Camera shows. To use it, right-click on a Camera and select Look Through from the drop-down menu. Then, to leave this mode, just click on the Leave Look Through button at the top right of the Viewport:

Proxy

When a Camera is selected in the Scene Outliner, its Proxy appears in the Viewport, showing which part of the Scene the selected Camera will render:

Camera Nodes

The Camera Nodes allow the user to manage the Cameras in a Scene. These are:

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