I was just wondering, is it possible to attach things to the camera and lock them to it so that... (for instance) whenever you looked at the scene you're building, from whatever angle or direction, a few strands of grass remained in the bottom right corner of the view, and say... a branch with a few leaves on it, remained in the top left corner of the view?

Is that possible?

(you would then have those things hidden while you need to do a quick render to check position of other stuff in the scene - and possibly use the director view to check things.)

Yes?  No?

Cos I can't seem to do it.

Yes it's possible to have the camera lock on a particular element in a scene. Look at the properties of the camera or camera setting in a particular focus... (right, left, top, bottom, perspective, camera, etc.) I don't know if you're familar with the interface but there is next to the trackball a little triangle, which when clicked drops down. The last item on the menu, :" Edit camera properties". The second tab is "Linking". This is what you want... There are 2 parts to this tab... You want the one that will link to the object in the scene.

Hope this helps... (BTW, I am only speaking with reference to version 5.5)

TS

Maybe group it to the camera? or use the camera as its parent, and let the parent control position and rotation of the object..

Quote - Yes it's possible to have the camera lock on a particular element in a scene. Look at the properties of the camera or camera setting in a particular focus... (right, left, top, bottom, perspective, camera, etc.) I don't know if you're familar with the interface but there is next to the trackball a little triangle, which when clicked drops down. The last item on the menu, :" Edit camera properties". The second tab is "Linking". This is what you want... There are 2 parts to this tab... You want the one that will link to the object in the scene.

Hope this helps... (BTW, I am only speaking with reference to version 5.5)

TS

Nope, doesn't work.

It does link, it just doesn't do what I wanted it to do.

Linking the grass (for instance) to the camera, does leave the grass in view from the camera, but the camera's controls then go completely mad!  So that it's well night impossible to look at anything else with any degree of accuracy.

Grouping doesn't work.  I think I've already tried most of the obvious things, I just wondered if anyone else had tried it and found out how to do it.

Not a biggy - if it can't be done I'll probably add it to the wishlist over at Daz.

Thunderstone:
"Quote - "Yes it's possible to have the camera lock on a particular element in a scene. Look at the properties of the camera or camera setting in a particular focus... (right, left, top, bottom, perspective, camera, etc.) I don't know if you're familar with the interface but there is next to the trackball a little triangle, which when clicked drops down. The last item on the menu, :" Edit camera properties". The second tab is "Linking". This is what you want... There are 2 parts to this tab... You want the one that will link to the object in the scene."

Fran:
" It does link, it just doesn't do what I wanted it to do.
Linking the grass (for instance) to the camera, does leave the grass in view from the camera, but the camera's controls then go completely mad!  So that it's well night impossible to look at anything else with any degree of accuracy."

Actually ithere's two steps...
1:  link the object to the camera, rather than the camera to the object.  (Use either the 'Attributes" button, to get to the linking tab, or use the actual link icon.  Both found in that little set of icons that appears next to any object.)
2:  Then switch from the 'Director's view to the camera view, and the movement control ball (just above the render buttons), will move the camera smoothly, and the object stays in the correct position.  If you prefer to use the top menu icons, be sure that the camera is selected, before using them.

Don't use the linking in the "Edit camera properties" linking...I tested that one myself, and yes the movement goes haywire indeed.

Quote -
Actually ithere's two steps...
1:  link the object to the camera, rather than the camera to the object.  (Use either the 'Attributes" button, to get to the linking tab, or use the actual link icon.  Both found in that little set of icons that appears next to any object.)
2:  Then switch from the 'Director's view to the camera view, and the movement control ball (just above the render buttons), will move the camera smoothly, and the object stays in the correct position.  If you prefer to use the top menu icons, be sure that the camera is selected, before using them.

Don't use the linking in the "Edit camera properties" linking...I tested that one myself, and yes the movement goes haywire indeed.

Thanks for the tip... I will put this on my list of Bryce tips. This is good to know.

TS

Aha! It's just "Object Parent Name" - and NOT  "Track Object Name" the second messes it up, the first does exactly what I wanted,

thank you Rosemaryr, thank you thank you thank you!

(And I thought I'd already tried that - I must, as you say, have been just trying it from the camera rather than the object.)

Clicking on "Track" as well as "Parent" still lets you move camera and object whenever you change the camera position - but crollicks up the object's position relative to the camera.

(toddles off happily)**
**

Da nada.  Every little bit helps, someone, somewhere, somehow.

Ah but the great thing about Rendo are the number of people who are willing to help.

Ta.

Fran, I have used the overhead view and simply selected the perspective (camera) and the desired objects and grouped them.  Then any movement of camera view with the track ball will rotate the entire group of objects along with the camera angle change.

Not in my versions of Bryce it doesn't - which version are you using?

I've tried that in both 5.5 and in 6.  Nada.

Hey, "Object Parent Name" even works with lights too!
I can position grass where I want it, position lights to show off the grass the way I want it, and if I individually "Object Parent Name" each grass and each light to the perspective camera - it all works just beautifully!

Would probably work if I made the grasses and the lights into one group and then "Object Parent Name" that group to the persp' camera.

Goes and tries it...

It does!  Wonderful!

Quote - Hey, "Object Parent Name" even works with lights too!
I can position grass where I want it, position lights to show off the grass the way I want it, and if I individually "Object Parent Name" each grass and each light to the perspective camera - it all works just beautifully!

Would probably work if I made the grasses and the lights into one group and then "Object Parent Name" that group to the persp' camera.

Goes and tries it...

It does!  Wonderful!

Yes, wonderful! Thanks for the additional tips, Fran... That's really a good tip for me to add to my already long list of personal Bryce tips.

TS

Well color me wrong.  I have grouped terrains to the camera in the past but I tried the same with objects after reading this an it won't work.  Sorry

Still, interesting to know that it works with terrains and camera.  Thanks skiwillgee.