I see that Vue defaults to 35 mm, but I wonder what people tend to use most, and if you have "standard" settings for indoors and outdoors. I'm not a photographer, BTW!

That would depend on what type of image. For wide sweeping vistas then a low number is best. A "portrait" with a Poser figure near the camera needs a higher focal length (typically 80-120mm) to avoid distortion. Lower settings also exagerate the depth of objects in the scene where higher settings flatten the image. Another factor can be trying to position a camera inside a building. If you can't make a wall invisible so that you can move the camera back from the subject then lowering the focal length widens the field of view letting you fit more of the interior in. -- Mark

In my humble opinion, this thread would be an excellent addition to the 'Backroom / Archtips'.

Message edited on: 09/07/2004 12:09

I always move the camera so it's facing "west" in the top view; helps me to orient things better, easier for me with the grid lines too. (some folks point it "north", others work with it as it is) As I build my scene, I experiment with the camera position, focus, and focal length, which might change if I change the image format (from the standard 800 x 400) to something else. So other than the orientation, I usually tweak my camera location and settings as the scene progresses.