Patching camera paths

Once you draw a Camera Path in CAD mode, you can patch it to a DMX universe to control the camera’s movement along the path in LIVE mode.

For details on Camera Paths, see Camera paths.

The Camera Path requires seven DMX channels, as shown in the DMX map below:

camera_path_live.png 

To patch a camera path
  1. Select the Camera Path.
  2. Right-click and select Properties (or press ALT+<enter>).
  3. Click the Camera Path tab.
  4. In the Patch area at the bottom, click the DMX Patch radio button.
  5. Select an existing Universe and then enter a channel number or click the ellipsis button to create a new Universe.
  6. Click OK.

Tips for controlling camera path playback via DMX

After binding the universe to which the Camera Path was patched to the connected console’s output, set Channel 1’s level to 128 or above to begin playback.

Pause playback by setting this channel’s level to anywhere between 1 and 127. While paused, increase the level of Channel 5 to begin scrubbing along the Timeline.

Note: The flying camera will only move when scrubbed once the Position channel’s level becomes higher than the position along the Camera Path where playback was paused. This means that if playback was paused around the (physical) middle of the Camera Path, Channel 5’s level will have to reach above 127 (or so) before the Shaded view starts to update. Once the correct level is reached though, decreasing this channel’s level will scrub the flying camera back towards the start point of its Camera Path.

Much like when scrubbing along the timeline by clicking and dragging the marker with the mouse, Direction is ignored. In other words, regardless of whether Channel 3 tells the flying camera to move forward or backward, increasing Channel 5’s level will always move the flying camera towards the physical “end” point of its Camera Path, while decreasing this channel’s level will always move the flying camera towards the physical “start” point of its Camera Path.

Using cues on a console, it is very easy to begin playback of a flying camera from a position other than the Camera Path’s “start” point:

Using multiple cameras

When multiple Camera Paths are patched, starting playback for a Camera Path that’s currently paused/stopped will “switch” to that flying camera immediately. To “switch back” to the flying camera that was playing initially, simply ‘nudge’ its Playback channel (i.e., set its level to something else within the “Play” range). This helps achieve ‘cutting’ between different camera shots.

To use multiple cameras

Using cues on a console, it is easy to Pause one camera, Play another, scrub the initial camera to a different position and then start its playback from that position:

  1. Play the first camera; record Cue 1.
  2. Play the second camera and Pause the first camera; record Cue 2. (Timing for Cue 2 depends on how far the first camera needs to move before cutting to the second.)
  3. Scrub the first camera to a new position and ‘nudge’ the Playback channel for the second camera so it continues to play; record Cue 3 with a zero-count and make it auto-follow Cue 2.
  4. Play the first camera; record Cue 4. (Timing for Cue 4 depends on where the second camera needs to get before cutting back to the first.)