ISSUE: No way to specify alternate viewpoint for instructions

[nathaneltitane]

The instructions that are generated via pdf, image or html output do not support any form/method to specify alternate view points or camera rotation instructions to clearly view sides or areas opposite to the default camera position for the renders.

These could become meta cxommands that could be introduced as complements to 0 STEP and indicate lat/long rotation instructions to properly render a step and showcase the relevant parts and their location/assembly without any ambiguity

See MLCAD or LPUB for reference

Thank you

Examples below:

[leozide]

You can have different views, it's just not documented anywhere.

1- Create a new camera using the camera tool
2- Switch the current view to that camera (right click -> Cameras -> Camera 1)
3- Make sure the key button is checked (it's not by default)
4- Go to step 1 and set the initial camera position
5- Go to step 2 and rotate/zoom
6- Go back to step 1 and the view will change back to the initial position

I know this isn't a great workflow and it needs documentation.

[nathaneltitane]

great! just tried it real quick and it's awesome.
Maybe we could have a look at showing the keyframe or camera viewpoint in the stap somehow to show ther eis an alternate POV?

Also, i cannot seem to make the camera place itself like a part would:
Setting it's coordinates and target could benefit from behaving much like the LDraw pieces and snap to grid, translate and rotate just the same.

Thoughts?

Edit:

@leozide

I just had a genius thought:
Why not use the viewsphere to standardize POVs for instructions and enable keyframing with the 'no camera's / default model viewport camera option?

Would be much less of a headache to parameter considering the viewsphere is already made to look at the model all the time!

The indication in the steps that a different view has been keyed is still important though. :)

[leozide]

You can already see the camera position/target:

To be honest, the entire print/publish aspect is missing and I'd rather have a different window for that than the editing view.

[leozide]

Not clear from my previous screenshot. You have to swtich the tool back to select mode and then you'll get the move handles:

[nathaneltitane]

@leozide it's not about seeing it but rather setting it in a very precise manner to standardize views across all models/builds if possible.

These are observations that are very close to wishful attempts at getting you to implement the features, but that's all up to you, it's your application after all :)

I wish I knew how to code in C to help out.

[leozide]

I think the view sphere is a good start but it isn't enough, you need to be able to specify the zoom and sometimes pan to only show part of a model.

I'd like to have a 'publish mode' for the app where you edit the pages instead of the steps. That way you could set different cameras for different steps more easily.

[nathaneltitane]

The idea for using the viewsphere is that you could dictate coordinate to the main camera without polluting the scene with various non-ldraw objects.

The camera is till a great feature for custom images, renders, etc, but when comes the time to publish instructions, it gets ugly real quick. The simpler, the better.

I could provide you with a sample file I had made with mlcad/lpub if you'd like to see what it could look like.

[nathaneltitane]

P.S.:

Why is the camera tilted this way on insertion for me?