3D & Spatial · 03 of 04
Compose through the camera
Choose a viewpoint that explains the subject and supports the intended image.
The idea
The camera determines which parts of a scene are visible, how forms overlap and what occupies the frame.
Begin with the feature or relationship you need to show, then choose the height, angle and distance that reveal it clearly.
Focal length changes the field of view; camera position changes perspective. Review them together instead of treating a lens choice as a shortcut to a particular mood. For an interactive model, provide a useful starting view and a way to return to it, while allowing the movement needed to inspect the object.
How to see it
Terms used in this lesson
The parts
- Focal length
- A lens property that influences the field of view.
- Viewpoint
- The camera's position and orientation.
- Default view
- The initial framing shown before interaction.
In practice
- Choose the feature the camera must explain
- Review camera position and focal length together
- Provide a useful default view
Avoid
- Treating a lens as a substitute for framing
- Allowing navigation that cannot be recovered
- Obscuring the important feature in the opening view
The test
Check the starting view and the views a user can reach. Is the important feature visible, and can someone recover after moving away from it?
Use the Aspect Ratio & Frame to calculate the delivery frame dimensions before checking the camera composition in your 3D scene.
Reviewed against all forty, on your product.
The audit is the cheapest thing we sell, and it regularly concludes that you do not need the project you came for.