Camera Tracking

Using Cheetah 3D v7.5b1 to illustrate and compare two methods for camera tracking.
Spline Tracking with a Target Tag or the Parent Constraint Tag.

For either method you first need to set up a target object and a spline for it to travel on using a Spline Tracking Tag.
This object will be what the cameras are looking at, but set to not be visible in the rendering.

I used a copy of the target spline for the camera to ride on, moved to a suitable
position for the camera angle I needed. Then I added a Target Tag to the
camera and set it to track the target object.

To animate you keyframe the Spline Tracking Tag's position parameter on the first and last frame and anyplace in between.
The Target Object is keyed on the first and last frame for a steady motion and the camera's Spline Tracking Tag is keyed
along the way to keep about 90 degrees to the Tracking Object. I also edited the camera spline a bit.

To set up the second Tracking Camera, I position the camera relative to the
Tracking Object and add a Parent Constraint to it targeting the same Target Object.
NOTE: In the Object Browser, the Camera must be below the Target Object for this to work.
That's it, no more keyframing needed.

 

Attachments

  • Camera Tracking.zip
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Thanks for the file and the video! I should really use camera tracking more often. But probably half of my animations have a stationary camera. So I never bothered with it much.
 
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