Animation/Multi-Rendering

Camera View Animation #

Having explained the two tables available in The View Keeper and how to use them to capture different camera views, you might wonder, “How do I render these shots/views?” or “Can this be rendered as an animation?” The answer to both questions is yes. However, some context is necessary. Before diving into rendering, let’s discuss how to set up both tables for this.

Setting Up the Tables for Rendering #

Setting up the tables for rendering is straightforward. The View Keeper offers a hidden feature that allows you to keyframe the switch between records and views. This feature is considered hidden because keyframing requires having at least one record in the table. This applies to both the Camera List Table and the View List Table.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Ensure Records Are Present: Make sure you have one or more records in the Camera List Table and/or View List Table.
2. Select the Desired Record/View: Choose the camera record or view record you want to start with.
3. Position the Timeline: Navigate to the correct frame in your timeline where you want the switch to occur.
4. Insert a Keyframe:
   • Hover over the selected record or view.
   • Right-click and select Insert Keyframe.
   This action will keyframe the chosen view or record to the timeline.
5. Repeat as Needed: Repeat the process across the timeline to switch between different records /views seamlessly.

Additional Tips #

• Consistency:
  Ensure that each Camera Record and View Record has the desired settings saved while inserting keyframes. This helps maintain consistency throughout your animation, preventing unexpected changes or mismatches in camera views.
• Previewing:
  Use the Preview section to verify that the correct settings are saved for each record. This ensures accurate rendering and helps you confirm that each camera and view is set up exactly as intended.
• Updates:
  You can update your records using the Refresh buttons from both tables without having to re-keyframe everything. Keyframes are based on the order of the records listed in each table. For example, The View Keeper will switch from Record 1 to Record 6 based on their order not the name or anything else. If you delete a record, it may alter the order and therefore the render result. However, adding a new record won’t affect existing keyframes since there are no keyframes assigned to the new record’s position.
• Clearing Keyframes:
  To clear keyframes, use Blender’s default method: right-click on the keyframed record and select Clear Keyframes.
  Important: If there are no records in the table, you won’t be able to clear keyframes. The View Keeper requires at least one record in the table to add or clear keyframes effectively.
• Backup:
  Rememeber to refresh records to save any changes made to camera settings. This prevents the loss of important configurations and ensures that your camera views remain up-to-date.

Context – Animating Camera View Switch #

When animating camera view switches, it’s crucial to plan how and when you want these changes to occur. Proper keyframing ensures that Blender renders your views exactly as intended. Here’s how to achieve smooth transitions between views using The View Keeper:

Example Scenario #

Imagine you have a timeline spanning 6 frames (from frame 1 to frame 6). You want to render the first part of your animation using View 1 and switch to View 5 at frame 4. Simply adding a keyframe for View 1 at frame 1 and View 5 at frame 4 won’t produce the desired result. Instead, Blender would interpolate between all views from 1 to 6 based on the keyframes, which isn’t what you want.

Correct Keyframing Steps #

To render View 1 from frame 1 to frame 4 and switch to View 5 at frame 5, follow these steps:

1. Select View 1 at Frame 1:
   • Navigate to frame 1 in your timeline.
   • Select View 1 in the Camera List Table or View List Table.
   • Right-click on View 1 and choose Insert Keyframe.
2. Maintain View 1 Until Frame 4:
   • Move to frame 4 in your timeline.
   • Ensure View 1 is still selected and active.
   • Right-click on View 1 again and select Insert Keyframe.
   • This tells Blender to keep View 1 active from frame 1 through frame 4.
3. Switch to View 5 at Frame 5:
   • Navigate to frame 5.
   • Select View 5 in the Camera List Table or View List Table.
   • Right-click on View 5 and choose Insert Keyframe.
   • Blender will now switch to View 5 starting at frame 5.

This method ensures that View 1 remains active from frame 1 to frame 4 and smoothly transitions to View 5 at frame 5, achieving the desired animation effect.

Rendering Without Sudden Jumps #

If you prefer to render the entire sequence of views without leaping from one view to the other, you can simplify the keyframing process:

Keyframe the First View:

• Select your initial view (e.g., View 1) at the starting frame (e.g., frame 1).
• Insert a keyframe for View 1.

Keyframe the Final View:

• Move to the last frame of your animation (e.g., frame 6).
• Select your final view (e.g., View 6).
• Insert a keyframe for View 6.

Applying to Both Tables #

This keyframing technique works seamlessly with both the Camera List Table and the View List Table. However, when using the Camera List Table, additional context is necessary to maintain consistency and accuracy in your animations and renders.

Context – Animating Camera Records #

Camera Records require additional context because the settings stored in these records are scene settings, which by default do not change or get updated during an animation sequence. However, The View Keeper allows you to modify these settings, which is why understanding the context is essential.

Example Scenario:

Suppose you have two cameras saved as Camera records, each with a different resolution. Due to how Blender is built, Blender doesn’t automatically update the resolution which is a scene setting when rendering each frame during the animation. This can result in incorrect render results. This issue only arises during animations; single renders work correctly without any problems.

There is a way to fix this using Alternative Rendering, which will be discussed in the next section, we will delve deeper into Alternative Rendering and how it can be used to overcome the challenges associated with animating camera records with varried scene settings.

Important Considerations:

• Uniform Settings: If all camera records you are rendering have the same settings, you should not encounter any issues using the default Blender render. Blender will handle the animation correctly since there is no need for updates to the scene settings in this case.
• Diverse Settings: If your camera records have different settings, you will need to utilize Alternative Rendering to ensure that each camera’s unique settings are correctly applied during the animation process.