Getting Started
with VNS 3: Draping
Images on Terrain
Part 4B. Camera Flight Path
1. Switch the Main view
back to realtime mode.
2. It's time to rotate the Main
Camera. We've already used the Rotate View
on the titlebar so let's use a different method.
3. Activate the Main view
and hold the space bar down to manipulate the camera.
Select Rotate Mode on
the toolbar. You will stay in manipulate camera mode as long
as the space bar is depressed. By default, Heading ,
Pitch , and Bank
are enabled. We just want
to pitch the camera down. Disable Heading and Bank
to keep from accidentally rotating the camera in those directions.
4. Pitch the camera view down
to see just terrain. With the space bar still depressed, enable
the Heading and Bank to make them available next
time you need to manipulate an object. Release the space bar
and exit Rotate Mode.
5. Go to the Render Task Mode.
Select the Main Camera and Create
to digitize a camera path.
6. The Create window will
confirm that we are creating a new path for the camera Main.
7. To watch the Camera Editor while we're digitizing the path, open
the Main view popup menu and select Edit View's
Camera.
8. Go to the Position &
Orientation page.
9. We can retrieve the Create
window, and any hidden window, by going to the Window
menu and selecting the window we're looking for.
10. The Create window
settings depend on the type of vector being digitized. On the
Mouse page, we're set to draw in the Single mode,
with one point for each mouse click.
11. The Conform page defaults
to Small Plane, with its own Elevation, Smoothing,
Point Space and Speed settings. Increase the Elevation
to 10 kilometers and the Speed to 600 m/s.
12. Left-click a starting
point at the west end of this snowy cliff, left-click
again at the east end, and right-click to finish.
13. The Input Request window pops up with the time of the flight path
based on the Create parameters. Confirm the length and save the
project.
14. Play the animation. The Main
Camera is targeted so it keeps looking at its stationary target
as it moves along its path.
15. Stop the animation and return
to frame 0.
16. Go to the Camera Editor General page.
Change the Camera Type to Align to Path.
17. Play the animation. The Main
Camera is now aligned to its flight path but the pitch is a little
off.
18. Stop playing the animation
and return to the beginning. Go to the Camera Editor Position & Orientation page and change
the Pitch it to 60°. Play the animation.
19. Save the project and render
a Main preview. As it renders you can see the coarseness of the
100-meter terrain data.
20. Go to the Database Editor and disable the YNP-100m DEM.
21. Select one of the YNP-10m
tiles and turn to the Layer page.
22. Click the DEM 10m
column label and Enable Layer Members.
23. The Plan view terrain
will turn white because the overlay image is now out of date.
24. Open the View Preferences to the Overlay/Gradient page.
Regenerate the Ecosystem Map. It will take longer
to generate the texture map because the terrain resolution is
higher. When the overlay appears, you'll notice that it is much
sharper.
25. Save the project and render
a Main Camera preview.
26. The 10-meter DEMs required
more time to render than the 100-meter DEM, but they give us
much more detailed terrain. The drape is a little dark, so let's
lighten the rendered view. Go to the Scene-at-a-Glance Double-click
the Post Processes to create a new one and rename it Gamma.
27. Add Post Process Event
. The default is
Gamma which is what we want. Gamma will lighten
the render overall without bleaching the highlights.
28. Reduce the Gamma value
to 1.3.
29. Open the Main Camera
popup menu and Select Option Set. Note that it's using
the YNP Preview Options.
30. Expand the Render Options
in the Scene-at-a-Glance. Click, drag, and drop the Gamma
Post Process on the YNP Render Options.
31. Confirm the operation.
32. Open the YNP Render Options Editor to its Post page and you'll see
Gamma listed.
33. Open another Main
Camera view in the Plan Camera window for comparison. Open its
View Preferences, Select Option Set, and choose
YNP Render Options. Save the project and render a preview.
Note that the view is generally lighter and we still have detail
in the highlights.

Main camera view with Gamma Post Process

Main camera view without Gamma Post Process
34. The rendered animation is
named YNPCM.mov.
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13195 West Chenango Ave
Morrison, Colorado, USA 80465
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