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LookAtCamera

Camera in 3D space with buildin lookat functionality. The node will orient the camera in such a way, that the near-clip plane will lie on the lookat plane. To be used to create controlled cuts through objects or cave-like VR experiences

LookAtCamera represents the virtual camera chassis, while SceneCapture represents the virtual film: For capturing the textures SceneCapture is needed.

LookAtCamera Node

CAVE-Style VR and Cross-Section Views

LookAtCamera is designed for specialized viewing scenarios where the camera must always face a specific plane or target. The near-clip plane aligns with the look-at plane, enabling:

  • CAVE-like VR experiences: Viewers tracked in real-time see perspective-correct projections on walls
  • Controlled cuts through objects: Create cross-section views that reveal internal structures
  • Head-tracked installations: Combined with Kinect and HeadRoom, visitors see correctly perspectived content without wearing any devices

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
gizmo - show Camera icon on 3DViewer
look at - transformation node to look at
orient to - local lookat plane orientation
plane up vector - local lookat plane up vector
parent - parent transformation node
tfm pass - select transformation pass
position (local transformation) position x y z
rotation (local transformation) rotation x y z
scale (local transformation) scale x y z
dimension - suggested capture dimension
lens - lens type
adapt - automatically adapt frustum to distance from lookat plane
adapt factor - adjust the adaptation
ratio - view ratio
angle - field of view
width - width
height - height
near - near frustum clip
far - far frustum clip
Inlet Type Description
properties properties properties | use message [set <propertyPath> <value(s)>] (without node/<nodeName> at the beginning) to set internal properties
Outlet Type Description
camera message camera intrinsics [vi_matrix, v_matrix, p_patrix, worldpos, worldquat, frustum]

Look-At Configuration

Setting Up the Look-At Target

The look at property defines what the camera points toward:

  1. Create a TfmNode at your target location (e.g., center of a projection wall)
  2. Set LookAtCamera's look at to reference that TfmNode
  3. The camera will automatically orient to face this target
  4. Use orient to and plane up vector to fine-tune the plane alignment

Plane Orientation

Property Description
look at The transformation node that defines the target plane position
orient to Controls the local orientation of the look-at plane
plane up vector Defines which direction is "up" on the look-at plane

These settings ensure the near-clip plane aligns exactly with your projection surface.

Adaptive Frustum

Auto-Adapting to Distance

When adapt is enabled, the camera frustum automatically adjusts based on distance from the look-at plane:

  • As the viewer moves closer, the field of view expands to maintain coverage
  • As the viewer moves farther, the field of view narrows
  • Adjust adapt factor to control the strength of this adaptation

This is essential for head-tracked installations where the viewer's distance from the screen varies.

Transformation Pass

Execution Order

The tfm pass property controls when this camera's transformation is calculated:

  • Some transformation nodes (like TfmLookAt) produce matrices that depend on other transformations
  • If LookAtCamera depends on a transformation from another tree, set the appropriate pass to ensure correct execution order
  • Default pass works for most simple setups

LookAtCamera vs SceneCamera

Choosing the Right Camera

Feature LookAtCamera SceneCamera
Orientation Always faces a target plane Free rotation
Near-clip alignment Aligns with look-at plane Standard frustum
Stereo support Yes Yes
Best for CAVE, head-tracking, cross-sections General rendering, stereo 3D
Frustum adaptation Yes (distance-based) No

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Last updated: 2025-12-01 | Edit this page on GitHub