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SceneCamera

Stereo Camera in 3D space.

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

SceneCamera Node

Camera + Capture Relationship

In SPARCK, cameras and captures work as a pair:

  • SceneCamera (this node): Defines the viewpoint, lens properties, and stereo configuration — the "camera chassis"
  • SceneCapture: Renders the scene from the camera's viewpoint — the "virtual film"

You always need both nodes to render a view. Connect SceneCapture's parent property to this SceneCamera.

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
gizmo - show Camera icon in selected render group
parent - parent transformation node
position (local transformation) position x y z
rotation (local transformation) rotation x y z
scale (local transformation) scale x y z
dimension - suggested captured texture size.
lens - lens type.
ratio - render image ratio.
angle - field of view [deg]
near - near frustum clip
far - far frustum clip
stereo - set stereo mode.
spread (only stereo mode) sets spread between two eyes
rotate (only stereo mode) sets rotation between two eyes
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 [p_patrix, frustum]

Lens and Frustum Settings

Configuring the View

Control how the camera sees the scene:

Property Description
lens Lens type (perspective, orthographic, etc.)
angle Field of view in degrees — wider angles capture more but with more distortion
ratio Aspect ratio of the rendered image (e.g., 16:9, 4:3)
near Near clipping plane — objects closer than this are not rendered
far Far clipping plane — objects further than this are not rendered

The dimension property suggests the texture resolution for the SceneCapture, which determines the final render quality.

Stereo Rendering

Creating Stereo 3D Content

SceneCamera supports stereo rendering for 3D glasses, VR goggles, or anaglyph displays:

  1. Enable stereo mode on the SceneCamera
  2. Adjust spread to set the eye separation distance (interpupillary distance)
  3. Optionally adjust rotate for toe-in convergence
  4. The connected SceneCapture will automatically output two textures (left and right eye)

For anaglyph output, connect both textures to a ShaderAnaglyph node.

Stereo Parameters

Parameter Effect
spread Distance between virtual eyes — increase for more dramatic 3D effect
rotate Toe-in angle between cameras — use for convergence at specific depth

For comfortable viewing, match the spread to real human interpupillary distance (~63mm) scaled to your scene.

Positioning the Camera

Transformation Hierarchy

SceneCamera uses the standard SPARCK transformation system:

  • parent: Link to a TfmNode or RigidBody for hierarchical positioning
  • position/rotation/scale: Local transformations relative to parent

For tracked cameras in motion capture setups, set a RigidBody as the parent to have the camera follow a physical object.

Camera Gizmo

Visualizing Camera Position

Enable gizmo to display a camera icon in the 3DViewer:

  • Helps visualize camera position and orientation during setup
  • Select which render group displays the gizmo
  • Useful for debugging multi-camera setups

SceneCamera vs Other Cameras

Choosing the Right Camera

SPARCK offers several camera types for different purposes:

Camera Type Best For
SceneCamera General-purpose rendering, stereo 3D content
LookAtCamera CAVE-like VR, controlled cuts through objects
BoxMapCamera 360° captures, raymarching, dome projections
Beamer Physical projector simulation with calibration

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