topic Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera. in Visualization

Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:20:14 GMT

I have known about this feature for a long time, but now that I actually need it, I can't get it to work.

Select the image, draw the points, put the z-values in the dialog, click OK--nothing.

Suspend groups--nothing.

Camera tool on--nothing.

Place a camera, select it--nothing.

I read the manual carefully. I think I understand the instructions.

So what am I doing wrong?

Using v9 on OSX.

Any ideas?

Re: Align View is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:29:26 GMT

I really need some help here--got a client chompin' at the bit for this rendering.

The client has provided me with a photo of a typically hilly San Francisco street and he wants his proposed building superimposed on it.

So, I've placed the photo in ArchiCAD plan view, selected it, did the "align view" command from the image menu, did the six clicks per the manual,
Align View dialog comes up and I put in the heights, click OK, and wait for a camera to appear to give me the right perspective. Well, the camera does not appear. I go to the 3D window thinking maybe that's what they mean by "camera" and it's not even close (even though the picture in the manual shows an actual camera in plan view).

Using ArchiCAD v9 on a 1.6 Ghz G5 Mac (OS 10.3.9)

Instinct tells me I'm missing one vital step here. Is there someone out there who routinely uses this command and can set me straight? I'm not too proud to beg.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

TomWaltz — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:37:41 GMT

I can't say. I've tried it a few times, but gave up and eye-balled the view instead.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Wed, 17 May 2006 18:29:09 GMT

Wow! If Tom Waltz can't make it work, it just doesn't work. I've tried eye-balling it, and finally gave up. There are too many variables (well, six if you don't count the sun settings in the perspective settings dialog). I feel like I'm trying to open a safe with a combination lock and guessing at the numbers).

If I put the image in as a background in the 3D window, then select the front wall and roof only of my building, then set my 3D to wireframe, then carefully wiggle around in the 3D navigator, I can get sort of close, but I can still tell it's off. I just had this little fantasy that I might be able to set the camera exactly. It's quite important that I don't misrepresent what we're doing here in litigious California.

If it wasn't a steep street with buildings of all different heights and front walls that don't quite align, and a hilly horizon, etc. I would have a better chance of eye-balling it.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Wed, 17 May 2006 22:15:15 GMT

I have also had the "no camera placed" situation. Can't figure it. However, when it does place a camera, it isn't perfectly accurate.

It's off because of:

-- subtle camera distortion in the photo.
-- me not zooming in to find the exact center of the target pixel.

The camera inserter works fine when you insert a rendered image into a rendered image, not a photo. I proved this five years ago in "Illustration in ArchiCAD."

As for matching real sun angle and color in your rendering, you can learn how to integrate context and rendering starting on page 178 of "LightWorks in Archicad."

Buy my book.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Thu, 18 May 2006 05:17:37 GMT

I often find that these fancy automatic tools take longer to get them to "automatically" do something than to just jigger it by hand. In this case (to paraphrase Duke Ellington) if it looks good it is good. Just get it close enough and touch it up if necessary.

Remember that you can composite the rendering with the photo on different layers in Photoshop the "old fashioned" way (like my grandpappy did it) and skew parts until it looks right. This is a good reason to also get Dwight's classic "Illustration in ArchiCAD". Lots of good tricks there.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:07:28 GMT

I agree. The Align View tool is obviously a response to a competitor's product. Designers should have a good sense of the three-dimensional. With OpenGL and Archicad's navigation in 3D, "walking" a model into place against a background image is easily learned. [Even better in Archicad 10]

"Illustration in ArchiCAD" has many tricks, but most of them are supplented with expanded examination in "LightWorks in Archicad." And, look! You can actually GET "LightWorks in Archicad."

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:24:04 GMT

Well it's unanimous. I do appreciate everyone's input on this. I guess the good news is I wasn't doing anything wrong (that's never happened before). I'll get Dwight's book. Has he published anything yet on salamander juggling? I mean, for the novice.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:30:33 GMT

1: Always start a juggling session with fresh salamanders.

2: Even talented salamander jugglers have difficulty getting beyond three at once.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:56:36 GMT

Are you allowed to sedate them, or is that considered cheating?

Is it possible to start out with a more tactile amphibian until you get the hang of it?

Does one wear special attire for this sport? Pads, helmets, etc.

So much to learn--I fear I just don't have the discipline. Am I kidding myself here? Could I ever be a contender?

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:32:32 GMT

Kid, youse coulda been a contender.

Always cover the face.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:26:11 GMT

Tyler wrote:
Does one wear special attire for this sport? Pads, helmets, etc.

The protective gear is usually just for the gila monsters and baby crocs. (Full size croc tossing is a highland sport and requires scottish ancestry.)

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Fri, 19 May 2006 01:05:54 GMT

Croc of whiskey.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Anonymous — Fri, 19 May 2006 02:41:52 GMT

Dwight wrote:
Croc of whiskey.

Of course. The one who cracks it drinks it.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Mishi — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 14:51:47 GMT

There is one big rule and i'm not sure it was ever mantioned in the manual. Never use a croped image.

Secondly your actual model has to be elevated to the right elevation, meaning the bottom of the building model should represent the same elevation as you would build it in real on the site. Therefor also the 2 reference hights (on the picture) should represent the real elevation heights.

Also you should check out which camera path is selected. i had the same problem, and it turned out i had the wrong camera path selected. Align view creates a camera path called Align View.

You can test align view with a simple rendering (a cube) and place/render an other one next to it. Play with the elevation and you will see. Or try to crop it. you will see why most of the time align view doesn't work.

Re: Align View (Add-on) is not placing a camera.

Dwight — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 15:03:00 GMT

The main problem with Align view is lens distortion in the photo - comparable to cropping.

If you are going to practice with Align View, use an actual ArchiCAD rendering of the scene as a target image - no distortion.

This does work!