topic Re: Align view camera problem in Visualization

Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:17:53 GMT

Am working with align view....have set the two reference points on the plan, 4 ref. points on the photo. Have progressed to the point where a camera is placed. However, it is not placed at the point I took the pic from, but from one of the plan reference points.

Have tried it a couple of different times starting from different plan points, but camera always shows up on one of the plan references.

Any clues why camera is not placed correctly? Seems pretty simple and not a lot of roof for error but I guess I'm wrong about that too.

Thank, Tom

Re: Align view camera problem

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:02:33 GMT

Interpreting the instructions is the trick.

Plan point, then base point in photo, then elevated point on photo, then second plan point…

For users just learning this trick, it is best to use a rendering of a simple rectangular wall as an image reference, not a site photo.

Re: Align view camera problem

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:07:04 GMT

the sequence

Re: Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:14:07 GMT

Did it that way but my camera ends up either right on top of point 1 or point 4. .....dammit.

Re: Align view camera problem

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:17:16 GMT

How can that be? It must be an incompatible graphics card. [joke].

Re: Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:35:40 GMT

Don't know how that can be. I'm going to call GS support on Tuesday. One of the bennies of the subscription program.

TK.

Re: Align view camera problem

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:08:41 GMT

Exactly - use the free support you've paid for. But, for the record, Dwight's recommendation is highly advised - and NOT doing an actual site photo for the first attempt.

If you search the old threads here for 'align view' you'll find a lot of discussion about the issue of lens distortion when wide angle lenses are uses for the site photo. This can NOT be correctly interpretted by 'align view'. It is essential that as undistorted an image as possible is used. That may require a neutral lens and stitching multiple images together and/or various Photoshop corrections for things such as lens barrel distortion.

Good luck - this isn't an easy thing, and often better results are obtained via trial and error.

K

Re: Align view camera problem

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:40:10 GMT

Stitching images together is a recipe for disaster unless using the shift lens method [preserving the exact viewpoint]. Once you've got two vanishing points in an image it is impossible to solve.

Re: Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:40:26 GMT

Only have one vanishing point, standard lens not a fish eye. The problem is not with distortion, but with the automatic camera placement.

TK.

Re: Align view camera problem

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:13:37 GMT

We sort of moved on to more general advice.
So what did Support say?

Re: Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:37:08 GMT

They said it was an incompatible graphics card. yuk yuk. Not really.

They did a remote viewing on my computer as I worked on it.....they were stumped. I sent them a copy; they are trying to figure it out.

Will let you know.

Tom

Re: Align view camera problem

Tom Krowka — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:44:23 GMT

See below for Support's solution. The pic I took was flat to the face of the building (it had no perspective) which led to the following:

Tom,

I was struggling to understand the cause of the problem for sometime and then the lightbulb went on. The points on the photo create a perfect rectangle, zero perspective. This situation leaves ArchiCAD unable to reconcile the placement of the camera since the triangulation is not possible with the command as it is currently. I think this is a bug and I am reporting it to HQ.

So what to do? It might make sense to use the picture as a texture on a wall or morph element and place the element at the facade of the building location.

Another alternative is to manually align the view. Start with the camera that is placed at the Hotspot in the corner. Then simply pan and zoom (do not orbit). You will then have to change the view cone. I found about 50 degrees or so works.

But in the end the tool should work in this condition so hopefully they can fix it. Please let me know if you have questions or comments.

See the pic below.