# cameras in stager Every view you see of your scene in Stager is created by looking through a camera. The default view of your scene is through the **Viewport Camera**. It is used to move around your scene so that you can select and manipulate your objects. It isn’t necessarily meant for completed renderings, although it is good for taking quick render shots while you work. For actual rendered shots, you will want to create additional **Cameras**. These new cameras will appear as objects in your scene that can be Transformed through Move (W), Rotate (E), and Scale (R), just like any other object. Additionally, these cameras have Properties that can be tweaked. --- ## interface stuff ### camera pull-down menu Stager doesn’t have many drop-down menus. Most of what you do is handled in the panels oriented around the interface. There is a dedicated **Camera** pull-down menu with plenty of good options. I especially like the dedicated **Camera Views** that allow you to see flattened top-down or side views of your scene. These are flattened views that don’t show depth but do show overlap. ![[stagerCameraDropdown.png]] ### camera panel menu There is also a Camera panel menu on the right-side of the interface, above the working view. From here, you can easily add cameras and switch between them to quickly change your view. ![[stagerCameraPanel.png]] --- ## create a camera There are several ways to create a new camera in Substance Stager: 1. pull-down menu: **Camera > Add Camera** 2. camera panel menu: **Add Camera icon** (camera icon with plus sign) 3. hotkey: Alt-\` (tick/tilde key in upper-left of keyboard) --- ## look through camera Use the drop-down menu in the Camera panel to choose what camera you are looking through. ![[stagerCameraPanel3.png]] Once you select your camera, the Scene view will update. Notice the edges showing the render size and proportion. You can use the [[stager interface and navigation#navigation|Navigation tools]] of Orbit, Pan, and Dolly to position your view and frame your composition. ![[stagerCameraViewScene.png]] --- ## position the camera Cameras come into your scene just like geometry so you can either select the camera object in the scene or using the Scene panel to choose the camera. Use the regular **Transform** tools to manipulate the camera position. These Transforms include **Move** (W), **Rotate** (E), and **Scale** (R). Alternatively, you can adjust settings using sliders and values in the **Transform** submenu of the **Properties** panel. Of course, this is easier to do when looking at your scene through the default Viewport Camera. --- ## camera properties Cameras have a few limited options that can be adjusted in the Properties panel. ![[stagerCameraProperties.png]] Background image allows you to set an image that will serve as the background of the scene. Stager can [Match Image](https://helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-stager/features/match-image.html) to make composite the scene elements to the same perspective as the background image. [Focal length](https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/understanding-focal-length.html) lets you adjust for the type of camera lens you want to use. This allows you to zoom into or out of a scene. [Depth of field](https://photographylife.com/what-is-depth-of-field) lets you have only a portion of the scene in focus while other elements are blurred out. By default, everything in your scene will be in focus. ![[stagerCameraDepth.png]] Toggle on the **Depth of field** and press the **Set focus point** button. In your scene, click on the object element you want to be in focus. Then side the **Blur amount** to control the amount of blur. Higher levels will make objects further away blurrier. You will probably need to view the scene with Ray Tracing to see this effect. --- ## lock the camera to save the view Once you have your view composition set the way you want it, take the time to lock and hide your camera in the Scene panel. You can still look through the camera, you just can’t see or adjust it in your scene. Locking prevents the camera from being moved or manipulated. Press the little Padlock icon to the right of the Camera name. Hiding the camera removes it as a visible object in your Viewport camera view. Click the eyeball icon to the right of the Camera name. ![[stagerCameraScenePanel.png]] --- Learn more… - [Cameras from Adobe Help](https://helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-stager/objects/camera.html) --- tags: #3d #resources #substance #stager home: [[! 3d modeling - substance]]