Overview vs Viewpoints
- David Organista
When you first open MAX Studio, the default view is the “Overview” which enables you to move around the environment to better build stages. Also, by default, we are given another view, Viewpoint 01, which represents the final simulation.
When starting a new course, the overview and viewpoint 01 are aligned until you move around the environment using the overview or select viewpoint 01 and move it. You can toggle views by clicking the camera view button within the tool bar and clicking on a different camera view.
Loading a Prop
To practice using the different camera views, import any prop from the library as a reference point. I will use the “Semi” vehicle from the “Props” Folder. As of now, our overview and viewpoint 01 are aligned so toggling between them won’t make a difference.
Moving Around the Environment
While in overview, change your view so that you see your prop from a different perspective. To review the navigation controls, click on “Help” within the menu bar and click on “Navigation Guide” from the drop-down menu. Toggle between Overview and viewpoint 01 to see the difference in perspective.
Moving Viewpoint 01
If you toggle to viewpoint 01, you will notice that you cannot navigate around the environment by the navigation controls. To change viewpoint 01’s position, you will need to select it by either clicking on the camera object when it's visible in the viewport or alternatively, by clicking on the object selector button within the tool bar and clicking on “viewpoints”. (The overview is unselectable)
Once selected, you will notice a small window within the viewport that previews viewpoint 01. Making sure viewpoint 01 is selected, move it by either using the move transform arrows and rotational controls by toggling them on from the tool bar or by changing their positional and rotational values from “object transform” within the side panel. (Scaling viewpoints won’t change the view)
Remember that the viewpoints are what will be simulated and not the overview. Once you are satisfied with the viewpoint position, click on the “Simulate” button within the tool bar, click on either “Simulate Stage” or “Simulate Course” and make sure that you have the desired perspective. Press the space key to exit simulation mode.
Please note that after each simulation run, the overview and viewpoint will be aligned again. The darkened bars at the top and bottom of the views will be cropped out in the final simulation in DART MAX so that only the lightened main area will be shown.
