Easier way to position figures in scenes?

3DScreencraft

Hi everyone, at the moment I set up my setting, eg PW Caribbean Island. which is a large landscape. I choose a camera. Then I add my figure to the scene (eg Unicorn for DAZ Horse 2). But to find the figure, I have to go out and out and out on the scene, over and over, till eventually I see the bounding box of the figure. Then I have to use translations to go back in, in, in on the scene, till the figure is visible in front of the camera I have chosen. Is there an easier way to find the figure and put it where it belongs and return to the camera I chose? Like, attaching it to the camera, or...? Thanks!

Matt_Castle

Alt+Drag from the library. However, note that Iray has floating point rounding issues far from the origin, so you should try to centre the part of the set you are using close to the scene centre anyway.

SofaCitizen

In addition to the above, if you have items that are already loaded and you want to bring them into view you can use the mcjComeHere script.

3DScreencraft

Thanks, to you both - but neither idea is working for me. Re the distance with the mj script, how do I know what distance to put into the slider? Sorry to be so dim; I have tried various distances, no joy. Maybe I should dump the PW Caribbean island idea, LOL!

3DScreencraft

Oh wait, I unticked the translate lock slider and it has worked! Yaay! Thanks so much! :D

FirstBastion

This is how I do it.

If you have a camera selected,  you can see its XYZ position in the parameters tab.

Simply add those 3 numbers to your translations for the character figure and it will move to the camera position.  Then you can fine tune the positioning from there. Takes about 10-15 seconds. 

3DScreencraft

FirstBastion said:

This is how I do it.

If you have a camera selected,  you can see its XYZ position in the parameters tab.

Simply add those 3 numbers to your translations for the character figure and it will move to the camera position.  Then you can fine tune the positioning from there. Takes about 10-15 seconds. 

Ahh! Thanks so much! :D

GhostofMacbeth

I tend to place the figure and then move the scene around it.

3141592654

FirstBastion's suggestion works well. Adding to it ... another option is to add several cameras to the scene in strategic locations looking in important directions. After these are set up, you can just choose a camera view to either find your subject and/or then move it.

3DScreencraft

Thanks everyone, all helpful! :)

Timbales

You can also use the align tool. In Select the camera, then the figure. Align to centers to centers on all axis and it will bring it to the camera. Then you can place and adjust position as needed.

3DScreencraft

Ooh, I Am learning so much - thank you! :)

miladyderyni_173d399f47

FirstBastion said:

This is how I do it.

If you have a camera selected,  you can see its XYZ position in the parameters tab.

Simply add those 3 numbers to your translations for the character figure and it will move to the camera position.  Then you can fine tune the positioning from there. Takes about 10-15 seconds. 

Thank you for this! I've often used the XYZ translations for a model in the scene that is already where I want a model to be but this seems much faster.

mwokee

No one will like my answer but I create scenes and characters separately and merge together in Photshop. Faster and easier for me plus I have greater control with post processing. See? Tolja no one would like this.

Cybersox

mwokee said:

No one will like my answer but I create scenes and characters separately and merge together in Photshop. Faster and easier for me plus I have greater control with post processing. See? Tolja no one would like this.

Nope, I do the same thing sometimes.  There's a lot of stuff that's simply easier and more effective to do in PS, especially when it comes to large numbers of figures/elements.