Cameras - Node

This set of functions is common to any RealFlow object, though the parameters slightly vary. The "Node" panel is used to specify a node’s location and position inside 3D space. “Simulation” is used to include or exclude an object from a simulation. For cameras this is more or less dispensable, because they are not physical objects – they only represent the user’s current point of view. Position-related settings always need a trio of values for all three dimensions X, Y and Z. Even “Shear” deformation works, but has no influence on the camera’s perspective, though the representing icon is distorted. “Color” simply assigns a new colour to the object’s representation in the viewport.

Simulation

Makes the selected node active or inactive. Inactive objects are still visible, but not taken into consideration for the simulation: they are invisible to RealFlow’s solvers. Inactive objects can be made active at any time and they are displayed in a dark-reddish colour; in the "Node" window they are greyed out. A very interesting option is “Cache”, because it allows you to use previously calculated movements within a new simulation.

Position

Here you can define the position in 3D space. Each value stands for one coordinate: X, Y and Z. Please remember that the height axis depends on your 3D software and the adjusted preferences. With a wrong setup, imported objects appear flipped – that is of special importance with imported nodes and scripting. All values are measured in metres [m].

Rotation

The mode of operation is equal to “Position”, but the unit is degrees [deg].

Scale

Please have a look at “Position”, because it works exactly the same way and is given metres [m] as well.

Shear

With this tool you can add distortion to your objects to modify their geometry. It has no effect on cameras. The displacement is given in metres [m].

Parent to

This is possibly the most interesting function. By parenting a camera to another object, it is possible to change its position remotely. Instead of animating the camera object itself, this function forces it to follow the movements of an animated object. This is an especially exciting feature for object dynamics: you can follow falling bodies, create impressive views from object crashes or follow others moved by the power of fluids. By using “Parent to” it is absolutely easy to create most complex motions without creating a single key.

Color

 This option determines the colour of the unselected object in the viewport. You can choose any predefined or custom RGB value available in your OS.