Camera controls
Orbit and zoom the virtual camera of 3D displays directly on the stage.
Displays rendered in 3D own a virtual camera. With camera control enabled, the stage becomes that camera's viewfinder: orbit around the scene, adjust the distance, and frame the shot exactly how you want it exported.
Which displays have a camera#
Three built-in displays provide cameras and appear under the 3D category of the Add display menu:
- Geometry
- Tunnel
- Mesh grid
Installed plugins can declare a camera too; they show up alongside the built-ins once registered.
Use camera controls#
- Select a 3D display in the Layers panel.
- Select Camera control above the canvas.
- Interact with the stage:
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Drag left/right | Rotate around the scene (Azimuth) |
| Drag up/down | Tilt toward the top or bottom limits (Polar) |
| Mouse wheel | Move closer or farther away (Distance) |
The cursor switches to a grab hand over the canvas while the mode is active. Built-in 3D displays also show a small axis helper; camera-enabled plugins orbit without that gizmo.
Esc always ends camera mode. Selecting a scene, effect, disabled layer, or a
display without a camera also ends it. Selecting another enabled camera
display keeps the tool on. Enabling
layer transform turns camera mode off — the
two direct-manipulation tools never run together.
Camera values in Controls#
Every adjustment writes back to the display's properties, where the Controls panel exposes them in the Camera group:
| Control | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Azimuth | −π to π radians | π/4 |
| Polar | just under ±π/2 radians | π/6 |
| Distance | 0 – 5000 | Auto |
The Controls panel shows these as radians, not degrees. Polar stops just short of straight overhead and underneath so the view never flips through the poles. A distance of zero means automatic framing: the camera fits the whole stage height based on its field of view. Enter a value or drag until it looks right to take manual control.
Because these are ordinary numeric properties, they can be bound to reactors — sweep the azimuth slowly with a low-frequency band, pull the camera in on volume spikes, or let MIDI notes jump between angles.
Related settings#
The same Control card groups everything else that shapes the 3D look: a three-light rig with shadows under Lighting, and focus falloff under Depth of Field. Both start off but stack naturally with camera framing when enabled.