Day 12: Projection Mapping
Learning Goals
Students will be able to:
Goal camera map a simple box.
Agenda
Note: The exact timing and topics covered may shift.
Dailies: 10:10am-10:20am
Homework Review: Lighting
Q&A: Have any questions come up since last class?
Subject: 10:20am-10:50am
Watch: Deserted by Bernd Montag
Watch: NFL Network IDs & Making Of
Theory: What is Camera Mapping? Where is it used?
Technique: Camera Map a photo of a toolbox.
Exercise: Recreate the toolbox camera mapping exercise.
What Makes for a Good Camera Mapping Scene?
Clear Perspective: If you've got an object made up of a bunch of right angles that's taking up the majority of your view you're going to have a pretty easy time calibrating the scene. A cube or box in the scene will make this especially true. However, if you've got an organic object with a blurry background, you're going to have a much harder time setting up your camera and projection.
Simple Shapes: The simpler / more geometric the shapes are in your scene, the easier it will be to recreate them.
Clean Edges: Objects that have clean edges will be easier to recreate than objects that have very distressed/furry edges. Also, blur caused by shallow depth of field will make your job much harder. Try to start with scenes that were shot at something like F11 or higher so the scene remains sharp.
Minimal Movement: The less you have to move your camera or your objects, the more successful your shot is going to be. The only shot you can do that won't require any extra patching work in photoshop is a subtle push-in/pull-out.
Projection Mapping Technique
Get your image. Ideally uncropped.
Match the Image Resolution
Create C4D Scene
Adjust render settings to match resolution.
Match Your Camera's Perspective
Add a Camera
Add a Camera Calibrator Tag to the camera
Calibrate Camera
Add planes for the sides and top
Shift-Click to set axis directions
Set a known length
Add a pin for the world origin
Create Materials
Click on Create Background
Click on Create Camera Mapping Tag
Create a Null to hold your scene objects
Drag the texture tag from the Camera to the Null
Add a floor plane
Drag inside of the Null, the texture should auto-apply to it
Add key objects
Look through your Camera Mapping Camera
Add a Cube to your scene
Try to size it to match the object in your scene
Project your textures
Animate & Render
Homework 11:55am-12:00pm
What:
Project: Take a Still Image and Animate your Camera using Camera Mapping
Due: By the start of our next class session on your Course Projects Blog.
Recommended Reading / Viewing
Cinema 4D Online Manual
Victorian Set Extension by Joseph Herman
Camera Mapping and Projection in Cinema 4d by Greyscale Gorilla
Camera Mapping with Cinema 4D R14 by We Are Pitch Black
Cinema 4D Projection Man Basics: The White House by MoGraph Candy