Leia Camera Setup

In this section we will explore the LeiaCamera attributes and the basics of using a LeiaCamera. The Leia specific parameters are found under the LeiaCameraShape tab of the LeiaCamera node in the Attribute Editor.

leia_camera_maya_example.mp4Google Docs

Baseline Scaling

Baseline Scaling controls the spacing between adjacent cameras in the LeiaCamera array. This spacing can be used to increase or decrease the depth. The blue frustum in the editor represents the depth and will change when this value is updated.

Convergence Distance

The convergence distance sets the location of the multi-view convergence plane with respect to the camera plane. The orange plane in the editor is placed at this distance. This is also known as the Zero Parallax Distance.

Landscape Bounds

Landscape bounds represents the LeiaCamera's rendering orientation. This will update the orientation of the blue LeiaCamera frustum in the editor.

Zero Parallax Color

Zero Parallax Color refers to the color of the plane in the editor drawn at the convergence distance.

Safe Volume Color

Safe Volume Color refers to the color of the frustum in the editor. This frustum is known as the safe zone. It's used to help guide where content can be comfortably viewed, anything not in this zone should be blurred.

Using the LeiaCamera

Start using the LeiaCamera

1. Open the Leia Plugin tool bar menu and select, Create Leia Camera Rig

2. Translate the LeiaCamera as a normal camera. Note it's important to leave the camera scaling set to 1.

3. Select the Leia Camera and change the LeiaCameraShape parameters (baseline scaling, focal length) to encapsulate your target into the blue zone.

   • As a general rule of thumb, keep your content inside of the blue volume. Otherwise, enable Depth of Field (DoF) on each camera to blur objects in front or behind this zone.

4. Place the object of interest close to the orange plane (the convergence plane) to place it in focus.

Leia Editor Gizmo

1. The Convergence Plane (Orange Plane):

   • Objects intersecting this plane will be in focus.

   • This is also known as the screen plane, zero disparity plane, or zero parallax plane.

2. The Safe Zone (Blue volume):

   • This is a guide for placing objects to be rendered.

   • Objects in this zone that are closer to the camera will appear to be coming out of the screen and objects farther away from the camera will appear inside of the screen.

   • Content in this region is most comfortably viewed. Placing objects beyond this zone creates a "ghosted" image which should be avoided. Depth of Field (DoF) is highly recommended for mitigating image ghosting