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Linking a camera to null
I am creating a stormy scene using the psunami plugin. I am animating the view using the bobbing platform in psunamis settings. This leaves me without any camera data for use when compositing other fx in to the scene such as rain using particular. I have tried motion tracking the horizon of the sea, copying the data to give a null object position and z rotation keyframes. I then linked a camera to the null using the following expressions:
thisComp.layer(“Null 2”).transform.position
thisComp.layer(“Null 2”).transform.zRotation*-2-10
I have added the *-2 to flip the rotation. This gives a fairly good result but there is a fair bit of sliding. Im not that advanced on expressions so I was just wondering if anybody had a more effective solution or any pointers which might help.
Thanks for your help
Adam -
3 Replies
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Can’t you use the comp-camera in Psunami instead of the plugin’s camera ?
I never used psunami, but on the website it says it can use the comp camera. -
It is possible to link the psunami’s camera to the comp camera via expressions, but the thing is i am using a setting in psunami called ‘bobbing platform’ which animates the view according to the surface of the water, as if you were looking through a camera on a tripod on the deck of a boat. No data is created as to the position or rotation of the camera.
I could possibly animate an AE camera to match as closely as possible the movement created by the psunami plugin, and use that. I just wondered if it was something that i can do with expressions.
Thanks for the suggestion though
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I’m trying to do the same thing right now. Gonna try a similar approach, except i find the camera is tilting and perspective along with it. That’s what causes the sliding effect.
Try also tracking the white dots on the horizon in Wireframe mode, or if your camera is too low for that, put two light sources in the background just for the wireframe render, they appear as white dots as well, one on the left and one on the right. they give a much more clear motion track, from here I can link the data to a null. Then link the null’s position to your camera’s point of interest, but instead of using the straight up numbers, invert the x and y values. this way when your waves move up in the frame, the camera is in fact looking down.
Then just fiddle with your expression for the z rotation, and you should be gold.
If you found an easier way than this please post back. I wanna do more with this.
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