I'm trying to figure out how this camera works, because I want to show the back of the pelican (where the crew is) during a cutscene. I'm very close to getting everything I need to make a prototype intro cutscene.


Edit: I figured it out.

Camera's translational difference between the map's origin and itself is the basis for its translational difference between it and the object it is relative to.

That is, the relative camera is relative to the map's origin.

however, the given angle remains constant, so if the vehicle being driven/flown turns, a second relative camera needs to be created. I will attempt to set up a decent relative camera as an example.
Edited by ShadowFox0809 on Mar 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM

Awesome, nice find. I never figured out how the camera's relative position to the object was determined. HS_doc as usual was vague:

(camera_set_relative )
moves the camera to the specified camera point over the specified number of ticks (position is relative to the specified object).

I tried this out a long time ago thinking that it determines the relative position based on the difference in positions between the camera point and the object at the moment the command is run. Obviously that didn't work.

But I can kind of see why they did it based on the map's origin. I suppose it's so that it would be easier to set an exact distance and angle away from the object no matter where it is, since the origin is just (0,0). For the other method, the object would have to be positioned correctly before setting the camera.

I hope to be able to set a camera than looks from the pelican's cockpit door to the outside. Good angle that I think can be achieved with this command.

By the way, there's a command I found while searching through the campaign scripts that isn't listed in the halo script bible:
player_effect_set_max_rumble

I think that may come to some use, provided it works.

Edit: I think player_effect_set_max_rumble is an xbox command...
Edited by ShadowFox0809 on Mar 8, 2010 at 06:09 PM

No, it should work. In a10, I believe, it shakes the camera around, giving the feel that the ship is being hit from large alien weapons.

Alright, I'll try that out.

By the way, I've been trying to figure out a relationship between the camera's position around the vehicle and sapien's camera. apparently, you need to measure relative to the frame hull (not the selector cube sapien draws for each object).

So if I want to find a camera coordinate for the relative camera, here's what needs to be done:

• Go to 3dsmax/gmax to find where the parent node is memorize (or take a screenshot) of where it is relative to the model
• go to sapien and bring the viewing camera up to where you think that point is. The better the guess, the more accurate the selection.
• create a camera point to mark that location (and to check on how close you got sapien's camera to the frame hull
• bring sapien's camera up to where you want to make your camera point. Mark it with another camera point
• Now subtract the frame hull's coordinates from the camera point's.

Well, it's not a great method, but at least it works. I tested it out and apparently I chose the camera point for the parent node (frame hull) well because I got the exact camera I was looking for. I really doubt there's an easier method, but if you come up with one, please share it.

The relative camera command is a difficult camera to set up relative to the other camera types. However, in my opinion, it is the most potentially useful.

By the way, I checked a10, and it apparently uses the rumble command a lot, as well as several other commands. Though it uses it in several scripts, several scripts are completely devoted to it:

script static "void" player_effect_impact
(player_effect_set_max_translation 0.05 0.05 0.075 )
(player_effect_set_max_rotation 0 0 0 )
(player_effect_set_max_rumble 0.4 1 )(player_effect_start (real_random_range 0.7 0.9 )0.1 ))

(script static "void" player_effect_explosion
(player_effect_set_max_translation 0.01 0.01 0.025 )
(player_effect_set_max_rotation 0.5 0.5 1 )
(player_effect_set_max_rumble 0.5 0.4 )(player_effect_start (real_random_range 0.7 0.9 )0.1 ))

(script static "void" player_effect_rumble
(player_effect_set_max_translation 0.01 0 0.02 )
(player_effect_set_max_rotation 0.1 0.1 0.2 )
(player_effect_set_max_rumble 0.5 0.3 )(player_effect_start (real_random_range 0.7 0.9 )0.5 ))

(script static "void" player_effect_vibration
(player_effect_set_max_translation 0.0075 0.0075 0.0125 )
(player_effect_set_max_rotation 0.01 0.01 0.05 )
(player_effect_set_max_rumble 0.2 0.5 )(player_effect_start (real_random_range 0.7 0.9 )1 ))

Edited by ShadowFox0809 on Mar 8, 2010 at 09:25 PM

Yea, this is what I was referring to. By copying and pasting those in, and calling any of those scripts, it will cause the camera to shake until you use the (player_effect_stop command.

By the way, here is an example of three relative cameras:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVDemHGg_jc

Also, "rumble" doesn't work. The others do. I really think the rumble command is for the xbox controller.
Edited by ShadowFox0809 on Mar 10, 2010 at 12:34 PM

Actually I bet you hit the nail on the head. I messed with these values a long time ago and I also found that rumble was the only one with no effect. That would explain it.

That's... just plain amazing.