Apple Motion 4 - Manual (Page 72)

Canvas in 3D Mode
In addition to the traditional 2D project workspace, Motion provides a 3D workspace in
which to arrange and animate objects, including groups, layers, cameras, and lights. When
you switch to 3D mode, additional controls become available in the Canvas that reflect
the new environment. A small set of 3D View tools appears in the upper-right corner of
the Canvas window, and a 3D Compass appears in the lower-left corner. The upper-left
corner of the Canvas contains the Camera menu, where you can choose which camera
to use to view your project in 3D space.
Note: You must add at least one camera to your project to create a 3D workspace.
To add a camera to your project
1 Click the New Camera icon in the Toolbar.
A dialog appears that prompts you to switch your 2D groups to 3D groups.
2 Click Switch to 3D to add a camera and create a 3D project.
If you click Keep as 2D, a camera is added to your project and all groups remain 2D groups.
Manipulating the 3D View
The 3D workspace provides tools for manually changing your view or viewing your scene
from a particular reference camera view, such as Front, Back, Top, Bottom, and so on. You
can also choose to view the scene through any of the cameras added to your project.
Note: The Left, Right, Top, and Bottom camera views are orthogonal views. You cannot
animate or export these views.
To set the current view
µ
Click the Camera menu in the upper-left corner of the Canvas and choose a camera from
the menu. Motion animates your view change as it moves to the new view.
Camera menu
If you have modified the view, an asterisk appears next to the name of the camera view.
Note: If you isolate a layer or group (choose Object > Isolate), the Camera menu shows
the name of the isolated object as the current view. For more information on the Isolate
feature, see
Layers Tab .
72 Chapter 2 The Motion Interface