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HOW TO INSTALL

  • Drag and drop installer file (MZP) into viewport, click Install button (no need to remove previous versions).
  • If you are using version 2.60 or below, you should choose to reset settings when installing new version of the script.
  • You can find Smart Camera View 2 button in Customize User Interface > Toolbar > D95 DESIGN.

HOW TO UNINSTALL

  • Drag and drop installer file (MZP) into viewport, click Uninstall button.
  • You can choose to delete or keep the script’s settings for later.

SET SHORTCUT

  • From menu: Customize > Customize User Interface > Keyboard
  • Find category: D95 DESIGN > Tooltips: Smart Camera View 2 (recommend “C” button) for main interface.
  • Find category: D95 DESIGN > Tooltips: Smart Camera View 2 Hot Switch for hot switch function.

Minor update | 17/03/2021

  • From now on you can edit the suffix name for the image file when using the grab viewport feature
  • Spelling corrections and fix some small tooltips

2.99 | 10/01/2021

Full Mode:

  • Now you can Ctrl + click the “A” button in “Select Camera” group to refresh the camera list manually when using the “Disable callbacks” option (Script System Setting > Performance). In version 2.92, when “Disable callbacks” is enabled, the manual refresh feature will replace the feature of the right mouse button when clicking the “A” button.
  • Now you can right-click the “V” button in “Select camera” group to select current active camera node in current lock viewport. Clicking this button will still select current active camera node in current active viewport.
  • Now you can right-click the “N” button in “Select Camera” group to select the next group of cameras with the same name.
  • Now you can right-click the “R” button in “Select Camera” group to select next group of cameras with the same aspect ratio.
  • Replace the “X” button in the “Camera Name” group with the “Search” button: search for cameras by entering keywords and pressing the button, the script will select all cameras that contain the keywords you entered.
  • Improved quick camera rename buttons (|M|, |C|, |N|): clicking these buttons will now only rename selected cameras. To quickly rename the entire camera list like the previous version, you can right-click these buttons.
  • You can now right-click the “Apply” buttons (including the one in the “Camera Name” group and the one in the “Render Output”), “⮀” button, “×2” button and “1/2” button to apply settings to the entire camera list.
  • Now you can select custom output type by switch to “Other”, and click the “EXR” button (script’s default) to choose a new format. Note that the script will only get the output render settings information, so you don’t need to enter the filename or choose a save location. This feature makes it possible to save batch render images in more formats, like BMP, TGA, etc.

Lite Mode:

  • Minor adjustments to the interface of the Lite dialog.
  • Fix some minor bugs when using special separators character.

Setting:

  • Minor adjustments to the interface of the Setting dialog.
  • Added “Select camera” option for mouse fucntion setting to use when “Selection sync” is off or using the “Disable callbacks” feature in Script System Settings > Performance.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused scripts to fail to load saved settings.

Script System Settings:

  • Removed “Refresh by button” option (because now manual refresh by button is always available), and replace it with the “Disable prompt” option. You can use it to get rid of annoying messages if you are already familiar with how scripting features work.
  • Added 7 new custom separator character.

Other:

  • Improved script install / uninstall function.
  • Continue adding and fixing script tooltips.

2.92 | 06/12/2021

Full Mode:

  • Renamed the “IV” button to “I”.
  • Renamed the “LT” button to “L”.

Lite Mode:

  • Fixed an issue where some options in settings could not be applied to Lite Mode (fixed in version 2.85, however there are still some unfixed features).
  • Fixed an issue where the state of setting button does not display correctly with the open state of the setting.
  • Fixed an issue where Lite Mode could crash when switching between Full Mode and Lite Mode.

Setting:

  • “Camera Name Setting” group will be merged with “Auto Repair Name” group in Script System Settings. Its two options “Remove Space” and “Replace with underscore” will also be moved here.
  • Shorten a few option names to fix interface errors when used on Full HD screens.
  • Added new “Auto hide camera and light icons” option in “Grab Viewport Settings”: auto hidden all camera and light icons if it’s not hidden when use batch grab viewport function.

Script System Settings:

  • Improved “Avoid duplicate” & “Fix broken names” performance.
  • Added new “Full sticky mode”: glue all the windows together. If this option is disabled, all sub-windows (Render Output Preset, Setting, System Setting), will be tied to the main interface of the script (Full Mode, Lite Mode), but not vice versa. Note that this feature can make moving the script window on the desktop very laggy. You should only use this feature when you have disabled the “Show winddow contents while dragging” option in Windows (System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings).
  • Added new “Reset” button for “Dialog Gap” spinner.
  • “Camera List Height” group has been redesigned in the layout, and has a separate “Reset” button for each parameter.
  • Added new “Rounding resolution” option: rounding up the camera’s resolution. For example, with “Round to 10s” option, 1691, 1692,… will be rounded to 1600, with “Round to 100s” option, 1691, 1692,… will be rounded to 1700.  Note that using this function can cause your aspect ratio to be lost. Make sure you know what you’re doing.
  • Added new “Padding suffix” option: by default, in the script and in 3dsMax, the camera suffix number will be 3 digits (001, 002…). With this option, you can customize to 1 digit (1, 2, 3, 4…), 2 digits (01, 02, 03, 04) or 4 digits (0001, 0002, 0003, 0004…). However, 1 digit is not recommended, as it may affect how the camera list is sorted. You should only use it when your number of cameras is usually less than 10.
  • Added new “Performance Settings” group with “Disable callbacks” and “Refresh by button” option: with “Disable callbacks”, the performance of the script will be greatly improved if you are doing heavy tasks. Note that it will also disable the script’s camera list auto-refresh, selection sync, and auto safe frame function. “Refresh by button” will help you manually refresh camera list without restarting the script by right-clicking the “A” (Select All) button in the script main interface (Full Mode). Note that it will replace the right-click function of this button (select only cameras that are not hidden).
  • Added new “Script Installer” group with “Remove / Reinstall Script” button: from now on you can reinstall, or remove the script with the built-in installer right in the script, exactly like you drag and drop the mzp file into the 3dsMax viewport.
  • The setting panel will no longer be closed when the “OK” button is pressed.

Other:

  • Improved script install / uninstall function.
  • Continue adding and fixing script tooltips.
  • Improve camera list refresh performance.

2.85 | 15/11/2021

Full Mode:

  • “Preset” button now work like a checkbutton (on/off).
  • The interface of the Render Output Preset panel has been completely reworked. The new interface is designed to be smaller and easier to use. Double-clicking no longer closes the Render Output Preset panel. The Render Output Preset panel will also integrate the “Save Dialog State” and “Sticky Dialog” features in the System Setting.
  • Improve Lock State check perfomance on multi camera.
  • Fix [L], [S], [P] prefix missing underscore when adding to camera. It also fixes a bug that prevented the Reset button from deleting these prefixes.

Lite Mode:

  • Improve selecting camera performance in Lite Mode.
  • Fix some bugs related to Selection Sync.

Script System Settings:

  • Added new “Start with 3dsMax” option: open script on 3dsmax startup.
  • Renamed the “Dialog Open” to “Start Settings”.
  • Renamed the “Dialog Close” to “Close Settings”
  • Renamed the “Save dialog pos.” to “Save position”.
  • Added new group “Auto Repair Name” (old “For Developer Only”).
  • Renamed the “Automatically rename duplicate cameras” option to “Avoid duplicate”.
  • Renamed the “Automatically fix broken camera name” option to “Fix broken names”.
  • Added new group “Render Setup (F10)” with new “On switch camera” option: method to update the parameters in the Render Setup dialog. Choose the method that suits your renderer.
    1. According to Autodesk, changing the Render Setup dialog settings via MAXScript should be done with the actual Render Setup dialog in a closed state. Leaving the dialog open will make the attempted MAXScript modifications non-sticky. Therefore, normally, when you switch the camera with the Render Setup dialog on, the parameters here will not change automatically. That’s why this option is added to the script to fix that. Learn more >
    2. Currently, there will be 4 options, of which 2 methods are used to update the parameters of the Render Setup dialog automatically: “Update Dialog” and “Restart Dialog”. The “Update Dialog” method will update the parameters of the Render Setup without closing this window, however it may not be compatible with some renderers. The “Restart Dialog” method will close the Render Setup dialog before switching the camera, and reopen the panel after switching. This is the slowest of all the methods, yet it is compatible with almost all renderers.
  • Added new group “Data String Settings” with new “Separator character” option: select the character used to separate the data in the camera name.
  • Now Script System Settings will open next to Smart Camera Settings.

Other:

  • Improve Callback performance: editing objects other than the camera (eg adding, renaming, undo…) will no longer trigger refresh the camera list.
  • Continue adding and fixing script tooltips.

2.77 | 01/11/2021

Full Mode:

  • Renamed the “Auto” button in Camera Name group to “|M|”: rename all cameras by Max Path.
  • Renamed the “Prefix” button in Camera Name group to “[R]”, and changed this button style. Now “[R]” button (old “Prefix” button) will works like a check button (on/off). It will also save its state when restarting the script, and automatically apply it when adding a new camera.
  • Added new |C| button in Camera Name group: rename all cameras by Camera Class.
  • Added new |N| button in Camera Name group: rename all cameras by Number.
  • Renamed the “Invert”, “Double” and “Halve” button in Render Output group to “⮀”, “×2” and “1/2”.
  • Added new “Px²” button in Render Output group: click to automatically adjusts resolution based on pixel count limit. Right-click to configure pixel count limit and learn more. Pixel Count Limit is a number that represents the limit of the total number of pixels on a rendered image. For example, with a 1600×1200 image, a total of 1600*1200 = 1,920,000 pixels will be rendered. Pixel Count Limit helps you balance the amount of pixels between views, so they will have approximately the same render time even though the aspect ratio is different (in case all render settings and conditions are the same). This is extremely useful for you to balance and arrange render time for the project. You can enter the value of Pixel Count Limit directly into the spinner, or press Ctrl + N after clicking on the spinner to open the 3dsMax Numerical Expression Evaluator. You can enter the math equation here, for example 1600*1200, then press Paste button.
  • Added new “Preset” button in Render Output group: new render output preset manager. You can add your custom preset with name here, and apply it to currently selected cameras. It is very useful if you want to set up a bunch of presets for yourself, and use for different projects, instead of just having 3 buttons to save temporary presets like 2.68 and earlier.

Lite Mode: 

  • Fixed an issue where some options in settings could not be applied to Lite Mode.
  • Polished Lite Mode’s interface to match the overall design of the script.
  • Optimize the installation of the script.

Settings:

  • Added new “Script System Settings” in Other Settings group. This is where all the parameters and system options of the script are located, including the distance between dialogs, the camera list height, options for starting and exiting the script, and so on. In addition to the newly added options, some options in the existing settings will also be moved to this section, include “Swich on start” (with “Use hot switch” option), “Save dialog pos.”, “Save dialog state”, “Use Sticky dialog” (with “Reverse order”), “Automatically rename duplicate cameras”. The way this system settings panel works will also be a bit different from the current setting, when you have to click OK or Apply to have the script restart and apply the settings (instead of taking effect immediately like normal Settings).
  • Renamed the “Only in Full Mode” checkbox to “Sync only in F.M” (to avoid confusion with Stick only in F.M in System Settings).
  • Renamed the “Open output folder” checkbox to “Open output folder when render finish”.
  • Renamed the “Show prompt option” checkbox to “Show prompt to open output folder”.
  • Added new option “Use 3dsMax batch render settings”: open 3dsMax default batch render dialog to use more settings (like render presets and scene state) when hit script render button. The views will be set up ready just like using a script (all cameras or selected cameras).

Script System Settings:

  • Added new option”Close on restart”: if the script is already open, close all dialogs when restarting the script using the toolbar button or the shortcut command. It’s like changing the style of a shortcut command or toolbar button to a checkbutton (on/off).
  • Added new option “Stick only on F.M”: use sticky dialog option only in Full Mode and disable it in Lite Mode.
  • Added new option “Dialog Gap”: control space between dialogs when using sticky dialog.
  • Added new group “Camera List Height”: set camera list height in Full Mode and in Lite Mode.
  • Added new group “For Developer Only”: enabling this section will allow you to customize enabling or disabling some features for debugging or testing new unfinished fuctions. It can cause the script to not work as intended. Use at your own risk.

Other:

  • Continue adding and fixing script tooltips.
  • Slight improvement in the performance of the rename camera feature.

2.68 | 18/10/2021

  • Renamed the “All” button to “A”.
  • Renamed the “View” button to “V”.
  • Added new buttons “▲” and “▼” to select the camera below or above.
  • Added new button “IV” to invert current camera selection.
  • Changed Setting button style, works like a check button.
  • Remove the “Hot Switch Settings” group and move its setting to “Other Settings”.
  • Renamed “Enabled hot switch” to “Switch on start”.
  • Renamed “Don’t open script” to “Use hot switch”.
  • Remove all preset buttons in “Default Output Path”.
  • Renamed “Sub Output Folder” to “Output Path Settings”.
  • Add new option “Always use current project output path” (default is renderoutput folder).
  • Rename “Save render in sub current date folder” to “Save rendered images in date folder”.
  • Now “Save rendered images in date folder” work independently with the “Create subfolder” setting, and it will not show in the output path.
  • New option to save dialog state: save the open state of setting dialog when closing the script. This option may make the script start a bit slower.
  • New option to control save dialog position: disabling it will make the script always start in the center of the screen.
  • Fix the missing toolbar icon when making a clean install.
  • New icon design for the script to fit Autodesk guidelines. The new design will remove the SCV lettering, and replace it with a camera icon with some details representing the “list”.
  • Added warning message when using the CXR format when batch rendering with other renderers than Corona Renderer. CXR is a Corona-specific EXR format, so if the current renderer is not Corona, it will throw an error.
  • Reset button now removes Ratio prefix “L”, “S”, “P” as well.

2.64 | 11/10/2021

  • New “Fix broken camera name” function (run in background): if you don’t know yet, the name of the camera when using the script must be set in the format camera_name_string + … + width_value + … +height_value. There are many cases where users accidentally change this format, causing scripts to work abnormally and many functions to fail. So this feature was created to solve that problem. It will notify you which cameras have broken names, and then automatically correct them.
  • New”For camera only” option for fast select feature: only use ‘Fast select mode’ when select or switch to a camera. The selection of other objects will not be affected. And Fast select can now also be used in Lite mode.
  • New “For cameras only” option for “Fast Select Mode”: only use “Fast Select Mode” when selecting or switching to a camera. The selection of other objects will not be affected.
  • New “Auto Safe Frame” function: this feature will automatically turn on safe frame when you work in Camera View, and will automatically turn off when you exit camera view. The “Run in background” option allows you to use this feature even when the script is closed.
  • New interface for “Output Folder” group. All preset buttons have been removed. The “Apply” button is also removed. From now on, the setting will automatically save when you enter a name for the Output Folder. The input field for the Output folder has also been adjusted to be smaller to avoid confusion with the default path input field. Rename “Add date folder” to “Save rendered images in the current date folder”.
  • New “Sticky setting dialog” function: stick the setting dialog to the main interface while moving script’s dialog across the screen. It has an option “Reverse Order” to change the order of the setting dialog and the script’s dialog when using the sticky option.
  • Improved save / load / reset setting function.
  • Improved install / uninstall function.
  • Fix button and settings don’t load correctly when open the script for the first time.
  • Fix prefix button make script crash when press too fast.
  • Now you can right click on the “Current” button (Batch Render group in main interface) to set the “renderoutput” of the current 3dsmax project as the place to save the render.
  • Add & fix some missing tooltips.

2.60 | 04/10/2021

  • New algorithm: although it does not appear in the interface, this is the main point of this update. Smart Camera View 2.60 is written on a completely new algorithm, with almost all functionality rewritten to improve overall performance. You can see a significant performance increase on some tasks. in some cases, performance increases by more than 3000% (although the difference is only in seconds). It also helps to bring more settings to the script, and expands the customization possibilities for the future.
  • Finalize and fix bugs related to the “Lock Viewport” feature. “Lock Viewport” can now work perfectly in Lite Mode.
  • Added “Batch Grab Viewport” function: right-click on “Render All” or “Render  Sel” to batch grab viewport. It will give you a quick preview before starting to render, or send it to partners or customers.
  • Added “Use custom color” option: used to set a custom wireframe color for the camera icon.
  • Added “Hot Switch” option:  switch viewport to selected camera view when open script. Option “Don’t open Script” makes it work like the original 3dsmax camera view.
  • Added “Selection Sync” option: synchronize the selection in camera list and selection in viewport. Disabling it will slightly increase the performance of the camera interaction features.
  • Added “Fast select mode”: old function “Avoid Modify mode when selecting” with some bug fixes.
  • New better duplicate name fix algorithm: now “Automatically rename duplicate cameras”, “Remove space” and “Replace with underscore” will be enabled by default (recommend).
  • Added “Mouse function” option: now you can set custom function when Right-click and Double-click on a camera. There are four options: “Select Target”, “Select Camera and Target”, “Normal switch” and “Hot switch”. “Normal switch” will switch the viewport to the selected camera view (of course changed resolution and aspect ratio too). “Hot switch” works exactly like “Normal switch” except it will close the script (like the original 3dsmax camera view).
  • Added “Default” button in “Default output path” option: click to set old C:Smart Camera View as default output path.
  • Added “Save”, “Load”, “Reset” setting: save current setting, load setting from file, and reset everything to their default values.
  • Improve performance when setting up batch rendering, deleting, and selecting cameras.
  • Batch render or applying the new resolution & ratio function will no longer cause you to lose selection.

2.52 | 27/09/2021

  • Lock Camera function now in Select Camera group.
  • Add new “Prefix” button in Camera Name group: click to add [L]andscape, [S]quare or [P]ortrait prefix based on aspect ratio. Right-click to remove aspect ratio prefix in camera name. Note: cameras will be rearranged in order of aspect ratio type, which is very useful when you want to batch adjust the resolutions of cameras.
  • Add new “O” button in Render Setting: click to use Over Scan function, when you need to expand the frame of a camera without altering the perspective of your composition. Watch video to understand better.
  • Add new “Last” button in Batch Render: click to use last batch render output path for output folder.
  • “Max Path” button is changed to its old name “Current”. “Max Path” will be assigned to a new button with new feature in the future.
  • The setting button has been moved to a new group: Smart Camera View.
  • Add Smart Camera View group: Lite Mode, Setting & About.
  • Add Lite Mode: have interface very similar to 3dsMax’s default Camera View. The difference is that it can switch render resolution when you switch cameras. You can click to select the camera, double click or press the OK button to enter the camera view (and close the Smart Camera View window, as 3dsMax’s default Camera View), right click to enter the camera view. The camera selection in the scene and the list will also still be in sync.
  • Add Select Camera Setting “Avoid Modify mode when selecting”: auto switch to the Create tab if you are in the Modify tab when selecting nodes. It will increase the performance of 3dsMax significantly when switching cameras in particular, and selecting objects in general.
  • Add Camera Name Settings “Automatically rename duplicate cameras” : rename duplicate cameras when importing into camera list.
  • Add Camera Name Settings “Remove space”: remove space character when apply or change camera name. Has option Replace with ”_”: replace space with the underscore character.
  • Create new subfolder mechanism to replaced old Max Path’s subfolder. Watch video to understand better.
  • Add When Render Complete “Open output folder”: automatically open the output folder when batch render complete. Has option “Show prompt”: show prompt to open the output folder when batch render complete (like previous version). You can turn these options off so that the script doesn’t show a dialog when rendering is done.
  • Increased performance when selecting and refreshing the camera list.
  • Fixed the Lock Viewport feature not working properly when using the layout switch button.
  • The Smart Camera View dialog will remember its position on the screen (no longer open in the center of the screen).
  • Add Hot Switch macro, which you can find in Category D95 DESIGN > Smart Camera View 2 Hot Switch. This macro has only one feature, which is used to quickly switch the camera (of course, change the resolution and aspect ratio too), and it will not show the interface of Smart Camera View. You can set a separate shortcut for it.
  • Fix some Batch Render bug.
  • Fixed some tooltips bug.

2.44 | 20/09/2021

  • Add new “Setting” button.
  • New “Lock Viewport” function (big thank to Олег Кайгородов for the suggestion)
  • Now you can customize the name of “Output” folder.
  • The set default path feature (“Set DF button) will be placed in the settings.
  • “Use DF” button is changed to the old name “Default”

2.42 | 13/09/2021

  • Replace “Clear” button with “X” button next to camera name editable text field.
  • Replace “Folder” button with “…” button next to render output folder path editable text field.
  • “Default” button is split into 2 button “Set DF” (set default) and “Use DF” (use default).
  • Switch group for render resolution preset button, reduce number of presets from 6 to 3.
  • New function “Lock”: lock / unlock tranform of selected camera (move, scale, rotate).
  • Re-polished the interface: more clean, more function.

2.41 | 11/09/2021

  • Replace the “Desktop” button with “Max Path”. Click: set current max file path as output folder. Right-click: same but add new date folder inside.
  • Change “Default” button function. Click to select default render output folder. Right-click to use default render output folder.
  • Replace “Lock Width”, “Lock Height” & “Lock Ratio” with “L” button. Click to lock aspect ratio. It works like lock aspect ratio button in the render setup.
  • Now the script will save settings for last render output, lock ratio state, output file type, and resolution preset (new).
  • Add 6 resolution preset buttons. Click: apply this preset to the selected cameras. Right-click: set current WxH as resolution preset for this button.
  • Add and fix grammar mistakes in some tooltips.

2.39 | 07/09/2021

  • “Reset” button in Camera Name group now will force to shut down the script.
  • Rename multi camera will faster a bit, especially with a large number of selected cameras
  • Remove “Output Location” text, and reorder bottom layout of the script
  • Smart Camera Rollout smaller by 4% (595px –> 570px).
  • Add “Invert” button in Render Setting group: invert selected camera resolution & aspect ratio.
  • Add “Desktop” button in Batch Render group: select desktop as render output folder.

2.38 | 02/09/2021

  • Shorten the names of some buttons for a cleaner & smaller interface.
  • Add tooltip to all function button, now you will easily get used to the new features.
  • Now you can right-click in ratio button to get an inverted ratio. Ex: right-click “4:3” button to get “3:4” aspect ratio.
  • Change camera resolution & ratio now no longer make you lost selection in the script’s camera list.
  • Installation is much faster, and doesn’t create unnecessary buttons on the toolbar anymore.
  • The “Auto-name” function will use “Untitled” as the prefix for unsaved 3dsmax file.
  • Smart Camera Rollout smaller by 8% (645px –> 595px).
  • Remove “Reset” & “Scale” buttons in Render Setting group.
  • Remove “4:5”, “3:4”, “2:3”, “1:2”, “9:16”, “Gold” buttons.
  • Remove Scene Camera group, camera list now inside Select Camera group.
  • New button “View” in Select Camera group: select current active camera.
  • New button “Reset” in Camera Name group: erase all script data in camera name (it will auto add default parameter if you run script again).
  • New button “Double” & “Half” in Render Setting group: double or halve resolution of the selected camera (work like old Scale button).

2.37 | 29/08/2021

  • Remove “Refresh” button, now script will auto-refresh when there are camera changes in the scene as mention in version 2.27.
  • Remove big-ass Render Selected Camera button, batch render now have more option.
  • So many users ask me for this, so yeah, now we have an icon for “Smart Camera View” button in the toolbar!
  • Add a new select function for the “Select All” button: when right-click, it will select only cameras that aren’t hidden.
  • Add new select function: same name & same ratio. Note: select 1 camera before press button. Same Name button: select camera with same prefix name (note: it will ignore all trailing numbers and dash). Same Ratio button: works like “Same Name” button, but for aspect ratio properties.
  • Add new rename function “Auto – Name”, this function aims to quick fix duplicate name of Camera, in the feature I will add auto-fix function when creat camera. If the current scene is not saved (Untitled), it will rename all cameras with “SmartCamera” as the prefix. If the current scene is saved, it will rename all cameras with Max’s file name as the prefix.
  • Add scale button: this function aims to have a quick render test at a lower resolution (half), and switch back when render final. If you left-click on it, it will double the resolution of all cameras. If you right-click on it, it will halve the resolution of all cameras.
  • Add new batch render button: All Camera, Selected, Last Render. All Camera: quick setup batch render of all cameras in the scene. It is kind of combine “Select All” and “Render Selected” button. Selected: work as like old “Render Selected Camera” button. Last Render: render the last batch / camera selection.
  • Render W x H is now no longer can be set to zero.
  • Fix runtime error when user press cancel when choosing folder render output, or the output folder is undefined.
  • Now SCV will default save element for all kinds of render.
  • Auto add a button on 3dsmax toolbars when install
  • Some small bug fix.

2.27 | 19/04/2021

  • Automatically refreshes the camera list when there are camera changes, such as adding, deleting, renaming, or cloning the camera. That means the refresh button is no longer needed, but I still left it temporarily, in case things don’t work as expected.
  • Add some callback function when selecting camera in viewport. Now when you select the camera in the viewport, it will also be selected in the script’s camera list. If the selection includes objects other than the camera, the script will automatically filter only the camera, which is extremely handy when you want to quickly batch render part of a scene, without the headache of selecting each camera from the list, especially for scenes with lots of cameras.
  • Note: with this new callback function, the cameras are required to have a unique name, otherwise the script will not work properly (it will select all cameras with the same name). I recommend using the script’s batch rename feature when you spot a few duplicate names.

2.26 | 17/04/2021

  • Fixed a bug with some aspect ratios, when clicking you would get odd resolution (1599×900, 1200×899… etc). This error occurs when converting some odd aspect ratio, for example 1.333, if the frame height is 1200, you will have the frame width of 1599, which is actually 1599.9999, because 3dsmax will not round to 1599.9999 automatically to 1600. I tried fixing it at version 2.19 but it doesn’t work well, odd numbers still appear, but this time i looked for a new approach to fix it and everything is fine.

2.25 | 10/04/2021

  • Add default output location when start script.
  • Add button “Open” to open render output folder.
  • Render selected camera features have been thoroughly tested and operate stably, so you can use them in your projects with peace of mind from now on.
  • Fixed some small bug when change camera name.

2.20 | 17/12/2020

  • Batch rename camera now no longer reset camera resolution.
  • Fixed a bug when when user select 4:3, 2:3 ratio.

2.19 | 15/12/2020

  • Add padding to the number when renaming multiple cameras at once (which helps to sort the camera list more accurately, instead of 1, 10, 11, …, it will now be 001, 002, … 011 .. .)
  • Fixed a bug with some aspect ratios, when clicking would get odd resolution (1599×900, 1200×899… etc).
  • Fixed a small bug when clicking on the camera.

Most of the button in the script already has tooltip, but you can take a look to get an overview of how the script works before buy it.

Note that this manual is written for version 2.77, other versions (higher or lower) may have some differences.

Download offline PDF version here.

FULL MODE

Full mode is the default mode of smart camera view when you start the script. This mode includes full features of switching, tweaking, settings and batch rendering.

“Select Camera” group

  • Camera list: show all cameras in scene. You can use mouse actions to interact with the camera right in this list by left clicking, double clicking or right clicking. You can customize the function of these mouse buttons in settings.
  • “A” button: click to select all cameras in scene. Right-click to select only cameras that are not hidden.
  • “N” button: click to select all cameras with the same prefix name. You must select exactly 1 camera to perform this function.
  • “R” button: click to select all cameras with the same aspect ratio. You must select exactly 1 camera to perform this function.
  • “V” button: click to select current active camera node.
  • “▲” and “▼” button: click to select the camera above / below current selection. Right-click to select the first / last camera.
  • “IV” button: click to invert current camera selection.
  • “LT” button: click to lock tranform of the selected cameras.

“Camera Name” group

  • Camera name text field: enter new name for selected cameras.
  • “X” button: click to clear camera name in editable text field
  • “Apply” button: click to rename selected camera.
  • “|M|” button: click to rename all cameras with current 3dsmax filename as prefix.
  • “|C|” button: click to rename all cameras with camera class as prefix.
  • “|N|” button (old “Super Short” function): click to rename all cameras with only number as prefix.
  • “[R]” checkbutton: enable to add [l]andscape, [s]quare or [p]ortrait prefix based on aspect ratio.
  • “Reset” button: click to erase all script data in camera name.

“Ratio Preset” group   

  • “X : Y” button: click to set x:y aspect ratio to current selected camera, Right-click to set y:x aspect ratio to current selected camera. For “1:1” button, Right-click will set “gold” ratio to selected cameras (approximately equal to 1.618)
  • “A x B” button: click to apply this preset to the selected cameras. Right-click to set current W x H as resolution preset for this button.

“Render Output” group         

  • W, H, R spinner: set new Width, Height, Aspect Ratio for selected camera. The effect will be immediately visible in the viewport, but you must click Apply to save it to the camera.
  • Small “L” button: click to lock aspect ratio.
  • Small “O” button: click to enabled overscan function.
  • “Apply” button: apply render width & height to the selected cameras.
  • “⮀” button: click to invert selected cameras render resolution.
  • “×2” button: click to double the selected cameras render resolution.
  • “1/2” button: click to halve the selected cameras render resolution.
  • “Px²” button: click to automatically adjusts resolution based on pixel count limit. Right-click to configure pixel count limit and learn more. Pixel Count Limit is a number that represents the limit of the total number of pixels on a rendered image. For example, with a 1600×1200 image, a total of 1600*1200 = 1,920,000 pixels will be rendered. Pixel Count Limit helps you balance the amount of pixels between views, so they will have approximately the same render time even though the aspect ratio is different (in case all render settings and conditions are the same). This is extremely useful for you to balance and arrange render time for the project. You can enter the value of Pixel Count Limit directly into the spinner, or press Ctrl + N after clicking on the spinner to open the 3dsMax Numerical Expression Evaluator. You can enter the math equation here, for example 1600*1200, then press Paste button.

“Batch Render” group

  • Output path text field: show current output folder. Note that it is read-only to prevent users from making the wrong path, and you will not be able to edit the path here.
  • Small “…” button: click to choose new output folder.
  • “Open” button: open render output folder.
  • “Default” button: click to use default path for output folder. You can change the default path in settings.
  • “Current” button: click to use current 3dsmax file path for output folder.
  • “Last” button: click to use last batch render output path for output folder.
  • File type radio button: click to change output file type.
  • “Render All” button: click to batch render all cameras. Right-click to batch grab viewport all cameras.
  • “Render Sel” button: click to batch render selected cameras. Right-click to batch grab viewport selected cameras.
  • “Render Last” button: click to render last batch.

“Smart Camera View” group

  • “Lite Mode” button: click to switch to lite mode.
  • “Setting” button: click to open smart camera view setting.
  • “About” button: click to view infomation of current version.

LITE MODE

Lite Mode is a super-simplified mode of Full Mode, in this mode, it will only display the extended camera list (23 line vs 14 line). Camera interaction features work exactly the same in Full Mode.

SCRIPT SETTINGS

You can access the settings from both Full Mode and Lite Mode by clicking the Settings button located in the middle at the bottom of the script. This will store all the settings of the script for users to customize.

“Camera Icons” group

  • “Use custom color” checkbox: enable to Use custom color for cameras wireframe.
  • “Default” button: click to reset camera wireframe color.

“Lock Viewport” group

  • “Enabled” checkbox: enable to lock switch camera function to viewport ID. It will automatically disable if you use maximize viewport.
  • “Current Viewport Lock ID” button: show ID of viewport locked with script’s camera switch function. Click to update Lock ID to current Viewport ID.

“Select Camera Settings” group

  • “Selection sync” checkbox: enable to synchronize selection of camera list and selection of camera in viewport. Disabling it will slightly increase the performance of the camera interaction features
  • “Sync only in F.M” checkbox: enable to use selection sync only in full mode and disabled Selection Sync in Lite mode.
  • “Fast select mode” checkbox: enable to automatically switch to the Create mode if you are in the Modify mode when selecting with script open. It will increase the performance of 3dsMax significantly when switching cameras in particular, and selecting objects in general.
  • “Auto safe frame” checkbox: enable to only use ‘Fast select mode’ when selecting or switching to a camera. The selection of other objects will not be affected.
  • “Run in background” checkbox: enable to automatically turn on safe frame when switch viewport to a camera view.
  • “For cameras only” checkbox: enable to keep using ‘Auto safe frame’ function even when the script is close.

“Mouse Function Settings” group

  • “Right-click function” drop-list: select the function when right-clicking a camera in the list.
  • “Double-click function” drop-list: select the function when double-clicking a camera in the list.

“Camera Name Settings” group

  • “Remove space” checkbox: enable to remove space when apply new camera name.
  • “Replace with _” checkbox: enable to replace space with the underscore character.

“Default Output Path” group

  • Default output path text field: show current default output path. Note that it is read-only to prevent users from making the wrong path, and you will not be able to edit the path here.
  • Small “…” button: click to choose new default output path.

“Output Path Settings” group

  • “Create subfolder” checkbox: enable to create a subfolder inside output path. You can enter new name for subfolder in text field in the right.
  • “Always use current project output path” checkbox: enable to always use current project render output path. When enabled, it will disable “Default”, “Current” and “Last” button in main interface.
  • “Save rendered images in date folder” checkbox: enable to save rendered images in a folder named with current date.

“Batch Render Settings” group

  • “Open output folder when render finish”checkbox: enable to open the output folder in window explorer when batch render complete.
  • “Show prompt to open output folder”checkbox: enable to show prompt to open the output folder when batch render complete.
  • “Use 3dsMax Batch Render settings” checkbox: open 3dsMax default batch render dialog to use more settings (like render presets and scene state) when hit script render button. The views will be set up ready just like using a script (all cameras or selected cameras).

“Other Setting” group

  • “Script System Settings” button: click to open Script System Settings. This is where all the parameters and system options of the script are located, including the distance between dialogs, the camera list height, options for starting and exiting the script, and so on.

“Save / Load Settings” group

  • “Save” button: click to Save current settings preset.
  • “Load” button: click to Load settings preset.
  • “Reset” button: click to Reset all settings to default value

SCRIPT SYSTEM SETTINGS

“Dialog Open” group

  • “Switch on start” checkbox: enable to change the active viewport to the selected camera view when opening the script. You must select exactly 1 camera not the target to perform this feature. If the selection is invalid, the script will start normally.
  • “Use hot switch” checkbox: enable to prevent script from opening when successfully executing switch on start function
  • “Close on restart” checkbox: if the script is already open, close all dialogs when restarting the script using the toolbar button or the shortcut command. It’s like changing the style of a shortcut command or toolbar button to a checkbutton (on/off).

“Dialog Close” group

  • “Save dialog pos.” checkbox: enable to save the position of dialogs on the screen. Disabling it will make the script always start in the center of the screen.
  • “Save dialog state” checkbox: enable to save the open state of setting dialog when closing the script. This option may make the script open a bit slower than usual.

“Dialog Settings” group

  • “Use sticky dialog” checkbox: enable to stick the setting dialog to the script’s main interface while moving across the screen.
  • “Reverse order” checkbox: enable to reverse order of setting dialog and script’s main interface when using sticky option.
  • “Stick only on F.M” checkbox: use sticky dialog option only in Full Mode and disable it in Lite Mode.
  • “Dialog Gap” checkbox and edittext: control space between dialogs when using sticky dialog.

“Camera List Height” group

  • “Full mode” edittext: set camera list height in Full Mode. The unit of height is Lines.
  • “Full mode” edittext: set camera list height in Full Mode. The unit of height is Lines.

“For Developer Only” group

  • “Enable this section (warning)” checkbox: enabling this will allow you to customize enabling or disabling some features for debugging or testing new unfinished fuctions. It can cause the script to not work as intended. Use at your own risk.