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HOW TO INSTALL

  • Drag and drop installer file (MZP) into viewport, click Install button (no need to remove previous versions).
  • Because it is written on a new algorithm, version 3 will not reuse the data of version 2, which means you should only use version 3 on new projects, and continue using version 2 on old projects. If you want to convert instantly on the project you are working on, you will have to set the resolution and name again for all cameras. The settings on version 2 will also not load into version 3.
  • You can find Smart Camera View 3 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 3 (recommend “C” button) for main interface.
  • In version 3, Switch On Start (with Hot Switch) is integrated into the main script and enabled by default, so there will not be a separate macro for Smart Camera View Hot Switch anymore.

Changelog

3.68 | 16/03/2023

  • Added Preset and Extra button: click to open Resolution Preset & Extra Tools diaglog.
  • Added Render Preset from version 2: double-click on preset to apply setting to selected camera. Enter preset resolution, preset name and click “+” button to add your custom preset to the list, click “-” to delete selected preset, click “U” button to update current selected preset (note that it will overwrite the selected preset, and this cannot be undone). Use ▲ and ▼ button to reorder preset list.
  • Added Extra Tools: Camera Converter shortcut, quick clear camera’s modifier and fix camera’s target (detail on changelog video). Note that Camera Converter is not integrated in Smart Camera View, you will have to install it separately. “Clear Camera’s Modifier” and “Fix Camera’s Target” will only affect the currently selected camera.
  • Fixed some tooltip and message.

3.53 | 10/01/2023

  • Fixed a bug when edit cliping value of multi camera.
  • Fixed Vray Camera FOV value don’t show correct when selected.
  • Fix a bug make clipping button state don’t show correct when select Physical or Vray Physical Camera.
  • Added new “Switch on Start” checkbox in Script System Setting (in previous version, it is turn on by default and no way to turn it off). Also, added new “In Lock Viewport” for “Switch on Start” in Script System Setting.
  • From now on, when using FOV mode in Smart Camera View, script will automatically turn on Specify FOV in Vray Physical Camera and Physical Camera.
  • Added Shift + Click action for Auto Align Camera button (A) to align all cameras.
  • Added Ctrl + Click action for Batch Render button to render last batch.
  • Added “Automatic Vertical Tilt” button in “Miscellaneous” group (support Corona Camera, 3dsMax Physical Camera and Vray Physical Camera). Hold shift to apply to all cameras.

3.42 | 23/11/2022 

  • Fixed a critical bug that caused 3dsMax to crash when setting the Clipping value when using Fstorm and Corona Camera together.
  • Improved: you can now undo the camera align action.
  • Camera Align function now support free camera. Note that it will use  a different algorithm (the script will only rotate the camera, not move it), so the result may differ from the target camera, even though they are in the same location.
  • Added new camera align function (button A): click to automatically align camera to set angle. Right click to set snap angle.
  • Added new camera align options (use target or camera as origin). Hold ctrl or shift while clicking the align buttons (X, Y, Z) to use these features.
  • Improved: rotate target of the camera in the right direction after aligning.
  • Improved: move the “Dockable” and “Icon” setting to outside. Right click to setting it.
  • Change “Lite” & “Full” button to “-” & “+” button.
    Fixed a bug when closing the script and reopening it in “Lite” mode would cause the script to mess up the user interface.
  • Fixed a bug where the Camera Selection Lock didn’t work when used with Selection Sync.
  • Fixed some tooltips.

3.39 | 21/11/2022

  • Added support for Fstorm Camera.
  • Added new dock options (left, right, floatable) in Script System Setting.
  • Added “Auto Start” option in Script System Setting: enable to automatically start scripts when opening 3dsMax.
  • Added a new “Miscellaneous” group: FOV parameters, Camera Clipping and Lock Transform will be moved to this group.
  • Added “Toggle Horizon Line” (“H” button): click it to toggle the camera horizon.
  • Added quick camera view align button on X, Y, Z axis.
  • Added “Auto Shutdown” button in “Batch Render” group: enabled button to automatically shutdown after rendering. Right click to set delay time before shutdown. Note it will shutdown computer with “force” mode, so save all work before starting rendering with this option.
  • Added new minimalist theme for button icons. You can select them in the Script System Setting.
  • Improved: ring the old “Clear” button back to the “Camera Name” group.
  • Improved: the “Custom Output Format” button has been removed and replaced by “Select Output Format” button, located next to the output path. From now on, the script will always use the custom format (show on the button) to render. To edit it, you can click on it directly (equivalent to right-clicking the old Custom Output Format button). Also, to use default output format, rightclick on it. To set default output format, pressed Ctrl and click on it.
  • Improved: from now on when you select multiple cameras, the script will display cliping far and cliping near values if they have the same parameters, same as W and H values (in the old version they were left blank by default).
  • Improved: you can right-click the “Use Default Batch Render” checkbutton to quick open the 3dsMax batch render dialog.
  • Improved: from now on you can adjust the FOV parameter of Vray Physical Camera without ticking the “Field of View” checkbox in “Sensor & Lens” group, also fixed some Vray Physical Camera FOV related bugs.
  • Fixed a bug that caused cliping parameters to be greyed out even though all cameras were clipping enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where the Grid Overlay feature caused the perpective viewport to have ghosting problems, and improved the performance of this feature.
  • Change the arrangement of buttons in Batch Render. Also, from now on “Auto Open Output Folder” and “Auto Hidden Icons” feature will be enabled by default on new installation.
  • Fixed bugs related to the function still being activated when no camera was selected.
  • Fixed a few tooltips and tweaked the icons a bit.

3.24 | 15/08/2022

  • Added “Dockable Dialog” option: enable to dock scripts in the 3dsMax viewport.
  • Added “Round Resolution” value information in button tooltip.
  • Added “Pixel Count Limit” value information in button tooltip.
  • Added “Monochrome” option: Use monochromatic icon set for scripts.
  • Added “Lens value” option for Camera Frame in Script System Setting.
  • Shows the current custom image format in the output folder path (if “Custom Output Format is enabled).
  • “Save” & “Load” button in Script System Setting is renamed to “Backup” & “Restore”.
  • Clear maxscript listener when start script.
  • Added and fixed some tooltips.

3.16 | 12/06/2022

  • Added Camera’s FOV and Camera’s Clipping properties to Camera Frame Group.
  • Move the “Toggle Camera Target” & “Lock Camera Tranform” button to Camera Frame group.
  • Change the “Lock Camera Tranform” text button to icon button.
  • Removed the “Unknown property” error message with unsupported cameras.
  • Bring back “Quick Close” option in Script System Setting (enabled by default). Disabled it to restart script when script already open instead close script. It can be useful in some cases, for example – when you use multiple monitors and want to use the shortcut button to bring it to the center of the screen.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Ratio (R) spinner to be re-enabled while the Camera Over Scan feature was still active.
  • Fixed a minor bug in batch render function.
  • Add and refine some tooltips.

3.09 | 27/05/2022

  • Fixed a bug that prevented Auto Hide Icon from working with multiple viewports.
  • Fixed a bug that make Lock Aspect Ratio don’t work when change resolution height.
  • Switch action beetwwen “Set default output path” and “Choose default output path” to avoid the window pop-up when right-clicking. From now on right click will use default output path, and ctrl + click will use to set default output path, also add tooltip to it.
  • Fixed some missing tooltip.

3.07 | 17/04/2022

  • Added “Custom Grid” option for “Grid Overlay”. Alt + Right Click to set value for custom grid.
  • Added “Load Icons” option in Script System Setting: enable to load script button icon images on start (enabled by default). Try disabling it if the script is too slow to start or the icons cannot be loaded or if you simply prefer to use text buttons like the old version.
  • Added a button to toggle Camera’s target on and off (“T” button”).
  • Added tooltips for “Lock Camera Tranform” and “Toggle Target Camera” button.
  • Fixed the script installer runtime error “can’t load button images”.
  • Fixed a bug that caused “Grid Overlay” to automatically turn on after setting up the grid mode.
  • Fixed a bug where changing the height of multiple cameras with “Lock Aspect Ratio” on still caused the camera to lose its aspect ratio.
  • Bring back Script Installer button in System Setting from version 2.
  • From now on you can right click on the “Grid Overlay” button to grid color.
  • From now on you can right click on the “Show Frame Range” button to edit separator character in frame range.
  • From now on you can right click on the “Show Render Preset” to open Render Setup.
  • From now on you can shift + click on the “Select All” button to select all camera and it’s target as well.
  • Remove the “Padding Digits” option in Script Settings. To set it in the new version, right click on the “Name Fixer” button in “Global Switches” (the old default settings will be removed so you will need to set them up again).
  • Small adjustment in script’s toolbar icon and button icons.
  • Rearrange groups in script system settings.

3.02 | 10/04/2022

  • Bring back Camera Lock Transform function from version 2.
  • Right click Select All will also deselect camera in the viewport.
  • Set the indeterminate state of Width, Height and Aspect Ratio spinner on startup to true.
  • Keep each camera ratio when batch change multi camera width or height with Lock Aspect Ratio enabled.
  • The Select by Name and Select by Ratio features now allow multiple cameras to be selected.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Select All button to not work with Selection Sync.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Select Current Active from working with Lock Viewport.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Aspect Ratio button can’t perform Shift + Click action.
  • Batch Grab Viewport will now also work with scene state.
  • Fixed and corrected some tooltips.

3.00 | 03/04/2022

  • Initial release version.
  • Completely new user interface with icon buttons.
  • Script Settings and System Settings are simplified as switches.
  • Now support for linking the camera to Scene State and Render Preset in Batch Render.
  • Brand new algorithm, with new workflow: much faster and better, and opens up many opportunities to add more features to the script, fixed all limitations of the old algorithm. Performance can in some cases be increased by thousands of times.
  • New Lite Mode mechanism for faster switching.
  • And a lot of features are added in the script.

Upcoming

Important note: some of the features below are tentative ideas only, they are under development but may not be included in the next release, or even never come out. The feature with green font is done, and it will be available in the next release. Ideas are developed from user feedback and comments, so if you’d like a feature, feel free to contact me, I look forward to hearing from you guys.

Done (available in the next update):

Considering or developing:

  • Improve workflow using Lock Viewport.
  • Add custom scale value for Scale Resolution.
  • Show camera information in viewport.
  • Shift + Right Click in camera list action.
  • Add “Show in viewport” in camera clipping section (only support Corona).
  • Separate W and H parameters when loading camera information (not recommend)
  • Custom Color Wire Frame for each camera or group Camera by color (can’t be done in this version)
  • Camera list width can be expanded (can’t be done in this version)

Manual

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 3.00, other versions (higher or lower) may have some differences.

You can also watch the full video tutorial for 3.02 version here.

Scripts are divided into 5 groups: Select Camera, Camera Name, Camera Frame, Batch Render and Global Switches. Except for the first group, the remaining groups will have a faint line to help you distinguish them. The logic of combining mouse operations and the Control, Shift, and Alt keys is relatively similar in most features, so after a while you should get used to them easily.

“SELECT CAMERA” GROUP

Select Camera is the group you interact with the most in the script. The camera list will automatically update and display the cameras in the current scene each time there is a change. Unlike 3dsMax’s default Camera View, the Smart Camera View window is not a modal dialog, so you can work with scripts and work with Scenes at the same time.

  • “?” button: about script.
  • ” button: open Script System Setting.
  • “Lite” / “Full” button: expand or collapse the script dialog depending on the mode.
  • “Select 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.
  • “Select All” button: select all cameras in current scene. Right Click: unselect all cameras and refresh list.
  • “Select By Name” button: select all cameras with the same name as the currently selected camera. Right Click: select the next group of cameras with the same name.
  • “Select By Ratio” button: select all cameras with the same ratio as the currently selected camera. Right Click: select the next group of cameras with the same ratio.
  • “Select Current Active” button: select current active camera node in current active viewport. Right Click: select current active camera node in current lock viewport ID.
  • “Select Up” button: select the camera above current selection. Right Click: select the first camera.
  • “Select Down” button: select the camera below current selection. Right Click: select the last camera.
  • “Invert Selection” button: invert current camera selection.
  • “Lock Selection” button: enable to lock current camera selection.

“CAMERA NAME” GROUP

Camera Name is a group containing functions related to displaying the Camera name on the script. You can batch rename Camera names by selecting the Cameras in the list, entering a new name, and clicking OK. You can also search Camera by name with the search button. Important note: unlike version 2, in version 3 only the Camera name will actually be affected, the resolution, scene state, render preset will only be visible on the script’s list.

  • “Show Separator” button: show separator character in the camera name. Right Click: set the character used to separate the data.
  • “Show Resolution” button: show resolution in the camera name. Right Click: set the character used to separate width and height.
  • “Show Scene State” button: show scene state in the camera name.
  • “Show Render Preset” button: show render preset in the camera name.
  • “Show Frame Range” button: show frame range in the camera name.
  • “Name By File” button: rename selected cameras by current 3dsMax filename. Shift + Click: rename all cameras by current 3dsMax filename.
  • “Name By Class” button: rename selected cameras by it’s class. Shift + Click: rename all cameras by their class.
  • “Name By Number” button: rename selected cameras by incremental number. Shift + Click: rename all cameras by incremental number.

“CAMERA FRAME” GROUP

Camera Frame is where you edit the camera’s frame like aspect ratio, width and height. It is actually two old groups from version 2, “Ratio Preset” and “Render Output” combined. Similar to renaming, you can batch manipulate cameras by selecting them, and then entering the desired resolution or aspect ratio. Important note: unlike version 2, in version 3 the resolution will be applied as soon as you enter parameters into the spinners.

  • “Lock Aspect Ratio” button: lock the ratio between width and height.
  • “Camera Over Scan” button: expand the frame without change the perspective.
  • “Aspect Ratio Preset | x:y | y:x” button: set x:y aspect ratio to selected cameras. Shift + Click: set x:y aspect ratio to all cameras. Right Click: set y:x aspect ratio to selected cameras. Shift + Right Click: set y:x aspect ratio to all cameras.
  • “Grid Overlay” button: show grid overlay for composition. Right Click: select grid type for composition. Shift + Right Click: quick switch grid modes.
  • “Invert Aspect Ratio” button: invert selected cameras aspect ratio. Shift + Click: invert all cameras aspect ratio.
  • “Set Scene State” button: set custom scene state to selected cameras. Shift + Click: set custom scene state to all cameras. Right Click: clear custom scene state of selected cameras. Shift + Right Click: clear custom scene state of all cameras.
  • “Set Render Preset” button: set custom preset to selected cameras. Shift + Click: set custom preset to all cameras. Right Click: clear custom preset of selected cameras. Shift + Right Click: clear custom preset of all cameras.
  • “Set Frame Range” button: set custom frame to selected cameras. Shift + Click: set custom frame to all cameras. Right Click: clear custom frame of selected cameras. Shift + Right Click: clear custom frame of all cameras.
  • “Scale Resolution” button: double selected cameras render resolution. Shift + Click: double all cameras render resolution. Right Click: halve selected cameras render resolution. Shift + Right Click: halve all cameras render resolution.
  • “Round Resolution” button: rounding selected camera’s resolution. Shift + Click: rounding all camera’s resolution. Right Click: set rounding value (any integer).
  • “Limit Resolution” button: adjusts resolution of selected cameras based on pixel count limit. Shift + Click: adjusts resolution of all cameras based on pixel count limit. Right Click: configure pixel count limit value.

“BATCH RENDER” GROUP

Although Batch Render is not the main function of the script, but its ease of use makes 3dsMax’s default Batch Render unmatched. You can quickly render selected cameras, with presets and states set for each camera in just a few clicks. It can also help you to Grab Viewport batch, save you a lot of time in making final image.

  • “Select Output Folder” button: choose output folder for render images. Ctrl + Click: use default path for output folder. Shift + Click: use current file path for output folder. Alt + Click: use current project path for output folder.
  • “Open Output Folder” button: open current output folder. Ctrl + Click: open default output path. Shift + Click: open current scene file location. Alt + Click: open current project folder.
  • “Batch Render” button: batch render selected cameras. Shift + Click: batch render all cameras.
  • “Batch Grab Viewport” button: batch grab viewport selected cameras. Shift + Click: batch grab viewport all cameras.
  • “Custom Output Name” button: use custom names for output file instead of camera names. Right Click: set custom name for output file.
  • “Custom Output Format” button: use custom format for output file instead of JPG. Right Click: set custom format for output file.
  • “Auto Open Output” button: enable to automatically open the output folder in Window Explorer when batch render or batch grab viewport process is complete.
  • “Default Batch Render” button: enable to open 3dsMax default batch render dialog before begin render when press script start button. All views will be set up ready just like using a script.
  • “Create Sub Folder” button: enable to automatically create a sub-folder in output location to save images. Right Click: set custom name for sub-folder. Use %date% for current date.
  • “Auto Hide Icons” button: enabled to automatically hide all camera and light icons when using batch grab viewport function.

“GLOBAL SWITCHES” GROUP

This group contains the settings of the script, most of which are from the old Smart Camera View Setting panel, partly in the Script System Setting. All buttons will take effect immediately, and if necessary, the script will automatically restart, which is very convenient instead of having to toggle the settings panel constantly like previous versions.

  • “Custom Color” button: enable to use custom color for camera wireframe. Right click to set new custom color for camera wireframe.
  • “Name Fixer” button: enable to automatically remove space in camera name and replace with underscore character, add and correct padding, rename duplicate and fix broken names.
  • “Selection Sync” button: 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.
  • “Fast Select” button: enable to automatically switch to the Create mode if you are in the Modify mode when switching or selecting camera with script open. It will skip the process of loading camera parameters and increase the performance of 3dsMax significantly.
  • “Auto Frame” button: enable to automatically turn on safe frame when switch viewport to a camera view, and turn off when exit.
  • “Pro Mode” button: enable to suppress all notifications, messages, tooltips warning and prompts when using script.
  • “Lock Viewport” button: enable to lock switch camera function to Lock ID. Right Click: set current Viewport ID to Lock ID.
  • “Save Position” button: enable to save position of dialog on the screen when close. Disabling it will make the script always start in the center of the screen.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS

What is Pixel Count Limit?

  • 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.

What is Rounding Value?

  • Round Value is the value that determines how rounding number is done. The script will attempt to round the number to the nearest multiple of the Round Value. Note that you can enter any integer, it doesn’t have to be a multiple of 10. For example, with a resolution of 1993, if the Round Value is 5, the script will round to 1995 (399 * 5); if the Round Value is 13, the script will round to 1989 (153 * 13). It’s very useful if you’re rendering images for special screens that require pixel-accurate resolution when scaling.

Video