FormIt for Windows
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  • Introduction
  • What's New
  • FormIt Capabilities
    • Multiple Clients
    • Conceptual Solid Modeling
    • Working with Data Formats
    • Languages
    • Collaboration
    • Presentation Graphics
    • FormIt + Autodesk Docs
    • FormIt + Dynamo
    • Solar + Energy Analysis
    • FormIt + Revit
    • FormIt + JavaScript for Plugins
  • FormIt Introduction
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Prerequisites and Installation
    • Setting Up the Project
    • Toolbars and Palettes
    • Navigating the Scene
  • FormIt Primer
    • Part I
      • 1.1 - Set the Location
      • 1.2 - Project Set Up with Images and Grid
      • 1.3 - 3D Sketch and Drag Face
      • 1.4 - Add Floors with Levels
      • 1.5 - Group Objects
      • 1.6 - Control Visibility with Layers
      • 1.7 - Paint with Materials
      • 1.8 - Create Columns with Array
      • 1.9 - Adding Details
      • 1.10 - Computational Groups with Dynamo
      • 1.11 - Import Models with Content Library
      • 1.12 - Visual Styles
      • 1.13 - Section Planes
      • 1.14 - Export Image
      • 1.15 - Working With Revit
    • Part II
      • 2.1 - Offset Line Tool
      • 2.2 - Advanced Modeling Tools: Shell and Cover
      • 2.3 Orthographic View Workflow
      • 2.4 - 3D Terrain Workflows
      • 2.5 - Plugins
      • 2.6 - Dynamo FormIt Nodes
      • 2.7 - Diagnostics Tools
      • 2.8 - Advanced Revit Workflows
      • 2.9 - Solar and Insight Energy Analysis
      • 2.10 - Collaboration Sessions
  • Tool Library
    • 3D Text
    • Align Camera With Face
    • Arc
    • Array
    • Array Along Path
    • AutoSave
    • Boolean Cut
    • Boolean Intersect
    • Boolean Join
    • Circle
    • Collaboration
    • Content Library
    • Copy Object
    • Cover, Sweep, Loft
    • Create Panorama
    • Curve + Surface Faceting
    • Delete, Edit, Move
    • Dynamo
    • Energy Analysis with Insight
    • Faces: Extrude, Cut and Offset
    • Faces: Flatten
    • Faces: Tilt and Facet/Smooth
    • Groups Tree
    • Groups
    • Import and Export Data
    • Layers
    • Levels and Area
    • Lines
    • Materials
    • Measure Angle
    • Measure
    • Meshes
    • Mirror
    • Model Statistics
    • Model Tree
    • Modifying Faces, Edges, and Points
    • Non-Uniform Scale
    • Offset Line
    • Orthographic Views
    • Orthographic and Perspective Camera
    • Placing Primitives
    • Place Vertex
    • Plugins
    • Polygon
    • Properties
    • Railing Along Path
    • Rectangle
    • Revit
    • Rotate Object
    • Scale Object
    • Scenes
    • Section Planes
    • Selection
    • Setting Location
    • Sun + Shadows
    • Shell
    • Snaps and Inferences
    • Solar Analysis
    • Spline
    • Storefront/Curtainwall Mullion System
    • Undo Manager
    • Visual Styles
    • Work Planes
    • World Axes
  • Plugins
    • Introduction to Plugins
    • How to Use Plugins
    • How to Develop Plugins
      • Your First Plugin
        • Plugin Playground
        • Launching the Sample Plugin
        • Adding Your Own Features
        • Saving Your Work to GitHub
        • Publishing Your Project
      • Advanced Development
        • Using an IDE
        • Cloning a Sample Plugin
        • Hosting a Plugin on a Local Server
        • Previewing a Plugin in the Plugin Manager
        • Setting Up FormIt for Development
        • Hosting a Plugin on GitHub
        • General Plugin Setup in the Manifest
        • Reloading for Local Changes
        • Client-Side vs Web-Side Engines
        • Debugging
        • Versioning
      • Additional Development Options
        • Creating an HTML Panel Plugin
        • Creating a Combined HTML Panel and Toolbar Plugin
        • Creating a Toolbar-Based Plugin
        • Testing a Combined HTML Panel and Toolbar Plugin
        • Creating an Add-In
        • Invoking Plugins and API from Dynamo
    • FormIt APIs
    • Examples
      • Generate String Lights
      • Manage Cameras Plugin
      • Properties Plus Plugin
      • 3D Context Creator
      • FormIt Plugin Community
  • Appendix
    • Keyboard Shortcuts
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  1. Plugins
  2. Examples

Manage Cameras Plugin

PreviousGenerate String LightsNextProperties Plus Plugin

Last updated 3 years ago

In this chapter, we are going to sample a few of the plugins that come with FormIt to make some improvements to the Encode Campus Sample Model.axm. If you have not already, you can download the file from the __

Throughout the primer, we have been using scenes as valuable tools to navigate and control visibility throughout the model. This plugin allows us to see and edit the elevation of our current camera, export cameras for each scene as 3D objects, and copy these scenes between models.

1 - First, we will adjust the Eye Level – Long Alley scene so that its camera is actually at eye level:

  1. If not already there, go back to the Eye Level – Long Alley scene by double-clicking on it inside the Scenes Palette.

  2. Open the Manage Cameras Palette by clicking on the camera with a gear icon.

  3. Change the Height Above Ground to 5’-8”.

Note: If your model has levels, this plugin will also show the height above the nearest level below the Main Camera.

2 - Then:

  1. Go back to the Scenes Palette.

  2. Make sure the Eye Level – Long Alley scene is still selected (otherwise single-click to select it).

  3. Click on the Update Scene button to save the new camera height to this scene.

Note: You can also adjust the angle and position of a scene’s camera by toggling the Edit Scene Cameras button at the top of the Scenes Palette (between the update and play buttons).

3 - Next let’s export our scenes to a new model. First we have to create camera objects for all scenes using the Manage Cameras plugin:

  1. Open the Manage Cameras Palette again.

  2. Make sure the Copy Cameras to Clipboard option is checked.

  3. Click on the Export Scenes to Cameras button. This may take a few seconds.

  4. If your entire canvas went white, it is because your Main Camera was aligned with one of the scene cameras. Zoom (Z) out until you can see the 3 main buildings and the newly created camera objects. Note that the camera objects are automatically placed into one large group named Cameras. Inside that group, each individual camera is placed in its own group with the same name as the scenes it was created from.

4 – Let’s copy these scenes to a new model. Since the camera data was saved to the clipboard, there is not much we have to do:

  1. Save (Ctrl + S) your current model, and the close it.

  2. Start a new empty sketch by selecting New Sketch (Ctrl + N) from the File dropdown in the Main Menu bar.

  3. Open the Manage Cameras plugin, if its not already open, and make sure the Look for Cameras on Clipboard option is checked.

  4. Click on the Import Scenes from Cameras button near the bottom of the plugin, and the scenes from our other model will be imported. To check, open the Scenes Palette and/or turn on the Camera layer. You will see that all the scenes and 3D camera objects have been imported into this model.

FormIt Primer Part II DataSet