UDK Cameras and Cinematics

 

Note:  You should be familiar with using Kismet and Matinee prior to working with cameras in UDK.  Please read the notes on the kismet and matinee page.

 

Creating Cameras In UDK


Create a camera by using the actor classes browser in UDK. Alternatively you can use the viewport menu, "add camera actor here" at the very bottom of the menu.

Go to kismet and create a matinee sequence.  Make sure your camera is selected in the 3D view and go into the matinee sequence.  Right click in the empty space at the lower left side of the matinee window and choose "Add new camera group".  Give your group a name.

You will see that the group now has a movement track and a FOV track.  You can set keys in these tracks using the usual animation methods , and by doing so, you can animate your camera.

Note:  When you animate the camera, it's a good idea to animate it in "World Space" (or parented to another object).
Relative mode can cause problems.  To Fix this, select the "Movement" track, right click on the track, and choose "world frame" rather than "relative to initial".

To See Through Your Camera and Control Editing And Camera Cuts

To control your cameras, you need to create a director group.

Right click in the black space on the lower left of the matinee window and use "New Director Group".

To create a "cut to the camera", first make sure you are on frame zero, and then click on the director groups track andpush enter to create a key which will activate the camera you want. Ensure you choose the right camera from the drop down list that appears.

You can look through your camera by clicking the director groups camera icon, just to the right of the text "Director Group".

 

 

Links:

Here are some additional notes, very step by step, for how to set up the camera:


Open Kismet

RMB > New Event > Level Loaded

RMB > New Matinee

Select your camera

Open Matinee


In the left lower column (dark grey bg)
RMB > New Camera Group
Type the camera name, press enter

Mouse over the movement track
RMB > World Frame


Change time settings:
   Change frame rate dropdown to 24fps    (says 0.5 by default)
   Turn all snaps on (3 buttons right beside dropdown menu)


The time slider is the horizontal section with numbers
Drag it with LMB
Zoom with MMW
The red flag are the start and end of animation

Right above the movement track, there's a small camera icon,
click it to active looking through the camera, then scrub the time slider

Left Click on the movement track
Scrub the time slider to the next keyframe for your camera
Move your camera, press enter

To edit a keyframe, click it, it should highlight yellow
then move the camera (don't push enter again or you'll get double keys)




Repeat the process for the other two cameras




To change the timing on an animation:

click to select a key, hold ctrl and click to
add other key to the selection

to move the keys, after selecting them
hold ctrl and use LMB to drag them to the time you want

you may need to move the red flag at the bottom to make the timeline longer




To put the camera's into a sequence:
In the dark grey background at the right in matinee
RMB > Add New Director Group

Goto frame zero on the time slider
LMB Click the director track
Press enter, choose cam_a

Goto another frame on the time slider, where the next camera should start
press enter again
choose cam_b

Goto another frame on the time slider, where the next camera should start
press enter again
choose cam_c


Click the camera icon on the director track to look through the director
(look through all cameras in order)
push
 

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