Lightcache - use camera path

[stevesideas]

I'm curious. If I select the camera path option it is my understanding that the entire path for the LC is calculated on the first frame. Does that mean every frame after this should be quicker in terms of LC calculation ? I'm asking this because it doesn't seem to be.

[thekafka]

The camera path option calculates the entire camera path for each frame of your render. It can reduce flickering when using the light cache in a scene with more than just the camera animating and the light cache in Single Frame mode, but it doesn't consolidate the calculation to one frame. Fly-through mode is what you are looking for if you want to save a light cache and reuse it for every frame. But you should only use it if the camera is the only thing animating in your scene.

Regards,

Tim

[svetlozar.draganov]

I'm curious. If I select the camera path option it is my understanding that the entire path for the LC is calculated on the first frame. Does that mean every frame after this should be quicker in terms of LC calculation ? I'm asking this because it doesn't seem to be.

It's important to know what type of animation you are rendering, with or without moving objects?
This option will just shoot the LC samples not from particular camera position but from each frame camera position and it won't reduce LC calculation for the other frames.

[stevesideas]

The camera was situated inside a helicopter. The helicopter and camera were linked to a point which animated across a terrain. Once the helicopter landed a truck drove up to it. So basically the helicopter and truck were moving objects with the camera inside the heli.

[svetlozar.draganov]

Ok then, it is a animation with moving objects not a fly-through animation and you should calculate LC for each frame of the animation.
Camera path option will help you to reduce the flickering but it won't reduce LC calculation of the subsequent frames.

[stevesideas]

Yep. That's the method I used Results ended up acceptable but I think even 5000 wasn't enough for this particular scene.

[iancamarillo]

is "use camera path" still based on the available frames shown in the timeline at the bottom of max?

[stevesideas]

is "use camera path" still based on the available frames shown in the timeline at the bottom of max?

Yes, that is the case as far as I'm aware.

[svetlozar.draganov]

Yep. That's the method I used Results ended up acceptable but I think even 5000 wasn't enough for this particular scene.

How long is the camera-path in terms of frames and distance? Camera-path option is suitable for short animations if the path is too long might be better to turn this option off.

[rikou]

How long is the camera-path in terms of frames and distance? Camera-path option is suitable for short animations if the path is too long might be better to turn this option off.

Exactly!! it would be a great help if we can have some references in this terms (frames and distance I mean)

[Laserschwert]

So does the calculation use the light situation at the first frame (including positions of moving objects or animated lights - except the camera)? Because that was my understanding...

[svetlozar.draganov]

So does the calculation use the light situation at the first frame (including positions of moving objects or animated lights - except the camera)? Because that was my understanding...

The only difference between the camera-path enabled and disabled is the ways the LC-rays are fired, when disabled the rays are fired only from current frame possition, when enabled they are fired from every camera position in the path. Everything else will stay the same for the current frame, lights, materials, geometries and etc will be taken from the current frame not from frames before or after.

[svetlozar.draganov]

Exactly!! it would be a great help if we can have some references in this terms (frames and distance I mean)

That's a tricky matter I admit. We do not have a reference scenes to show suitable or very long distance paths but let say that a short-path is a turntable animation or a camera that moves across two,three rooms, such scenes would work well with camera path enabled.

[rikou]

That's a tricky matter I admit. We do not have a reference scenes to show suitable or very long distance paths but let say that a short-path is a turntable animation or a camera that moves across two,three rooms, such scenes would work well with camera path enabled.

Thanks Svetlozar, I understand and I was not waiting for another answer than yours !
It's ok for me, that's enough to give us a reference