Introduction

The Game Engine camera is in many ways similar to the Camera in the normal Blender Render system, and is created, parameterized and manipulated in similar ways. However, because of its use as a real-time device, the Game Engine camera has a number of additional features – it may be used as not only as a static camera, but also as a moving device with its default characteristics (i.e. with its own programmed moves), or it may track another object in the game. Furthermore, any game object may be used as a camera; the view is taken from the object’s origin point. Lastly, it may be given special capabilities such as Stereo vision, Dome visualization, etc... which have special relevance to game technology.

When you start the Game Engine, the initial camera view is taken from the latest 3D View. This may be either a selected camera object or the default camera (see below). Thus to start the game with a particular camera, you must select the camera and press Numpad0 before starting the Game Engine.

Tip

To avoid camera distortion

Always zoom the view in until the camera object fills the entire viewport.

Default Camera

The default camera view is taken from the latest 3D View view, at a distance equivalent to the viewer. This means that if the normal 3D View is active the scene does not change when the Game Engine is started.

Camera Object

The Camera object in the Game Engine follows much the same structure as the conventional Blender camera – see Camera for details of how to set up, manipulate and select a camera. The following sections show some of the special facilities available in BGE cameras.

Parent Camera to Object

The camera will follow the object. First select the camera and then select the object. Next Ctrl-P ‣ Make Parent.

Note that if your object has any rotations then the camera will also have those rotations. To avoid this use Parent to Vertex.

Parent to Vertex

The easiest way to accomplish this is to select your object and Tab to Edit Mode. Now select the vertex and Tab back to Object Mode.

Next, without any objects selected, select the camera and, holding Shift, select the object. Tab into Edit Mode, and Ctrl-P and choose Make vertex parent.

Now the camera will follow the object and it will maintain its rotation, while the object rotates.