How to Use the Addon

Main Features:

All tools are located in the Camera tab of the 3D View Sidebar (N-Panel). (Press N on your keyboard to hide/unhide the N-Panel).

Features and How to Use Them

1. Save Camera Presets

• Purpose: Save the settings of a selected camera for reuse in the current or future projects.

• Steps:

  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab in the Sidebar.
  3. Click Save Selected Camera.
  4. Enter a name for the preset in the dialog box.
  5. Click OK to save the preset.

• Saved Settings Include:

  • Lens type, focal length, lens unit, shift, and clipping ranges.
  • Depth of field settings (DOF, focus distance, aperture, etc.).
  • Safe area and viewport display settings.
  • Composition guides.

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2. Load Camera Presets

• Purpose: Create a new camera with settings from a saved preset.
• Steps:
  1. Open the Camera Tools tab in the Sidebar.
  2. Click Import Saved Camera.
  3. Select a preset from the dropdown menu.
  4. Click OK, and a new camera with the preset settings will appear in the scene.

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3. Apply Preset to Current Camera

• Purpose: Apply a saved preset to an already selected camera without creating a new one.
• Steps:
  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab.
  3. Click Apply Preset to Selected Camera.
  4. Choose a preset from the dropdown menu and click OK.

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4. Batch Apply Presets

• Purpose: Apply a preset to multiple selected cameras simultaneously.
• Steps:
  1. Select multiple cameras in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab.
  3. Click Batch Apply Presets.
  4. Select a preset and click OK.

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5. Reset Camera Settings

• Purpose: Reset the selected camera to Blender’s default settings.

• Steps:

  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab.
  3. Click Reset Camera Settings.

• Resets the Following:

  • Focal length, lens type, clipping ranges, and shift.
  • DOF settings, safe areas, viewport displays, and composition guides.

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6. Set Active Camera

• Purpose: Make the currently selected camera the active camera for rendering.
• Steps:
  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab.
  3. Click Set as Active Camera.

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7. Focal Length Presets

• Purpose: Quickly adjust the focal length of a camera using predefined presets.
• Steps:
  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Focal Length Presets tab in the Sidebar.
  3. Choose a focal length from the dropdown menu (e.g., 24mm, 50mm).
  4. If "Custom" is selected, adjust the focal length using the slider below.

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8. Depth of Field Visualization

• Purpose: Enable or disable a visual guide for the focus plane.
• Steps:
  1. Select a camera in the viewport.
  2. Open the Camera Tools tab.
  3. Enable Show DOF Guides to see the focus plane.

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Advanced Usage

Customizing Focal Length Presets

• The focal length presets can be customized by editing the FOCAL_LENGTH_PRESETS list in the addon code:

  FOCAL_LENGTH_PRESETS = [
      ("24", "24mm (Wide)", "Wide shot"),
      ("35", "35mm (Moderate Wide)", "Moderate wide shot"),
      ("50", "50mm (Standard)", "Standard shot"),
      ("85", "85mm (Portrait)", "Portrait shot"),
      ("100", "100mm (Close-up)", "Close-up shot"),
      ("135", "135mm (Telephoto)", "Telephoto shot"),
  ]
  

Sharing Presets

• Presets are stored in a JSON file (camera_presets_v2.json) in Blender’s scripts directory.
• To share presets, copy this file to the appropriate scripts folder per that blender version.

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Troubleshooting

1. No Camera Selected:

   • Many tools require a camera to be selected. If no camera is selected, use the Create Camera button.

1. Presets Not Found:

   • Ensure presets have been saved and are stored in the JSON file.
   • If the file is missing or corrupted, the addon will recreate it as empty.