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I feel like I've been searching for the wrong terms. Appologies if so.

I have a camera object retuned from fspy. I now want to work IN this view axis, not in the origin or files axis. So how do I create an axis that has eg X as the horizontal of the view through the camera, Y as the vertical and z coming towards me (my viewing vector)?

dwbell
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  • These are not exact duplicate but should answer your question : https://blender.stackexchange.com/a/52050/86891 https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/206200/align-origin-and-axis-to-custom-vertices (I swear this has already been answered but can't find the question). Point is you can create a custom axis from the camera object – Gorgious Nov 17 '21 at 12:23
  • These solutions require me to have geometry to align to already? I only have a camera randomly in space, and want to work IN that viewport with Z towards me, x along horizontal (in the view) and Y vertical. – dwbell Nov 17 '21 at 12:53

1 Answers1

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You can create a Custom Orientation from your Camera.

With that orientation in use, if you ShiftS snap the 3D Cursor to the camera, amd use it as your Transform Pivot Point, you can, for example, SZ scale an object up and down the camera's axis, and its appearance through the camera won't change.

If you want to create objects aligned to the camera, then on ShiftA creation, in the F9 'Adjust Last Operation' panel, change the creation orientation from 'World' to 'View', while looking through the camera. This can be set to be the default, in Main Header > Edit > Preferences :

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If you have objects in scene, and you want to align them, along with their existing local axes, to the camera,then, having created the Camera Custom Orientation, use Header > Object > Transform > 'Align to Transform Orientation'.

If you want to leave meshes in place, but align the object's local axes to the camera, then, in Object Mode, you can use Header > Options > 'Affect only Origins' , and align only the axes to the camera, using the above method.

Robin Betts
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  • This does not seem to allow me to create objects IN the camera viewport that have Z towards me, X along the horizontal view axis and Y in the vertical? – dwbell Nov 17 '21 at 13:28
  • Well yes it does, it's the whole point :) – Gorgious Nov 17 '21 at 13:46
  • @dwbell I hope the edit covers the bases? – Robin Betts Nov 17 '21 at 14:04
  • @Robin Betts. Ah ha! This is exactly what I was after, I didn't realise it would be a retrospective function

    "If you want to create objects aligned to the camera, then on ShiftA creation, in the F9 'Adjust Last Operation' panel, change the creation orientation from 'World' to 'View', while looking through the camera."

     – dwbell Nov 17 '21 at 14:50
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    @dwbell See edit.. it doesn't have to be retrospective... :) – Robin Betts Nov 17 '21 at 15:02