Positioning camera based on numerical input for "perfect" angles?

[Zirngibism]

Hi all,

I'm working on a project where I need to make perfect top, down, side, and a few 45 degree camera angles of various 3D fractals to port to the voxel exporter, but so far it's been guesswork.  Displaying the axis in 3D Navi mode helps a little, but it's still a little guessy.  My "slices" always end up looking lopsided, which is throwing a wrench into the works.

I'd love a way I could simply dial in the camera coordinates, or do something like "align camera to positive y axis, facing the origin."  Anyone know a way to do this?  

Many thanks for any input/suggestions.  I'm willing to do non-M3D workarounds if I have to!
~Z



P.S. Been a bit of a lurker but I've been developing an ever-growing interest in fractals  to the point that I want to make them part of my career as a professional science fiction artist.  I can't wait to learn more!  So hi, everyone.   

[Sockratease]

How have you been changing camera angles?

You can type in the degree of rotation both in the 3D Navigator and the main window.

Then just rotate the desired direction and it will be done in those increments from then on.

To set to a "zero" position, go to the "Position" settings in the main window and click the "Reset" button. Personally, I would use that as a first step, then go to the rotation controls in the main window and type in "90" then set a starting animation keyframe, then click the rotation in one direction. Repeat in that same direction for a total of 4 rotations (360 degrees) then do the same thing along the other axis. This could make a 720 frame animation with 1 degree of rotation per frame.

Obviously, you could vary it however you like, but that should do it.  I hope!

Good luck with it, and Welcome to actually posting here   

Keep it up   

[Zirngibism]

Thanks.  Because the 3D navi view is the only place where one can make a keyframe (I think), I'd stayed in that mode and assumed there had to be a way to establish rotation numerically there... so I forgot that I could just insert the parameter.  That's what I get for thinking inside the box!  <embarrassed newbie>   


Now for a more advanced question:  Some of the shapes I'm trying to voxelize are components of a larger one, jutting at an odd angle.  So say I want to zoom into such an "attractor" (or node, or cluster, or bulb, not sure what to call it).  Is there a way to project the camera so that its plane is perpendicular or parallel with local axis of that attractor so that the slices are perfectly symmetrical?  I'm guessing not, but it would be awesome for the project I'm working on!