Camera Mapping in Blender 2.5

During the tutorial you will learn:

• What camera mapping is used for
• How to easily project any image onto a 3d object
• How to match the perspective of a photo
• How to overcome a common camera mapping problem
• How to use the very useful ‘sticky’ texture function

When I posted my Introduction to Smoke Simulation video, my inbox was flooded with requests for a tutorial on how I achieved the photo realistic fly-through of new york city. So by overwhelming popular demand, I’ve finally decided to reveal my secret: it’s called Camera Mapping.

Camera mapping is a clever technique that allows you to take a still image and convert it into 3d geometry for use in an animation. This powerful technique is used extensively by visual effects studios for feature films, commercials and television shows. It’s especially useful for faking helicopters flyovers because it costs just a fraction of the cost of hiring a real helicopter.

In this tutorial I am going to show you how to make this animation from scratch:

Plus! At the end of the video I will reveal a bonus trick I learned on how to easily create a hand-held camera shake using a new feature in Blender 2.5!

Ready? Let’s begin…

You can download the photo that is used throughout the tutorial, here.

I originally planned to make the tutorial about how to create the new york city fly-through animation, but it proved to be too complex so I chose a simpler scene.

However I can offer you the source file:

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! If you have any tips that could be valuable to others, share it in the comments below.