Introduction: What is the Field of View (FOV)?
The Field of View (also known as FOV) is related to the camera lens and the photographic shot. It determines the portion of the scene that is captured or framed within the image; we can modify it based on what we want to capture in our field of view and what we want to focus on in our image. The Field of View is measured in degrees and is inversely proportional to the focal length of the lens.
Usually, lenses can be categorized as follows:
- Standard Lenses: these have a field of view between 40° and 60°. They are called standard lenses because they correspond with the natural field of view of the human eye (which is around 43° to 45°).
- Wide-Angle Lenses: these have a wide field of view, ranging from between 60° and 90°. They can "stretch" an image, so caution is required when using them.
- Telephoto Lenses: these have a narrower field of view, less than 40°.
Lets now take a look at how to apply this concept in DomuS3D:
In DomuS3D, the same logic is applied to both navigation and rendering, combining a photographic part with a virtual computer generated part to achieve the same effect that is obtained when adjusting (opening or closing) a lens aperture on a real camera.
To adjust the Field of View in DomuS3D, we'll follow these steps:
From the Virtual Navigation window -> Ribbon -> View Properties.
The Field of View is always set to 70° by default (wide-angle) to allow users to easily move around small spaces while designing.
Before launching a rendering, it is recommended to consider modifying this value, for example, by setting it to a normal range of the human eye (between 40° and 60°).
A wide-angle field of view (greater than 60°) creates a larger perspective but it also increases the risk of creating visual distortions; a smaller angle (40°- 50°) doesn't distort the perspective but it may flatten the visual planes. In some cases, you can use a very small focal length (30°) to emphasize a specific element within the frame.
Your saved 3D views are also visible in the Layout window: from the layout window, right click on the saved view (camera icon) and select the Properties command to change FOV properties.
In the following images, the camera (saved view in the red circle) stays in the same position, however, by changing the FOV from 45° to 60°, the aperture of the field and the perspective distortion change in the navigation window.
This article is valid for the 2020 version and later.