Increasing the the utility of Cameras

[ilec]

So I have been getting frustrated with the limitations of using cameras other than forward facing, I think I have come up with a possible solution. Other games (for instance YS-Flight, the X series etc) allow you to spawn sub windows onto your UI, allowing you to show multiple camera views on your screen at once.

Here is my Idea - broken down into somewhat simple steps. (I have some Ideas for stretching this further at the end)

1. Cameras need to use the standard C-V connection method - and should be connected to the ships core by default (as with weapons computers)

2. Introduce a new block that spawns a window into your UI in the top left corner when activated - make this block activated by logic as well as appear on your hotbar.
If you activate multiple blocks then the window that spawns just spawns on top of the first so you need to turn off all cameras to despawn the window.

3. Cameras can be manually connected to the new block to allow them to be the view in the spawned windows, if they are connected to the new block you are unable to access them via the normal methods (full screen).

The logic compatibility for the new block is essential as you can set up logic to auto deactivate other window spawns.

As an extension with wireless logic you may be able to activate cameras on remote entities (stations, drones, turrets etc)

I know this burns yet another block but this idea would allow us to maintain full control of our ships using forward view, yet still see what's going on in other views (docking camera, Internal security cameras, reversing camera etc).

 

[Valck]

So I have been getting frustrated with the limitations of using cameras other than forward facing, I think I have come up with a possible solution. Other games (for instance YS-Flight, the X series etc) allow you to spawn sub windows onto your UI, allowing you to show multiple camera views on your screen at once.

I feel your pain, and was just about to post almost the same thing...

2. Introduce a new block that spawns a window into your UI in the top left corner when activated - make this block activated by logic as well as appear on your hotbar.
If you activate multiple blocks then the window that spawns just spawns on top of the first so you need to turn off all cameras to despawn the window.
[snip]
I know this burns yet another block but this idea would allow us to maintain full control of our ships using forward view, yet still see what's going on in other views (docking camera, Internal security cameras, reversing camera etc).

My idea was to connect a display module instead that contains the overlay information. That way the existing formatting code and inline variables can be reused without another block, and you can position the text where you like.
Actual implementation details are not my place to discuss, but I could imagine a frameless window like the ship stats display in advanced build mode that can be moved and resized.
Plus, the display module could show the camera view if connected in reverse.

EDIT: Also the toggle function could be done by using ship remotes, provided the camera and display module get some logic love.

 

[ilec]

I thought of the display block idea but I come to a problem - to use a block as a dynamic screen for a camera view is a pain in terms of scalability - you need to scale the render size according to how close you are to the block - using a block to toggle a fixed size window should be a simpler process, which uses less resources than having a block which shows a camera output

 

[Valck]

I thought of the display block idea but I come to a problem - to use a block as a dynamic screen for a camera view is a pain in terms of scalability - you need to scale the render size according to how close you are to the block - using a block to toggle a fixed size window should be a simpler process, which uses less resources than having a block which shows a camera output

Right, camera output on the display block is the icing on the cake. My original idea was to have the display block overlay textual data over the GUI viewport, possibly in a transparent window as I outlined.

When I came across this thread, I saw it as comparatively cheap resource-wise to also have the camera's video feed in that same window on the (2D) UI, and only when writing the post I realized it would be marvelous to have the display block actually show the camera's feed.

I'm aware that scaling and 3D-transforming additional camera views is a deep well resource-wise, so I just put the idea out there, without actually considering the details. That's Schine's job anyway, all we can do is give suggestions and ideas, and leave the actual implementation, if it ever happens, to them.

I still like the idea of giving both the camera and the display module more functionality and a closer tie-in with the logic system.