Applications of CSP Solving in Camera Control

Camera control systems of commercial 3D games have improved greatly in recent years, yet they are not as fully developed as other components of the games such as graphics, physics engines, etc. Bourne and Sattar (2006) have proposed a reactive constraint based camera system. We have extended their system with the capability to handle occlusion while following the main character. Camera cuts are used to find appropriate camera positions for a few difficult situations. The camera follows the character from (near) optimal positions defined by a camera profile. The desired values of height and distance constraints are changed appropriately whenever the character enters a semi-enclosed/enclosed area. The desired value of the orientation constraint is changed incrementally whenever the optimal camera view is obstructed. The system achieves real-time performance while following the main character in typical 3D environments and maintaining an optimal view based on the user specified/selected camera profile.