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360 Degree Orbit in Roll Up Mode

Target Tracking Field Guidance BOTH

Summary

For a full 360 degree orbit that goes over the top of a subject, avoid combining Camera Orbital with Roll Up. Build the move as Target Tracking: On with Roll Up, store enough intermediate waypoints to define the circular camera path, and store the Roll Up target / up-vector at each point. This is slower than Camera Orbital, but it avoids the unsupported Camera Orbital + Roll Up path calculation.

When To Use This

  • You need a vertical or over-the-top orbit with a stable horizon.
  • The path crosses or approaches tilt 90 degrees.
  • Camera Orbital flips, tumbles, or chooses a horizontal route instead of the intended vertical orbit.
  • The shot needs FBX export with Roll Up orientation, which requires 3-node export.

Setup

  1. Open Setups -> Target Tracking Setup or the job's Job Type / Target Tracking controls.
  2. Set Target Tracking to On.
  3. Set Roll Mode to Roll Up.
  4. If the path goes over the top, set Orbital Handling to Flip Both in Setups -> Target Tracking Setup. In older Flair versions, this may be in Setups -> Miscellaneous Setups.
  5. Confirm the target distance, camera offsets, nodal point, and lens setup before entering Carts view.

Programming Procedure

  1. Position the camera at the first point of the orbit.
  2. Store the first waypoint.
  3. Set and store the Roll Up target / up-vector for that waypoint.
  4. Move around the orbit manually or in Carts view.
  5. Store a waypoint every 15-30 degrees of travel. Use more points near tilt 90 degrees or anywhere the rig approaches a singularity.
  6. At every waypoint, store the Roll Up target / up-vector. Do not rely on dropped waypoints to generate these correctly.
  7. Test the move slowly, watching both the real rig and the 3D rig view.
  8. If the path flips, add an intermediate waypoint before the flip and confirm Orbital Handling -> Flip Both.
  9. Save the job before converting priority modes, exporting, or running at speed.

Do not use Drop Waypoints as the only solution

Move Effects -> Drop Waypoints can add camera-path waypoints, but it does not reliably create the Roll Up targets / up-vector data required by this workflow. Store the Roll Up target manually at each important point.

FBX Export

For Roll Up moves, export as FBX 3-node. The third node carries the up-vector needed to preserve camera roll orientation in the receiving 3D package.

  • Use FBX 3-node for Roll Up.
  • Do not use Camera Orbital FBX for this workflow.
  • If Maya or another package shows unexpected roll flips, confirm the move was exported in the same roll mode it was programmed in.

WhatsApp Excerpts

"Some days I have found that Orbital and Roll Up together causes the camera to flip in different ways in Maya. Roll Orbital is not supported, but if you did a frame by frame it would be the same — effectively." — Heiko Matting / Simon Wakley (2024-08-27)

"If you want to execute an Orbital 'Going Over The Top' type of move when you are in Roll Up and go through looking straight down, then you should go into the Target Tracking Setup and choose 'Flip Both' in the 'Orbital Handling' selection." — Simon Wakley (2025-06-05)

Official Documentation References

Flair 7 Operator Manual - PDF p.171: Chapter 10 Target Tracking

Flair 7 Operator Manual - PDF p.173: Up Point / Roll Up

Flair Classic Manual — Ch.13 Target Tracking: Up Point (Roll Up) — p.209