[TIP] Taking Isometric Screenshots

phi

aa
Nov 6, 2011
832
1,815
A Tutorial on How to Take Isometric Screenshots

So, you want to know how to take isometric/orthagonal screenshots? Congratulations, because you're in the right place.

The entire process is pretty simple and results in some really neat screenshots, such as these:
ortho_science2.jpg

2013-01-23_00001.jpg

ortho_meridian.jpg

(maps are cp_science2, mvm_maelstrom and tc_meridian respectively)

To take these screenshots, open your map in TF2 and load the console.
Enter sv_cheats 1, of course.
Enter thirdperson, then enter spectator.
Once in spectator, type "camortho" in console. This enters you into the orthographic camera.
Note that you can switch between orthographic and normal view by switching from thirdperson to firstperson.

Now, you might notice that the camera is zoomed in too much. To edit the size of the camera, play around with c_orthoheight and c_orthowidth until you get satisfactory results. Be sure to keep the aspect ratio approximately the same as your native screen resolution. (For my screenshot of Maelstrom I used 6000x4500 for orthowidth and orthoheight respectively)

Fly around in camortho and angle yourself to get the best shot. You might have to reposition yourself to get the best picture as the controls and positioning for orthocam are a bit different than the normal game controls. You can edit your position by using "setang X Y Z" where the XYZ is pitch, yaw, roll.

Now, once you've reached a satisfactory position, enter cl_drawhud 0 so that the spectator bars disappear and take your screenshot. It will come out something like the ones above if taken correctly.

Good luck and happy isometric screenshotting!

If there's anything I missed, be sure to post a response and I'll edit it in ASAP.

Thanks to the *quite* old tf2m user Terr for inspiration to write this. He pieced together a way to do this years ago but a thread was never made for it, I felt like re-organizing it, streamlining it and writing a quick instructional article about it.
 
Last edited:

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
Now, you might notice that the camera is zoomed in too much. To edit the resolution of the camera, play around with c_orthoheight and c_orthowidth until you get satisfactory results. Be sure to keep the aspect ratio approximately the same as your native screen resolution.

Wait, so this even lets you take screenshots bigger than your screen?
 

Crispyfried

L1: Registered
Jan 22, 2013
7
0
How do you do this on maps with fog? When I look at maps in overhead mode there's usually fog that obscures the map a bit. Does camortho get rid of fog, or is there a console command to do it yourself?
 

phi

aa
Nov 6, 2011
832
1,815
Wait, so this even lets you take screenshots bigger than your screen?

Maybe I should have been a bit clearer. It's not so much "resolution" as it is some arbitrary unit measuring camera size. I don't believe that this actually edits the "resolution" of the camera, more like relative scale to the map, as higher numbers will zoom out more.
 

phi

aa
Nov 6, 2011
832
1,815
Also, I found a nice isometric screenshot of tc_meridian Shmitz posted years back, and a neat isometric pic of Coldfront by Icarus. Great examples of what it can do.
ortho_meridian.jpg

cp_coldfront_a130006.jpg


Additionally, if you're having problems with render distance, setting r_mapextents, cl_maxrenderable_dist and r_propsmaxdist all to 99999 might render things better. Haven't exactly tested this myself so if you do please inform me if this works.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
Now I want to make a Source Filmmaker movie where TF2 characters are being controlled like in a clicky-clicky game, like XCOM or maybe Magicka.
 

GPuzzle

L9: Fashionable Member
Feb 27, 2012
638
414
Let's spectate a game with players in isometric overviews and pretend they are pieces from a giant WiP SFM video.