Virtual camera for 3-D modeling applications

An apparatus for rendering images from 3-D scene data, comprising:

• a non-transitory memory storing 3-D scene data;
• and
• one or more processors collectively configured to read 3-D scene data from said memory and to
• display a 2-D image produced from a 3-D scene by a renderer,
• display an autofocus reticle on the 2-D image,
• accept interaction with the autofocus reticle, the interaction indicating movement of the autofocus reticle within the 2-D image, allowing different pixels of the 2-D image to be selected for autofocus,
• identify a pixel of the 2-D image currently overlapped by the autofocus reticle,
• map the identified pixel to an object in the 3-D scene that provides a visible surface for the identified pixel,
• determine a depth of the object from a current viewpoint, and
• adjust a focus of pixels in the 2-D image based on relative depths of respective visible surfaces for those pixels of the 2-D image and the depth of the object providing the visible surface for the identified pixel.

A method comprising:

• accepting at a user interface, a selection of a pixel of a 2-D image rendered from a 3-D scene;
• determining a virtual object in the 3-D scene that provides a visible surface location for the selected pixel of the 2-D image;
• tracking a current relative distance between the visible surface location, and a current viewpoint, from which an image is to be rendered from the 3-D scene, in response to changes to one or more of the current viewpoint, and a 3-D position of the visible surface location;
• setting a focal distance of the image to be rendered based on the current relative distance;
• and
• rendering the image using the focal distance setting.