by Blenderbob·VFX
Images © Blenderbob. Used for product review; image policy.
Fire Ray earns its place in the Blender extensions library for one focused job: dropping an Empty onto a tracked camera and firing a ray through it to help line up positions across frames. Version 2.0.0 added automatic camera setup for Reality Capture, and the add-on has drawn more than 12,000 downloads.
Fire Ray is a Blender add-on from Blenderbob that inserts an Empty at a specific place on a tracked camera. Once installed, it appears in the viewport's tool tab. The workflow starts with a tracked camera that has a background image: you place an empty where you need it, then press the Fire button to create a line that runs from the camera to infinity, passing through that empty.
Moving to another frame, you use snap to edge to reposition the locator so it matches the area where you placed it before. Version 2.0.0 added an automatic camera setup for cameras from Reality Capture.
Fire Ray requires no special permissions and is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer. It's released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, with the source hosted on the developer's GitHub page. A demo video is available on the developer's page.
Fire Ray is best for blender artists working with tracked cameras and background footage who need to place an Empty precisely and match its position across frames.
Fire Ray is completely free to download and use.
Fire Ray is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, so any release from 4.2 onward should run it. To use the add-on you need a tracked camera with a background image, and once installed Fire Ray appears in the viewport's tool tab. If you're on an older Blender build, you'd need to update before installing. For the exact supported range and any newer changes, check the developer's GitHub page.
Fire Ray is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, and it's listed as free here. The full source and license file are hosted on the developer's GitHub repository, where you can review the terms and how the code may be used or modified. The add-on also requires no special permissions when installed in Blender. For current licensing details, refer to the developer's page.
Fire Ray requires no special permissions to run in Blender. After installation it shows up in the viewport's tool tab, where you place an empty on a tracked camera and press the Fire button to create a line running from the camera to infinity through that empty. Moving to another frame and using snap to edge lets you match the locator to where you placed it before. For setup guidance, a demo video is available on the developer's page.
Fire Ray includes an automatic camera setup for cameras from Reality Capture, which was added in version 2.0.0. Alongside that, the add-on's core job is inserting an Empty at a specific place on a tracked camera and firing a ray through it. To use it you need a tracked camera with a background image. For details on the Reality Capture workflow, the source and a demo video are linked on the developer's GitHub page.
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