Physical Lens Parameters Integration in the Camera Panel
Currently, Blender uses an ideal pinhole camera model and applies lens effects such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and anamorphic squeeze through the compositor nodes. While this approach works, it does not accurately reflect the behavior of a real lens and does not allow real-time visualization of optical effects in the 3D viewport.
I propose adding a "Lens Model" section in the camera panel, allowing users to define physical parameters such as:
Distortion type (e.g., Brown–Conrady, anamorphic) Radial and tangential distortion coefficients Anamorphic squeeze factor Chromatic offset (per RGB channel)
This integration would provide a more realistic lens simulation, with effects visible directly in the 3D viewport, facilitating pre-visualization and matchmoving. Furthermore, it would remain very lightweight in terms of computation, since the effects are based on simple equations rather than tracing every ray physically.
Finally, it would provide greater consistency with the physically-based parameters already present in Blender, such as focal length, sensor size, and aperture.
2 Comments
This is a really solid proposal. Being able to define real-world lens behavior directly in the camera panel would make a big difference, especially for those of us doing matchmoving, VFX, or any kind of realistic camera work.
Right now, using compositor nodes for distortion and other lens effects feels a bit disconnected — you don’t really get to see what the lens is doing until much later in the process. Having those effects visible right in the viewport would make camera setup way more intuitive and save a lot of back-and-forth.
I also really like the idea of supporting standard distortion models like Brown–Conrady and adding options for chromatic offset and anamorphic squeeze. These are subtle but important details that can really sell a shot — and they’re tough to dial in post unless you’ve got a very specific workflow.
If this could be done without a huge performance hit, it would be a fantastic addition. Definitely a +1 from me.
I absolutly need that. Especialy more control over the aputure and Bokeh parameters. I curently use the LensSim Add on, and it is fantastic but a direct implementation in blender would be much better and more performant.