Aperture Phototools Suite - ApertureViewer/Aperture-Viewer GitHub Wiki

Welcome to the Aperture Phototools Suite (APS), the command center for visual excellence in the Aperture Viewer! APS is designed to provide virtual photographers, videographers, and visual artists with unprecedented control over their in-world experience, consolidating a vast array of settings into one powerful, streamlined interface.

Our Vision: "Nothing Is Not Possible"

APS embodies Aperture Viewer's core philosophy of pushing the boundaries of visual fidelity and creative control. It's more than just a settings panel; it's a comprehensive toolkit for real-time image mastering, environment sculpting, and precise camera work.

Purpose of the Aperture Phototools Suite

The primary goals of APS are to:

Centralize Control: Bring together disparate visual, environmental, and camera settings from across the viewer into one logical and accessible location.
Enhance Artistic Freedom: Provide granular control over lighting, shadows, reflections, depth of field, post-processing effects, and more, allowing for a wide range of artistic expression.
Streamline Creator Workflow: Offer tools and presets specifically designed to improve efficiency for virtual photographers and videographers.
Deliver Exclusive Features: Integrate unique Aperture Viewer functionalities, such as the advanced post-processing pipeline and detailed environment controls, directly into the suite.

Accessing the Phototools Suite

To open the Aperture Phototools Suite, simply press:

Alt + P

Main Tabs Overview

The Phototools Suite is organized into several main tabs, each focusing on a specific aspect of visual control:

Environment (Evn): Control sky presets, water settings, quick PBR environments, and detailed atmospheric, cloud, sun/moon, and water parameters.
Lighting (Shd): Adjust point lighting, shadow types, shadow quality, and Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO).
Reflections (Refl): Manage general reflection settings, PBR emissive lighting, reflection probes, Screen Space Reflections (SSR), and mirror reflections.
Lens: Configure Depth of Field (DOF), Glow effects, and Chromatic Aberration.
Post-Processing (Post): Access Aperture's revolutionary real-time post-processing pipeline, including HDR/Tone Mapping, Color Balance & Saturation, and Effects like sharpening and film grain.
Avatar (Ava): Control various avatar rendering options, complexity, animation speed, and more.
General (Gen): Manage general rendering settings, graphics quality presets, performance tweaks, and interface aids.
Camera (Cam): Adjust viewer camera controls, 3D mouse/joystick settings, and access the Aperture Camera Preset system.

Key Integrated Systems

Within APS, you'll find seamless integration with some of Aperture Viewer's hallmark features:

Aperture Graphics Presets System: Access and manage Aperture's 9 performance-tuned, feature-driven graphics levels directly from the General (Gen) Tab. You can also save and load your entire visual state (all APS settings, PostFX, etc.) using the "Graphic Presets: Save/Load/Delete" buttons at the bottom of the APS window.
Aperture Camera Presets System: Save and recall 12 Standard + 12 Flycam camera views (position, focus, roll) directly from the Camera (Cam) Tab.

This overview page serves as your entry point to understanding the full capabilities of the Aperture Phototools Suite. Explore the linked tab-specific pages for detailed explanations of each control and feature.