Cine Tracer

What Cine Tracer is

Cine Tracer is a cinematography simulator for planning camera work, lighting, and talent direction in environments made with Unreal Engine 4. Its Early Access version is a single-player, open-world sandbox for creating scenes, sets, and lighting setups. You can build and light a set, select replicas of real-world cameras, frame a shot through the camera, and send captured images to a storyboard. Equipment is constrained to practical operating ranges, including tripod-head movement, dolly height, and lens zoom. The creator designed Cine Tracer for people who want to visualize camera work and lighting without having to learn a 3D program. It is available for Windows and macOS, with system requirements listed for both platforms through Steam. The Cine Tracer plan costs $89.99, paid once, and there is no free plan. Purchasing Cine Tracer also provides Cine Tracer 2 for free. Steam identifies Matt Workman as the developer and Cinematography Database as the publisher. Steam labels the product Early Access and says its last developer update was over three years ago. On macOS, ray tracing and VR/Vive camera tracking are not supported.

Who it suits

Cine Tracer suits people who want to plan or visualize cinematography and lighting without learning a 3D program. Its scene-building sandbox and camera replicas may be useful to people exploring set layouts and shot framing.

Getting started

1. Visit https://www.cinemersive.com/cinetracer/.
2. Purchase the Cine Tracer plan for $89.99, paid once.
3. Use the listed Windows or macOS system requirements to choose a platform.
4. Create a scene, set, or lighting setup in the single-player sandbox.

Verdict

Pick Cine Tracer if you want a sandbox for visualizing camera placement, lighting, and shots without learning a 3D program. Look elsewhere if you need ray tracing or VR/Vive camera tracking on macOS, or prefer software without an Early Access label.