Free add-on · Blender
Turn your phone into a virtual camera for Blender
Stream your Blender viewport to your phone in real time. Move the phone to steer the 3D camera, then walk through your scene to record keyframes.
FreeOpen-source add-on
6DOFCamera control
4.2+Blender version
Watch
See your phone drive the camera
A quick tour of streaming, camera control and recording.
What it does
Two tools in one free add-on
The add-on installs as a sidebar panel (View3D > Sidebar (N) > Phone Cam). The companion app runs on your phone, and the two find each other over your Wi-Fi with nothing to configure.
01
Live preview on your phone
See your scene camera streamed to your phone in real time. Walk around the room, show a client, or check framing on a mobile screen, all without rendering a file.
02
Physical camera control
Move your phone and the Blender camera moves with it. Pan, tilt, orbit, truck and dolly with the gyroscope, accelerometer and AR position tracking, then hold record and walk through your scene for moves a mouse can’t make.
How it works
From install to first take in five steps
Install the add-on
Preferences > Install from Disk. It takes about 30 seconds and works the same on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Install the app
Get the app on your phone and sign up. You start with 30 free Ad Credits.
Connect
Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi and click Start Server in the Phone Cam panel. Blender appears in the app’s host list within seconds.
Stream and control
Pick a camera in the app and Blender looks through it. Turn on camera control and your movement drives it. Set zoom, focus, depth of field and aperture from the phone.
Record
Tap record for one keyframe, or press and hold to capture keyframes continuously as the timeline advances. Release to stop.
Features
Everything you need on set, in your pocket
Real-time viewport streaming
Your camera view streams to your phone as a live feed, shaded exactly like your viewport: Solid for speed, Material Preview for color and light.
6DOF camera control
Position (X, Y, Z) and orientation (pan, tilt, roll), driven by your phone’s motion and AR sensors.
One-tap and continuous recording
Tap to set a keyframe at the current frame, or hold to record location and rotation frame by frame.
Camera settings from your phone
Focal length, focus distance, aperture, blur level and depth of field, applied live.
Auto camera view
Choose a camera in the app and the viewport switches to it, with the phone preview following.
Motion tuning
Toggle rotation and position separately, set sensitivity, smooth sensor jitter and invert any axis.
Rest-pose calibration
Set any pose as the neutral center so every take starts from a known framing.
Timeline control
Play, pause, scrub, step and jump to start or end from your phone.
Multi-phone support
Connect several phones at once, each driving its own camera in the scene.
Zero configuration
Built-in Bonjour/mDNS discovery. No IPs, ports, pairing codes or extra installs, even on Windows.
Native sidebar panel
Connection status, camera picker, live motion diagnostics and tuning in one Blender panel.
Pure Python
One platform-independent download that works anywhere Blender runs.
Pricing
Free for everyone. Ad-free if you like.
Every feature is included for every user. There is no lite or pro version. Ad Credits only apply to recording keyframes.
Free
$0
- 30 free Ad Credits when you sign up
- Watch a short ad to earn 10 more seconds of recording, with no daily cap
- Streaming, camera control, settings, timeline and multi-phone are unlimited and ad-free
Ad-Free
One-time purchase
- Unlimited recording with no credits and no ads
- Record as long and as many takes as you need
- Same features as free. Pay once, record forever.
Download
Get the add-on
The Blender add-on is completely free: no trial, no license key and no subscription.
All platforms
Phone_cam_control-1.4.1.zip · 35 KB
Blender 4.2 or later (tested on 5.2 LTS) on macOS, Windows or Linux.
Install in Blender
- In Blender, go to Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions (or Add-ons).
- Open the ▾ menu at the top right and choose Install from Disk…
- Select the downloaded .zip.
- Enable Phone CamController if it isn’t ticked.
- In the 3D viewport, press N and open the Phone Cam tab.
You can also drag the .zip onto the Blender window. No admin password or system folders: it installs into your Blender user profile.
Uninstall
Go to Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions (or Add-ons), find Phone CamController and click Remove, or untick it to disable it.
Android beta
Get the Android app
The Android app is in testing on Google Play.
- Join the tester group at groups.google.com/g/phone-cam-control-android-testers.
- Open the testing page on Google Play and tap Become a tester.
- Install the app from Google Play.
Getting started
Your first session
Requirements
- Blender 4.2 or later on macOS, Windows or Linux
- A phone with the Phone Camera Control app
- Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network (5 GHz recommended)
- Open a scene with a camera. The default scene works, or add one with Add > Camera.
- Open the panel. Press N in the viewport, pick the Phone Cam tab and click Start Server. The status shows Running.
- Open the app and sign up the first time. It scans your network for Blender.
- Select Blender in the host list, then choose a camera. Your scene starts streaming within seconds.
- Activate camera control and move the phone slowly to see the camera follow.
- Calibrate with the app’s calibrate button or Set Camera Rest Pose if the orientation feels off.
- Record a move. Set the playhead, then tap for one keyframe or hold and move for continuous recording.
Tips
Get the smoothest results
Network
- Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the fastest streaming
- 2.4 GHz works with more latency
- Keep both devices on the same network
Smooth recording
- Hold the phone with both hands
- Start slow to avoid jerky keyframes
- Raise Pos and Rot Smoothing in the panel
- Undo with Cmd/Ctrl+Z and try again
Camera settings
- Frame with focal length before recording
- Use depth of field and Focus Scale for focus pulls
- Aperture and focus can change while recording
Multi-phone
- Add a camera in Blender for each phone
- Bind each phone with the app’s camera picker
- The viewport follows the last selected camera
System requirements
What you need
Blender add-on
- Blender 4.2 or later (tested on 5.2 LTS)
- macOS, Windows (64-bit) or Linux
- Local Wi-Fi network
Phone app
- Android 8.0 or later (Google Play)
- iOS coming soon (App Store)
- Gyroscope and accelerometer
- Wi-Fi on the same network as your computer
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is the add-on really free?
Yes. It’s 100% free and open source under the GPL, with no trial, license key, subscription or feature limits.
Is the app free?
Yes. It includes every feature and 30 free Ad Credits for recording. Watch a short ad to earn more, or upgrade to Ad-Free with a one-time purchase.
Do I need an internet connection?
Only Wi-Fi between your phone and computer. Your scene never leaves your network. The app goes online for sign-up and to load rewarded ads in the free version.
Does it work with any scene?
Yes. It streams whatever your viewport shows. Your scene needs at least one camera to control.
Does it work over cellular or remote networks?
No. Both devices must be on the same local Wi-Fi, since discovery and streaming only work locally.
Which phones are supported?
Android 8.0 or later with a gyroscope and accelerometer. iOS support is coming soon.
Can several people control cameras at once?
Yes. Bind each connected phone to its own camera in the scene.
Will it slow down Blender?
It only renders a small preview (640 px wide by default) while the server runs and a phone is connected. Camera motion stays responsive even when the preview slows on heavy scenes.
What data does the app collect?
An account for Ad Credit tracking. Your scene is streamed locally and never uploaded.
Need help?
Troubleshooting
Phone can’t find Blender
Check both devices are on the same Wi-Fi and the panel shows Running after Start Server. Allow Blender through your firewall. No Bonjour or iTunes install is needed. Ports used: HTTP 8254, UDP 8255.
Stream is slow or choppy
Switch to 5 GHz Wi-Fi, lower Preview Width / FPS in the add-on preferences, use Solid shading, close network-heavy apps and stay on one access point.
Camera movement is jittery
Calibrate, raise Pos and Rot Smoothing, hold the phone with both hands and avoid very fast moves.
Add-on doesn’t appear in Blender
Make sure it’s ticked in Preferences (search “Phone”), restart Blender and reopen the sidebar with N. If it still doesn’t show, reinstall the .zip from Install from Disk.
Get started
Your next camera move is in your pocket
Download the free add-on, install the app and record your first take in minutes. Questions or bugs: john@motionist.studio.
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