Creator: capture workflows
A step-by-step guide to repeatable captures: prepare a scene, find a subject, set up the camera, choose overlays and record the visible result with a capture application.
In this article
What you need for a capture
The Creator tool provides the scene and camera. You create the video file using screen or game capture outside the tool.
- A game version with Creator access and either a loaded Creator scene or a fully completed personal day replay.
- A configured capture application using the correct game or window source. Check a short test clip, not just the preview.
- An output folder with enough space for the recording. The game’s replay folder and your video folder are different storage locations.
- A deliberate audio mix: game audio, microphone and other desktop sources according to your needs. A replay is not a separate multitrack audio export.
- For repeatable takes, note the scene, starting time, vehicle number, perspective, speed and display states.
A complete capture workflow
This order separates preparation from the actual take and avoids visible setup actions at the beginning.
| Step | Action | Check before continuing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Scene | Open the Creator and load a suitable scene, or open a completed day replay. | The scene is fully loaded and your intended subject exists. |
| 2 · Time | Use the timeline or event navigation to go before the intended action. | Leave a few seconds of lead-in; seeking pauses playback. |
| 3 · Subject | Select the appropriate vehicle. | The number, colour and intended route are correct. |
| 4 · Camera | Set a perspective and distance, or compose a custom shot in Free. | After manual movement, reselect the vehicle if you want to attach the camera afterwards. |
| 5 · Attachment | Use Move with vehicle, Keep vehicle in frame or T as needed. | Watch a short playback test that includes the next turn. |
| 6 · Display | Set labels, routes and building colours to suit the clip. | For a clean shot, turn off each unwanted world overlay separately. |
| 7 · Speed | Choose a playback speed and return to your noted starting time. | Do not confuse camera speed with playback speed. |
| 8 · Capture | Start external capture, return to the game, hide the UI with H or G and play. | A focus change may have paused playback. Check the cursor and unwanted audio sources. |
| 9 · Review | Stop capture and watch the saved file. | Check the beginning, ending, camera movement, audio and actual image quality. |
Five practical shot recipes
These workflows use the available features. They are composition suggestions, not automatically saved templates.
A calm city overview
Choose a larger scene, pause and press 5 for Free. Use WASD and E to find an elevated position and aim the camera. Turn off road routes and building colours. Hide the interface with H and play. Keep the camera still initially so that the city’s movement carries the shot.
Follow a vehicle on its tour
Select the subject vehicle and choose Third person with key 4. Set the distance and check the next stretch of road. For a custom side position, switch to Free, compose the shot, reselect the vehicle and enable Move with vehicle. Use T if the framing should remain fixed to the vehicle through turns.
A passing vehicle from a fixed location
Pause before the vehicle passes, position the free camera beside the route and reselect the vehicle. Enable only Keep vehicle in frame and leave Move with vehicle off. Check the line of sight throughout the pass. For a completely stationary view, leave both attachment options off.
Explain a route clearly
Choose Bird’s-eye with key 1 and a height that keeps the route and surroundings readable. Leave the observed vehicle’s road route, building colours and label visible, turn off other distracting overlays and use G. The controls disappear while the explanatory information remains in the shot.
Show a pickup and delivery in detail
Find a suitable stop in the timeline. Go to a point before it, select the corresponding vehicle and set up the camera. Check both the approach and the completed stop: the displayed event and the visible completion of the action should remain understandable in the clip. Use 0.5× or 0.25× if needed and record enough footage before and after the moment.
Capture several angles of the same scene
You can show the same recorded action repeatedly from different perspectives.
Note the starting time and vehicle. Capture an overview first, then a following shot, then a detail of the same section. Return to the same playback time each time. The vehicles are all set to that point together; you are not creating a new simulation.
Use the same scene or the same personal replay for comparable takes. A different scene may contain a different layout and journey. Changing playback speed also changes how long the visible action takes in your video file.
The camera move itself is not a recorded keyframe track. If you fly manually during a take, you must perform that movement again for the next take. A fixed position or a vehicle perspective is easier for highly repeatable shots.
Editing between files, music, voice-over, titles and output formats are handled later in your editing application. The Creator tool does not provide its own multi-clip editor.
When the capture does not look as expected
First check whether the problem is already visible in the game or only appears in the saved video file.
| Symptom | Check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing moves after Alt-Tab. | Losing focus pauses playback. | Return to the game, check Play and restart playback. |
| Routes or coloured buildings remain visible after H. | H hides the Creator interface, not every world overlay. | Show the UI again; turn off road routes and building colours separately. |
| The camera stops following after an adjustment. | Manual movement releases the attachment and vehicle selection. | Reselect the vehicle and attach the camera again. |
| The vehicle sometimes disappears behind buildings. | Attachment does not guarantee an unobstructed view throughout. | Choose another position, a higher camera or a shorter unobstructed stretch. |
| The video is missing the game image, but the game looks correct. | The capture source and window selection in your recording application. | Record a short test clip with the corrected source and check the file. |
| The mouse pointer appears in the video. | H/G leave the pointer visible. | Adjust cursor capture in your recording application or move the pointer out of the subject area. |
| The take stutters. | Does this happen in the game or only in the video? Larger scenes show substantially more vehicles and buildings. | Compare with The small loop, then check display and recording settings outside the Creator tool. |
Game version: October 29, 2026. Content and balance may change during development.