After Effects Apprentice: 11 3D Space

4h 35mIntermediate2016-11-10

Authors

Chris Meyer

Principle at Crish Design

Trish Meyer

Principle at Crish Design, an award-winning graphic design studio

Course details

This installment of the After Effects Apprentice series introduces 3D space in Adobe After Effects. Authors Chris and Trish Meyer highlight key design considerations for working in 3D and provide step-by-step instructions for enhancing a scene with 3D lights and cameras. The course explores integration between Photoshop and After Effects, including modeling 3D objects with Repoussé extrusions and creating dimensional still images, and offers tips on using the different Axis Modes and maintaining maximum quality in 3D. There's also a chapter dedicated to the ray-traced 3D renderer, introduced in After Effects CS6, which allows you to build 3D layers into your composites, with realistic motion blur, depth of field, and reflections.

Learning objectives
Keyframing motion paths in 3D
Managing multiple 3D views
Auto-orienting cameras along a path
Creating shadows
Understanding Vanishing Point Exchange
Importing a 3D model into Photoshop Extended
Scaling in 3D
OpenGL acceleration

Skills covered

Motion GraphicsAfter EffectsRenderingMotion Graphics and VFXVisualization and Real-TimeLimited SeriesAdobeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and Illustration

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome
Software versions and exercise files

Basic 3D

Comparing 2D and 3D
Rotation in 3D
Keyframing in 3D

Multi-planing

Multi-planing workaround in 2D
Using 3D views
Natural multi-planing in 3D

Animating in 3D

Keyframing a fly-in
Editing 3D motion paths
Auto-orienting a layer along its path

3D Cameras

Adding a camera to a composition
Comparing camera presets
Using the camera tools with the active camera
Using the camera tools in the alternate views
3D view options
Animating a 3D camera
Creating an orbit camera rig
Extending your camera rig
Auto-orientation with 3D cameras
Depth of field blur in CS5.5 and later
Controlling the focal plane in CS5.5 and later
Iris properties in CS5.5 and later

3D Lights

Creating a 3D light
Working with Point lights
Working with spot lights

Using the Ray-Traced 3D Renderer in CS6

Enabling ray-traced 3D in CS6
Extrusions in CS6
Bevels in CS6
Bending layers in CS6
Transparency in CS6
Refraction in CS6
Targeting Surfaces in CS6
Reflections in CS6
Environment layers in CS6
Quality vs. speed in CS6

Quizzler Challenge for CS6

Quizzler challenge for CS6
Quizzler solution for CS6

3D Workflows Between After Effects and Photoshop Extended

Vanishing Point Exchange in Photoshop Extended
Vanishing Point Exchange in After Effects
Importing a 3D model into Photoshop Extended in CS5.5 and earlier
Creating 3D objects using Repouss in CS5.5 and earlier
Live Photoshop 3D inside After Effects in CS5.5 and earlier

The Dimensional Stills Technique

Introduction to dimensional stills
Cutting up the source image
Repairing the layers in Photoshop
Animating the resulting layers in After Effects

Sidebars

Rotation vs. orientation
Understanding the axis modes
Scaling issues in 3D
OpenGL acceleration in CS5 and earlier
Fast previews in CS6 and later