• Adobe After Effects

  Collapse transformations and animating a shadow

  Posted by Antony Buonomo on September 16, 2009 at 5:50 pm

  Hi
  Inside a main comp I have converted a typographical character into a set of masks (Create mask from text), I have then used a warp effect linked by an expression to some audio. The effect is that the letter expands and moves along with the audio. Fine. This is precomped and the resulting layer is made 3-D. I make a light and a camera and a background and what I have now is an animating shape casting a shadow onto a background.

  Here is the problem: I can’t find a situation where the shape is continuously rasterised (and therefore looks clean in close-up) AND the shadow animates along with the shape. What I have is either the shadow animates correctly but the shape looks pixelated (ScreenSnapz002.jpg) , OR I have a clean shape and the shadow doesn’t obey the warp effect put onto the shape (ScreenSnapz001.jpg).

  I have tried various combinations of collapse transformation and 3-D switching and I still haven’t found a solution.

  https://www.vertigo.co.uk/cow/ScreenSnapz001.jpg
  https://www.vertigo.co.uk/cow/ScreenSnapz002.jpg

  Thanks

  PS does anyone know whether Particular 2.0 allows particles to cast a shadow on to a background?

  Antony Buonomo replied 16 years, 8 months ago 30,256 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Antony Buonomo

  September 16, 2009 at 6:32 pm

  I appreciate what you’re saying Dave, however I don’t think it’s an issue of size. The shape looks fine with a certain combination of switches but I can’t get it to look fine AND have an animated shadow. Either I get a clean shape and a still shadow (sometimes no shadow) OR an animated shadow and a fuzzy shape.

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