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shatter and object positioning
Apologies if this is ludicrously obvious but i’m trying to use the Shatter plugin to create a crumbling effect on some artwork and I’m coming very unstuck.
I have a comp with a camera and some 3d layers. I want to to use the shatter effect on a layer in 3d space. I understand that you can’t use shatter on a 3d layer but how am i able to position the object to be scattered in 3d space? I have already set my camera move with other objects around it. Is there any way to position the layer to be shattered in it’s 3d space? I am stumped if i can see an ‘object position/scale/rotation’ within the plugin.
Any help gratefully received!!
Many thanks in advance.
kindest, ian -
5 Replies
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Actually, is there a way to accurately obtain the corner information of a solid layer that’s in 3d space without resorting to tracking? if there’s no way to move the shattered object in after effects’ 2.5d space i’m thinking that maybe i can pin the object to be shattered using Shatter’s corner pin camera system to a shape i have already arranged in 3d space.
If anyone can advance this on for me I’d be very grateful!!
Kindest, ian -
[Ian Anderson] “I am stumped if i can see an ‘object position/scale/rotation’ within the plugin. “
Sorry, I’ve read and reread your post several times and just cannot see what you’re after. But there are positional controls inside Shatter. You can move the force spheres and you can position the filter’s camera, even move the camera upstream to the comp camera, but positioning the object is not possible.
bogiesan
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“Actually, is there a way to accurately obtain the corner information of a solid layer that’s in 3d space without resorting to tracking?”
Yes. Create four nulls (named TopRight, BottomLeft, etc.), place their anchor points at the corners of the object you’re trying to track.
Then wherever you’re trying to find a particular corner point create an expression that says
thisComp.layer(“TopRight”).toComp([0,0,0])
Where TopRight is the corner you’re trying to track. Just change it to BottomRight, or whatever corner you happen to be working on. This tracks the 2d comp window placement of a 2d layer. I use this expression often for positioning lens flares, Trapcode’s Shine, etc. In fact, this expression is being used in the comp I’m currently rendering.
My AE machine is tied up in a render at the moment, so I can’t pull set up a demo project to try out using information like this in the Shatter effect, but that answers your tracking question anyway.
– The Great Szalam
(The ‘Great’ stands for ‘Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble’)No trees were harmed in the creation of this message, but several thousand electrons were mildly inconvenienced.
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– The Great Szalam
(The ‘Great’ stands for ‘Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble’)In this case I’d say great is justified.
Apologies for the delay in replying but I wanted to let you know that you’ve completely solved the thinking for this shot i’m working on with this little expression.
Thank you so much for passing by and responding to my post; it’s been invaluable.
kindest, ian -
Ok. One last question related to the shatter plugin.
Am I asking too much of the plugin to use it to and extrude a layer as well as shatter it? If i load a custom map as my shatter pattern I can get a great extruded layer. However the shatter I wish to apply to the layer is glass. If i use glass then I get the shatter I want however I can’t seem to color the side layers (the layer I am using has alpha information.
Am I pushing my luck trying to achieve the effect I am after with the plugin (an extruded layer with alpha information that shatters)?
Many thanks in advance for your anticipated help and assistance.
Kindest, ian
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