• Adobe After Effects

  trapcode particular going in front of and behind 3d object

  Posted by Pierre-luc Miville on September 22, 2012 at 8:11 pm

  Hello everyone,
  My first time posting since all my questions are always brilliantly answered here. I have however a problem I’m facing and don’t want to learn C4D to solve it, I’m sure it can be done in AE!

  I want to recreate an atom. So let’s say an image in the middle (proton) with electrons orbiting around.
  My main problem is I gave those electrons trapcode particular so that they leave a light streak behind. However, the particles cannot revolve around the main proton since it’s a 2d effect (meaning, when the electron is behind the proton, the particles are behind, when the electron comes in front of the proton, the light streak particles stay behind in the perspective.

  Is there a way I could use any other effect to create this light streak to be in 3d? What else to use instead of particles?

  Thanks to you all

  P-L Miville

  Vishesh Arora replied 13 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  John Cuevas

  September 22, 2012 at 11:02 pm

  Make your main proton a 3D layer. Now in particular twirl open visibility and under obscuration layer change the pull down to the proton layer.

  Johnny Cuevas, Editor
  Thinkck.com

  “I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
  —THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.
• 

  Pierre-luc Miville

  September 23, 2012 at 5:52 pm

  Thank you for the quick reply, at first it wasn’t working but then I started my atom all over again and it worked. Does this have to do with the particular layer having to be on top of it all?

  Thanks again
• 

  John Cuevas

  September 23, 2012 at 10:23 pm

  I’m not sure if it’s because it’s on top, but sometimes if you have 2D layers in between the layers that can mess things up.

  Another thing is if you set the pull down of particular to a 2D layer, it won’t recognize it, even if you change it to 3D later. You would have to set the pull down back to none and then back to the 3D layer before particular would see it.

  Glad you were able to get it working.

  Johnny Cuevas, Editor
  Thinkck.com

  “I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
  —THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.
• 

  Vishesh Arora

  September 24, 2012 at 5:06 pm

  Mr. Miville

  I would recommend to use ” Light(s) ” as Emitter Type. Make a light with name ” Emitter ” and the particle emitter will attach to it automatically.

  Now you will have better controls on Z – Axis. Just parent the light to the Prooton or Pick-Whip its position to that of Proton.

  You can then use Proton as layer Obscure layers as what Mr. Cuevas has explained.

  Vishesh Arora
  VFX and Motion Graphics Artist

  Blog:
  https://digieffects.wordpress.com

  Demo Reel(3D):
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPgIJU_BR8

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