• Adobe After Effects

  Rotating an image in 3D space

  Posted by Matthew Rogers on March 9, 2007 at 4:39 am

  Hello all,

  I’ve been slowly learning the basics of AE the last few weeks.
  I’m trying to rotate a 2D object in 3D space.
  I need to have it orbit horizontally and have always facing forward.

  What I’ve done so far is move the anchor point behind the image and have managed to rotate it around that. But I can’t seem to figure out how to add another rotation so that is always facing forwards.

  Thanks for you time and let me know if this makes sense at all.
  It’s late and my writing is suffering.

  Thanks,

  -Matt

  -Matt

  Matthew Rogers
  engine room
  Boston, Ma
  http://www.engineroomedit.com

  Mike Clasby replied 19 years, 3 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Kevin Camp

  March 9, 2007 at 4:49 pm

  i think you’ll first want to rotate your 2d object on its center axis in one comp. then take that comp into another comp where you’ll want to change the anchor point and rotate again. there may be a clever way to link the rotations, but the rotation seems simple enough to do trial and error. i believe they will need to rotate in opposite directions.

  you may also be able to do this by rotating your object and orbiting a camera around your scene

  Kevin Camp
  Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW
• 

  Mike Clasby

  March 9, 2007 at 10:16 pm

  Ok, when you moved the anchor point of the layer to get your horizontal rotation you created problems if you try to get it to auto orient.

  The standard way to get a layer to make a perfect one-dimensional rotation it to create a new Null (Layer>New>Null. Make the null 3D (checkbox). Then parent the “Rotating Layer” (your 2D layer here, although you must check the 3D box) to the Null, now move your “Rotating Layer” as far from the null as you want it to rotate, “P” reveals position, change the x, y, or z depending on which axis you want to rotate, only the x for you, methinks.

  So now you rotate the Null’s Y rotation and you’ve got your perfect horizontal rotation.

  But you still want to “always face forward”. You can do two things,

  1) Add a camera and select your layer (the rotating one) Layer>Transform>Auto Orient>Orient Towards Camera. OK, the layer will always face the camera and you’re good, until… you move the camera.. go to 2).

  2) We’ll add an expression to counter rotate the layer as it is rotated by the Null. Alt click the Orientation stopwatch for your layer, then paste in this expression:

  [orientation[0],- thisComp.layer(“Null 1”).rotationY,orientation[2]]

  That just tells the layer to subtract the Y rotation from its Y orientation. Now the layer will always “face forward” whether you have a camera or not, or even if you have a moving camera.

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