• Adobe After Effects

  Classic 3D – 3D Layer – Alpha Matte problem

  Posted by Tristan Rodden on January 7, 2017 at 7:25 pm

  I’m trying to add a material to 3D text, with no extra plugins, and found this great tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V58kwF7agoY
  It’s a pretty smart way of nesting a Classic3D comp (which supports alpha matte 3D layers) inside a Ray-Traced 3D comp (which does not).

  The issue comes when I change the imported material to a 3D layer. After that it no longer works as an alpha matte for the text, and simply displays as a flat image. I can get the desired effect by leaving 3D for the material layer off, but that has its own problem. Due to the material not being 3D, when the camera is moved back in the Ray-Traced 3D comp, the material stays stationary and doesn’t move along with the text.

  I’m on AE v13.8.1.38. My comp differs a bit from the tutorial’s, since I’m using a 3D camera parented to a null, rather than changing the position of the text itself. I’m also using a 3D text layer, but I did try converting that text to a shape layer. That unfortunately did not make a difference.

  I’d appreciate any help. Thanks.

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  Walter Soyka replied 9 years, 8 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Tristan Rodden

  January 9, 2017 at 7:35 pm

  Thanks for the reply,

  The link itself actually does work, but I guess I messed up my hyperlink . I apologize for that.

  And thanks for the info on the Ray-Trace 3D render. I hadn’t realized that it’s such a deprecated feature. Looking around at other suggestions, I think I’ll look into Cinema 4D. I’m not as familiar with it, but it looks easier to work with in the long run.

  Thanks!

  (I’ll add that the channel that produced the tutorial is quite professionally-run, and I’ve learned from their videos in the past. This particular tutorial is probably just too outdated to be of use anymore.)
• 

  Walter Soyka

  January 9, 2017 at 8:11 pm

  [Tristan Rodden] ” My comp differs a bit from the tutorial’s, since I’m using a 3D camera parented to a null, rather than changing the position of the text itself.”

  Because the ray-tracing renderer is built for true 3D with geometry, it has some compositing limits. To get around this, sometimes we use Classic 3D comps as 2D layers in the ray-traced comp, because in 2D, we are not subject to those limits. Since the Classic 3D comp will just be a 2D layer in the ray-traced comp, it will not respond to the 3D camera. We must make sure that anything we do in 3D inside the ray-traced comp, we also do inside the Classic 3D comp so it still matches after it’s rendered down to 2D.

  Since you’re controlling the 3D view with a camera and null, you must be sure to duplicate that across comps. Copy and paste the camera and null from the ray-traced comp into the Classic 3D comp. Then, in the ray-tracing comp, reveal the null’s property, scale and rotation peroperties by selecting the null layer pressing P, then Shift+S, then Shift+R. Select all these properties, then click Edit > Copy with Property Links. Switch to the Classic 3D comp, select the null layer, then Edit > Paste.

  Walter Soyka
  Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
  Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
  @keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

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