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Activity › Forums › Adobe After Effects › Recentering a layer after 3D effect

  • Recentering a layer after 3D effect

    Posted by Tobias Albrigtsen on June 27, 2017 at 4:00 am

    Hi. I forgot how to do this, but I remember there’s a way to recenter your layer, a title for example, when a value for one or more of the axis is very large and the layer cannot be seen or is moving too much. –Let me explain…. I tracked the camera to a file for a basic ‘title moving in space’ effect and when I clicked the 3D option for the layer, it took a very large z-axis value to be placed where I wanted it. This creates a problem though, because the title moves/bounces around. I have had this problem before and I remember that there is a way to recenter the layer so that the values are relative, and there is little to no movement of the layer.
    Thanks!

    Tobias Albrigtsen replied 9 years, 3 months ago 3 Members · 8 Replies
  • 8 Replies
  • Michael Szalapski

    June 27, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    You could parent that layer to a null object, parent that null object to the camera, zero out the null’s coordinates and then move it in z (and scale it) as needed.

    – 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.

  • Walter Soyka

    June 27, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    I wrote a script a few years ago that makes this push-button simple:
    https://www.keenlive.com/renderbreak/2014/07/after-effects-script-keen_3dlayertools/

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

  • Michael Szalapski

    June 27, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    Does your script convert position keyframes to be relative to the new position after it’s run?

    – 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.

  • Tobias Albrigtsen

    June 27, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    Yes, the title moves around but off screen

  • Walter Soyka

    June 27, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    [Michael Szalapski] “Does your script convert position keyframes to be relative to the new position after it’s run?”

    No, if the position changes over time, the script currently creates a keyframe at the CTI . That was intentional, but it would be a good idea to add a checkbox to allow the user to control that behaviour. One more for the to-do list!

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

  • Tobias Albrigtsen

    June 27, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    That’s too complicated. I know that there’s a way to center the layer after you make it a 3D layer and it jumps out of the screen. Maybe it’s in my notes at home.

  • Walter Soyka

    June 27, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    Ctrl+Home on a PC, Cmd+Home on a Mac.

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

  • Tobias Albrigtsen

    June 28, 2017 at 2:04 pm

    You are my HERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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