• Adobe After Effects

  3D camera orbit along a path

  Posted by Tolbert Pitman on April 11, 2006 at 4:32 pm

  I would like to do a simple project where the camera orbits a group of screens/solids setup in a circle. I’ve done this before in Electric Image & Strata years ago, but would like to accomplish the same thing in AE7 Pro/Windows XP.

  Any suggestions?

  Thanks in advance,

  Tolbert

  Chris Smith replied 20 years, 1 month ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Nicholas Toth

  April 11, 2006 at 4:51 pm

  ….thats why I miss 3d assistants lite….
• 

  Harryjf

  April 11, 2006 at 4:57 pm

  Draw an elliptical mask on any given layer. This will be a throw-away layer.

  Go to that Mask, and select “MASK SHAPE”.. not Mask 1, Mask 2, whatever. hit copy. Remember, MASK SHAPE… not the mask name.

  Go to your camera, select the camera postion, hit paste. The camera should now orbit in a circle.

  Controlling the axis of that circle, I haven’t figured out, though. But you can always adjust your objects to fit in the right axis.
• 

  Chris Smith

  April 11, 2006 at 6:52 pm

  The easist way to make anything orbit anything is to parent to that object. Then offset the position of the “satellite” and rotate the center object.

  So let’s say your screens are the SUN. Your camera is the EARTH.

  Create a null place that null at the center of the screens.
  Create a camera. Parent that to the null. Now move the camera into position to frame the screens the way you like. Now rotate the null and the camera will orbit it.

  If you want to change the axis, then move the null as it is the center axis.

  Chris Smith
  https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

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