Animate 3D Materials in After Effects

Swap textures on 3D models for animated precomps, with only a tiny element of Blender needed. In this tutorial, I build on the technique I demonstrated in Animate color changes of 3D Objects in After Effects to create a 3D Luma Matte copy of a mesh / model. By setting all the textures to be black except for the screen, it’s possible to use this as a track matte within After Effects. Unfortunately you cannot apply mattes directly to 3D layers, but with a little extra set up, you can create a precomp to drive this. All you need to do is link the camera from one comp to another.

I break down all the steps, from importing your model Blender to editing the materials in the Shading area’s node editor, then bringing these models in After Effects and linking them to a null object. Once that’s done, we create a precomp for the screen, position it correctly and finally look to apply the luma matte using the Set Matte effect and a Glow effect for some screen glow.

Despite the 10 minute runtime and the many steps, I promise this is a simple process and easy to follow.

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