3d animation in Avid FX/Boris RED

[Peter Mcauley]

Hi Jeppe,

So … without actually seeing your file, I’m not quite sure where you went wrong but here are some pointers that may help:

• In order to have objects that interact in 3D, you need to place them into a 3D Container and the render option for the container must be set to 3D Model.

• You have complete control over each object in the container and all objects in the container can interact – this is how you make the ring spin around the name … both the ring and the name are in the same 3D Container. You can also animate the position of the 3D Container and move all objects in the Container as a single unit.

• The reflectivity for each object is set using each individual objects material properties. To change it, select the object from within the 3D Container and click on the Materials tab in the Control panel. Then set the Specular to 40, Shininess to 100 and Reflectivity to 15 and set the Diffuse parameter to about 60 and Ambient to 40.

• You can also use the reflection map feature – this is set on each individual object within the 3D container. Select the object, click on the Reflection Map button and twirl open the object to reveal the sub-track titled Environment map. Set the media in this sub-track to the reflected source map – you can use any still image file or video clip, perhaps a sunset shot or something with a clear horizon/sky.

• Select the 3D Container and go to the lights tab – set the lights to either Spot or Point. Intensity at about 150 – but you should lower that if you enable more than 1 light

I hope this helps,

Peter.

[Jeppe Svendsen]

Peter Mcauley you must be the coolest man on earth! Why don’t you make an advanced series of video tutorials on Avid FX? This piece of software has so much potential but it is so hard to find really good tutorials out there that will cover more than just the basics…

I’m looking forward to try this out! I’ll get back to you.

THANKS!

Jeppe

[Jeppe Svendsen]

Is it possible to manipulate keyframes in curves mode in the timeline? I would like to tweak the ease in/out.

Jeppe

[Peter Mcauley]

Absolutely! Here’s a link to a screenshot and feature description for the graph editor:

https://www.borisfx.com/red/Upgrade-Reasons.php

If you need any help in understanding how to use it please let me know and I’ll write that up for you.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Peter Mcauley]

Wow … that was a really nice comment. Thanks!

We’re always working to generate more tutorials on our product and I’ll take your suggestion for this and see what we can do to generate a more in-depth 3d graphics tutorial in the coming months. Thanks for mentioning that.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Jeppe Svendsen]

Thanks again. It all worked out perfectly after your words of wisdom!

It would be awesome if you could make some tutorials on 3d workflow! It is sad that no one really knows how to use this software (at least not in Denmark) since it has so much potential and the integration with Avid is just AWESOME! With good tutorials it would be so much easier to get started.

Jeppe

[Steve Pankow]

Hi Jeppe,

I don’t know what version of RED you’re on, but as the creator of that animation (I think that’s Tim Wilson narrating though) I can send you the project file and associated materials if you want to mess around with it, assuming I can still find it.

I think I was using a .mov file of some dots or something I made for the reflection/environment track on the text and rings. Peter’s right in that you jack up the shininess and reflectivity settings to help with that look. Blast from the past – that was done about 7 years ago.

Steve

[Jeppe Svendsen]

Hi Steve

Thanks for your reply. It would be awesome to get a chance to play around with the project file, and compare my own results with what you have created!
True – it is a blast from the past. 4:3 and everything! 😀 But still it is the only video tutorial going through the 3d stuff which I have been able to find. Most of the tutorials out there are more sales videos than tutorials. What good is a sales video if can’t figure out how to use the software? You actually have to pay for Boris’ own tutorials. A mystery to me…

Thanks again Steve – let me know if you find the project file and materials.

Jeppe

[Steve Pankow]

Hi Jeppe,

I did find the .red file. Although it uses a couple of large 400MB files for reflection tracks, I changed them over to gradients and the effect is quite similar. Everything else is self-contained. I’ll try attaching it to this post.

https://f1.creativecow.net/5112/red-3d-demo-file

[Jeppe Svendsen]

Thanks Steve!