3D Bend Nested Comp Problem

[Edward Wu]

Hi Christopher,

If you are using 3D Layer Warp, the animation that you applied to a pre-comp will still show up if you have that pre-comp in another Composition. If you are having problems seeing the animation in a test render you can send me the project so I can take a look at your setup and see what you may be running into.

My e-mail address is : ed@zaxwerks.com

Best,
Edward

[Christopher Rotter]

The composition that has the 3D Warp applied to it works but when I preview the composition that has the nested composition which has the 3D warp within it, I don’t see the effect. I had to explain it again in case I didn’t explain it well so you would understand.

[Edward Wu]

Hi Chris,

I think I understand what your saying. I haven’t had experience with this issue before, and I ran some more tests and couldn’t find the issue that you’re mentioning. If you can attach your project to me at: ed@zaxwerks.com I’ll take a look at your project and see what you’re running into.

Best,
Edward

[Christopher Rotter]

I got it to work, it turns out the effect wasn’t scrubbing right, I had to reduce the quality. I have another question with Invigorator, I would like to know what the manual means by the statement below.

HOT TIP!
The perfect workaround for the “always in front” problem,
is to create a rectangle in Illustrator that is the size of your
AE layer. Then open this rectangle in the Invigorator, set its
Depth to 0, and apply the AE layer to the rectangle as a
Layer Map.
When you do this the AE layer is now inside of the Invigora-
tor’s 3D space so it will interact perfectly with any other In-
vigorator object. Shadows work, perspective works, camera
moves work. It’s a beautiful thing.

[Edward Wu]

Hi Chris,

The tip is referring to the way 3D Invigorator works. Even though the objects you create are fully 3D, when placed into After Effects, it becomes a form of simulated 3D that is projected onto the Solid layer in After Effects. This means that even though your objects will rotate with the camera, they technically can’t intersect with other objects, etc. The projected 3D models will always appear “infront” of other 3D layers.

Thus, when you want 3D Invigorator to interact to other layers, you will need to apply them as Layer Maps onto planes created in 3D Invigorator. This will allow you to have all your objects interacting with one another.

Best,
Edward

[Christopher Rotter]

I’m sorry I don’t quite understand.

[Edward Wu]

Hi Chris,

Let’s say you create 2 Solid Layers in After Effects. The first Solid Layer contains a Sphere primitive, while the second Solid Layer contains some 3D Text. The first layer is on top of the second layer, in terms of Layer hierarchy. This means that no mater how much you use the Object Dolly tool to push the Sphere primitive back, it will always be “on top” of the 3D Text. Even though realistically, the Z value of the sphere should dictate that the sphere be “behind” the 3D text, however, the 3D objects are still confined to the After Effects’ layer hierarchy system.

This applies too when you are using the 3D Invigorator objects along with the After Effects 3D layers. Even though both are 3D objects, they are not in the same 3D space. Thus, when you rotate the camera around, both are changing in perspective, but it will get to a point where you see they are operating on separate 3D space.

To make 3D Invigorator objects “interact” with 3D layers from After Effects, you will have to use the Layer Map technique. You will first have to create a Plane in 3D Invigorator, then set up a pre-comp of the After Effects layer you are working with. Next, apply the pre-comp as Layer Map 1 (3D Invigorator Effect Controls Panel > Layer Maps). Inside the 3D Invigorator Setup window, you can now apply the Layer Map as a texture map onto a material, then apply the material onto the Plane.

Now, when you rotate the camera, or do an object animation, you can have the objects interact with one another in the same 3D space.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Christopher Rotter]

Let’s say you create 2 Solid Layers in After Effects. The first Solid Layer contains a Sphere primitive, while the second Solid Layer contains some 3D Text. The first layer is on top of the second layer, in terms of Layer hierarchy. This means that no mater how much you use the Object Dolly tool to push the Sphere primitive back, it will always be “on top” of the 3D Text. Even though realistically, the Z value of the sphere should dictate that the sphere be “behind” the 3D text, however, the 3D objects are still confined to the After Effects’ layer hierarchy system.

Sphere, primitive as in a sphere created in Invigorator ?

This applies too when you are using the 3D Invigorator objects along with the After Effects 3D layers. Even though both are 3D objects, they are not in the same 3D space. Thus, when you rotate the camera around, both are changing in perspective, but it will get to a point where you see they are operating on separate 3D space.

I understand.

To make 3D Invigorator objects “interact” with 3D layers from After Effects, you will have to use the Layer Map technique. You will first have to create a Plane in 3D Invigorator, then set up a pre-comp of the After Effects layer you are working with. Next, apply the pre-comp as Layer Map 1 (3D Invigorator Effect Controls Panel > Layer Maps). Inside the 3D Invigorator Setup window, you can now apply the Layer Map as a texture map onto a material, then apply the material onto the Plane.

Now, when you rotate the camera, or do an object animation, you can have the objects interact with one another in the same 3D space.

I think I understand, yet I’m a little confused, if I have two layers one called “red” and another called “plane” which would have to be a pre-comp ? And which would have to be a layer map ? And why must it be a layer map for the object to interact with each other ? I understand that once it’s a layer map that is the only way they both move in the same 3D space but I just don’t get what I mentioned earlier.
Hope this helps.

[Edward Wu]

Let’s say you create 2 Solid Layers in After Effects. The first Solid Layer contains a Sphere primitive, while the second Solid Layer contains some 3D Text. The first layer is on top of the second layer, in terms of Layer hierarchy. This means that no mater how much you use the Object Dolly tool to push the Sphere primitive back, it will always be “on top” of the 3D Text. Even though realistically, the Z value of the sphere should dictate that the sphere be “behind” the 3D text, however, the 3D objects are still confined to the After Effects’ layer hierarchy system.

Sphere, primitive as in a sphere created in Invigorator ?

Right, this is just an example. It can be anything created in 3D Invigorator. I just chose the Sphere Primitive and the 3D Text.

To make 3D Invigorator objects “interact” with 3D layers from After Effects, you will have to use the Layer Map technique. You will first have to create a Plane in 3D Invigorator, then set up a pre-comp of the After Effects layer you are working with. Next, apply the pre-comp as Layer Map 1 (3D Invigorator Effect Controls Panel > Layer Maps). Inside the 3D Invigorator Setup window, you can now apply the Layer Map as a texture map onto a material, then apply the material onto the Plane.

Now, when you rotate the camera, or do an object animation, you can have the objects interact with one another in the same 3D space.

I think I understand, yet I’m a little confused, if I have two layers one called “red” and another called “plane” which would have to be a pre-comp ? And which would have to be a layer map ? And why must it be a layer map for the object to interact with each other ? I understand that once it’s a layer map that is the only way they both move in the same 3D space but I just don’t get what I mentioned earlier.
Hope this helps.

Objects don’t need to be layer maps to interact with each other. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. What I meant was, if you wanted a layer (plane surface) to interact with a 3D Invigorator object (say, a sphere) in the same 3D plane, you have to bring that layer “plane” into 3D Invigorator. In order to do that, you have to use a layer map to get the appearance of that layer into 3D Invigorator so you can apply that to a plane (primitive) created in 3D Invigorator. By using a layer map, you can apply the layer map onto a material, which you can then map onto the plane. This way, both objects are in the same 3D space since they are in the same 3D Invigorator setup.

So technically, you don’t need to have layer maps if you just want objects to interact with one another. It’s when you want a plane to have the appearance of a 3D Layer from After Effects, then you use the layer map to map the appearance. The pre-comp allows you to set up the image more, so you can have an animated layer map, for example.

In a nutshell, how it works is: If all the objects are in the same 3D Invigorator setup, then they can all “interact” with one another in the same 3D space. If they are not, then they will operate in separate 3D space.

Best,
Edward

[Christopher Rotter]

Hopefully I understand now, so what the manual is stating is if you want to apply a material to the 3D object created in invigorator you would have to use layer maps in which case both objects are in 3D space ? And by “plane” you mean just a regular layer in AE with something like fractal noise applied to it ?