3D extruded shape layer – add texture or opacity of front?

[Hector Vera]

In order for you to change the opacity on the front of a 3D Shape, you can apply the layer mask technique to pull it off. Here are the instructions I found online that should be able to help you on this:

1. Bring your 3D shape layer into your composition and select the layer.
2. Add a new adjustment layer above the shape layer. Right-click on the adjustment layer and select “Create Null Object” to add a null object.
3. Click on the new null object and add a “Trim Path” effect to the null object. This will allow you to create a path for the 3D shape to follow.
4. With the Trim Path effect selected, click on the stop watch icon next to the “Start” property. This will add a keyframe for the start of the path.
5. Move forward in the timeline a few frames and create a new keyframe for the end of the path. Drag the path to create a path that goes around the 3D shape.
6. Right-click on the adjustment layer and select “Create Track Matte”.
7. In the Track Matte options dialog box, choose “Alpha” as the matte type. Click OK. This will create an alpha matte for the adjustment layer.
8. With the adjustment layer selected, click on the “Opacity” property. By default, it will say “Visible”. Change this to “Invert Matte” and click the stop watch icon to add a keyframe.
9. Move to the frame that you want to apply the opacity effect. Change the opacity to your desired level.

If all this is followed correctly, the results should be a 3D Shape with both a transparent front and solid sides. You can repeat this technique several times in order to change the opacity of all sides and you can also make other kinds of alterations to the 3D Layers to make it more close to the results that you want. I hope it helps!

[John Cuevas]

I feel like something musts have changed in the AE releases, because I could do this before by using a material override, but now in every render engine it’s greyed out. At Adobe Help in the extruding text and shape layers, the link for “Additional material options(reflection, index of refraction and transparency) has been disabled.

[Simon Scott]

Thanks Hector for the detailed points.
Unfortunately that’s too “complicated” to achieve since I have around 100 individual layers that would be adjusted like that..

My option to do it with a mask doesn’t work either I just found out since in “Cinema4D” Render there are no more track mattes..

Is there no effect that you can load with a texture or something?

[Simon Scott]

So, you were able to add a “material” (and change that look) in an older version?

[Hector Vera]

You mean like a more simple texture within those 100 layers?

[Simon Scott]

Basically any texture on top of individual 3d layers (with Cinema4D render). How can I achieve this when track matte layers are disabled?
I have several 3d shape layers, extruded. And need them to either have a texture on them, or best scenario would be to have the boxes like “glass boxes” (transparent etc) but I assume that isn’t possible inside AFX (only C4D directly), right?

Currently it seems I can only have solid boxed (one color, maybe more or less reflective with some hdr)

[John Cuevas]

I’m 95% positive that was possible and 5% thinking I’m suffering from Mandela effect. But if you look at my example, it is right there and the help page used to have a link that went to transparency…so I think that is how it used to be.

[Simon Scott]

Yeah, it’s like that in my AFX version too. But I guess some other option has to be enabled or whatever so it isn’t greyed out. Otherwise it would have been removed completely?
But even if that transparency wouldn’t be greyed out – would it actually achieve a transparent front where you see an image behind?