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3D Line animated from NULL
I have 3D information on a null object (from Maya) moving through my composition. I also have a 3D camera that is moving. I would like to have the null essentially draw a line through 3D space.
I have tried making a small solid, parenting it to the null, and adding an echo effect, but the best I can do is have the solid echoed through the composition as though the camera were not moving i.e. the results of the echo move with the 3D camera, so they’re always visible in the composition instead of moving off the composition as the camera moves.
I’ve also tried adding a beam effect between nulls that are offset slightly, and then an echo on the beam, but I run into the same problem. I used this idea (https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/threeD-corner-pin.html) as an expression for the beam between the NULLs, but I think I have to precomp the null motion and collapse the transformations and so the expression no longer works. I don’t really understand how the 3D information is stored and what ToComp and FromComp do, so I’m at a bit of a loss. Perhaps there is an easier way? Thanks for any ideas. Hopefully the structure makes sense.
– stuartjantzen.com –
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7 Replies
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You could probably do it with Trapcode Particular. Attach a light to the null, make it your emitter and you could generate a line that way.
But you might find it quicker just to make a line in you 3D app and bring it into AE.
Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb. -
Thank you for your response. I’m hesitant to spend several hundred dollars on a plugin for this, so hopefully there is a simpler (cheaper) way. I’m familiar with bringing null objects and 3d camera data into after effects from maya, but I’m not sure how to export a line. Can someone point me to some more info on this?
Thanks again.– stuartjantzen.com –
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I agree with John Particular is very nice for this, but I think you can also use CC particle world which comes with AE. Andrew Kramer has a nice tutorial on it.
https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/3d_stroke_effect/
Doyle Lewis, Assistant Videographer
thinkck.com
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It’s is an expensive plugin, but one of the best ones around. I don’t use maya, but wouldn’t you just render your animation with an alpha channel, that’s what I would do with C4D.
Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb. -
That tutorial was great, I’ve got something working now. Thanks!
– stuartjantzen.com –
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I’ll look into it in the future, it looks like a pretty great plugin. Right now I’ve got something working with CC particle world, thanks to a video copilot tut. I could render something out of maya, but it’s supposed to be a glowy laser beam type effect, and I figured I’d have a lot more control generating it in AE.
– stuartjantzen.com –
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Looks like I’m going to learn something too, didn’t think it could be done with CC Particle world.
Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.
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