3D stroke+light?

[Ben Hawkins]

Hey,
Now im not sure exactly what you are using for a 3d stoke, or how your layers or 3d stuff set up but a basic way to do it would be this and in a perfect world with out an expressions is this.
I would just attach a light to it, and its very simple, Just create a new light, i would use point or spot. Then go to the parent area and just parent it to the 3d stroke. then mess with the lights options. If you don’t want the light to be at the front then just move the light comparison to the stroke and thats the area it will follow. Also the 3d layers you want to light up will have material options in them, sort of like most 3d programs(example 3d max and maya). It will try to simulate what this material would look like when light is on it. if you just click on the arrow on the side of the layer you want to light you will see the drop down for material options.

I hope this helps a little
3D Slaughter
Ben

I got the hottest beats and the softest fur.

[Eran Solomon]

Hey, first of all thanks for your reply.
the face it I do use 3d stroke by trapcode.
I tried parenting the light into the 3d stroke but nothing happends.

I use offset to move the 3d stroke around a path.
should I do this diffrently?

Thanks in advance!

[Nico Jones]

I don’t think you can do this, as the 3D stroke offset function has no x, y or z data to attach a light to.

Parenting stuff to the 3D stroke layer won’t do anything because you’re just parenting to the solid the 3D stroke is applied to.

You can probably use particular with motion paths to achieve an identical effect though. Could take a lot of tweaking but it would work!

[Ben Hawkins]

I have not used much trapcode but you should be able to attach something to a partical effect ( you can to CC partical effects). It might start out at 0,0,0 but there might be a way around this.
putting opjects in there own pre-comp and then putting that in your original comp does work wounders with value problems.

Here is a great tutorial. it might help? https://ayrshire.creativecow.net/articles/kramer_andrew/nano/index.htm

Ben

I got the hottest beats and the softest fur.

[Brian Lynn]

Just an idea, and I may be way off here…

Try to duplicate the path you’ve used for the stroke, attach a light to the path, and animate the light along the path at the points you need it to highlight the stroke effect.

I don’t know if a path with 3dStroke applied stays as a path or not… if it does you could likely duplicate the entire 3dStoke layer, turn off the stroke itself, but keep all the XYZ twists and 3d effects… then again, attach the light to the path, and manually animate with the head of the 3dStroke.

I’ve done something kinda similar simply using two 3dStroke layers, one duplicated after the first was made, changed the shape and look of the 3dStroke, and applied Shine to the second 3dStroke effect until it looked like a glowing light… the path animation is already there, and if you just shorten the stroke on the “light” piece you can easily make the smaller 3dStroke follow the tip of the first. It was a very simple clip though without a whole ton of alteration on the stroke.

[Brian Lynn]

Completely forgot to add this line:

The lights fading up and down with the stroke as it passes you would have to fake on the last method… as far as i know there is now way to make the 3DStroke emit an actual light…