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  • AE CS4 and Live 3D, cant apply lights

    Posted by Ardi Hundt on March 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    Hi,

    so i get a 3ds 3D model via Photoshop CS4 3D Live to AfterEffects CS4. Import as composition, Live 3D selected. The model displays nicely in AE, i open the containing composition and rotate in real 3D like theres no tomorrow. BUT! when i try to apply a Light (still inside the 3D comp), the 3D model does not catch it.

    Now, i can add all the effects directly to the 3D model. I can use camera. Only the lights dont seem to be working. I added Sapphire Lightning Spotlight, and that lights up my 3D model nicely, but i dont know how to apply as multilayer, so its really no good to me.

    Any help appreciated,

    Ardi

    Todd Kopriva replied 17 years, 5 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Ardi Hundt

    March 18, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    Hi again,

    and thank you mr. LaRonde for the quick reply.

    The “accept lights” property you mentioned can be found under Material Options , and yes, it is set to Accept Lights by default. However, you might be somewhat in the right tracks here, as this option is only availible for 3D objects, and i noticed now, that in such an imported 3D Live-model-composition-thingie, 3D can only be set to the controller (null object), and not the actual image itself, that is in another layer and 2d by default, therefore sitting under the controller as some sort of a facade, as i understand it.

    So when adding Lights, which apply to 3D objects only, i guess the lights dont really interact with the actual 3D image, but only with the controller… which cannot be seen.

    Best,

    Ardi

  • Todd Kopriva

    March 18, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    from the “Using 3D object layers from Photoshop” section of After Effects CS4 Help:

    “To paint on the textures of the 3D object, modify its material options, change its lighting, or otherwise edit the 3D object itself, you must return to Photoshop. The most convenient way to edit the original PSD file is by opening it in Photoshop with the Edit Original command in After Effects.”

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    Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
    putting the ‘T’ back in ‘RTFM’ : After Effects Help on the Web
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  • Todd Kopriva

    March 18, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    Okay then, Todd, what CAN you with this new CS4 feature that makes it useful? I’m scratching my head over that one….

    Simple things.

    At the bottom of the page that I linked to is a link to a video tutorial by Mark Christiansen that shows how to import and use a 3D object layer from Photoshop. The model is a relatively simple 3D text logo.

    I think that you’ll get more out of this feature if you think of it as a Photoshop integration feature, _not_ as a complex-3D-in-After-Effects feature. It’s really important to us that people are able to work in After Effects with anything that they can create in Photoshop. But the Photoshop 3D features are intended for relatively simple 3D work. After Effects does not remove those limitations.

    ———————————————————————————————————
    Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
    putting the ‘T’ back in ‘RTFM’ : After Effects Help on the Web
    ———————————————————————————————————

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