Automatic Ducl Ximport AE

[Bret Williams]

It’s really the roundtripping I’m missing. Rarely need to send anything but a clip over to Motion. But once I create a project, I want to put it right in the timeline and then reopen it in motion without publishing generators (which aren’t editable in Motion from the timeline either.)

Don’t we already have FCP X to AE directly from XtoCC? This looks better of course. Can’t they at least have XML import in Motion?

But don’t forget the easy process to get FCP X into Motion 5. Use XtoCC to export FCP 7 XML. Open in FCP 7. Send to Motion 4, which saves a Motion 4 project. Open the Motion 4 project in Motion 5. Simple! (note: depending on your setup, may require 2nd machine running Motion 4 and FCP 7).

[Oliver Peters]

[Bret Williams] “Don’t we already have FCP X to AE directly from XtoCC?”

The main difference is that ADXAE is a direct import function in the AE file menu. So it skips one translation in the process. There’s also a more direct tie in with third-party plug-ins and the ability by Wes to add more plug-ins support in the future. So if you have the same plug-ins for a number of the developers in both FCPX and AE, the parameters are translated.

I work with a lot of other editors who use an NLE for little more than cutting clips together and then use AE for everything else – color, effects, graphics, etc. This is ideal for those folks, if FCPX is their NLE of choice.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Bret Williams]

Well, since they’re doing little more than cutting clips together, XtoCC would be the better choice by $150. Unless you’re into throwing money away. 1 extra step. Have you tried to XtoCC?

Too bad they don’t know motion. You can actually edit video in motion in RT just like an nle.

[Oliver Peters]

[Bret Williams] “Have you tried to XtoCC?”

I’ve used both tools. I was testing the AD beta, as well. Both are good tools with different strengths and weaknesses. Right now, if you want the strongest translation into AE CS6 of higher, then AD Ximport would be the way to go. The main part is a stronger plug-in translation.

[Bret Williams] “You can actually edit video in motion in RT just like an nle.”

Yikes! I’d rather edit in AE.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Oliver Peters]

A couple of reviews:

https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/automatic-duck-redux/

https://www.provideocoalition.com/the-return-of-automatic-duck-fcpx-to-after-effects-and-media-copy

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Bret Williams]

I’m sure it’s great, but the article makes the same point you did- that most of the people in need of this do all their heavy lifting in AE and only do shot selection in X. So for that, there’s already a $50 solution that is a very mature, well supported and often updated- XtoCC. Which is ironically made possible by Automatic Duck itself built into AE as Pro Import.

Hopefully they’ll work on a Motion solution. But I assume it’s impossible since nobody has done it yet.