Move

[Kevin Camp]

if i’m following what you’re looking for, i think you can do this with a parenting and a null layer.

first create a null (layer>new>null). a null is basically an invisible layer, we will use the null as a pivot point for your other layer… so keyframe in an animation for rotation of the null. then, from the timeline, parent your shape to the null. if the ‘parenting’ panel is not visible in the timeline, click the arrrow button at the top-right corner of the timeline and choose columns>parenting, then choose the null as the parent for the shape.

if you reposition the shape to offset the null (just move it away from the null) and scrub thru the timeline you should see the layer oribit around the null.

if you need this to work in 3d, then make both the shape and null layers 3d layers and animated the rotation of the null around whichever axis the shape need to rotate around and offset the shape’s position as needed.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Jim Jordan]

Great!

I got that set up to work as I requested in the post….
I set the shape to the null, moved the anchor point from 3D center and moved the shape around in a 3d sphere by changing the orientation.

Here is the next part of the trick. The shape is a sphere made by a video still with CC sphere, although it looks like a sphere to active camera when it moves in 3D space it is a flat plane.

Is there a way to have the face of the sphere element face active camera at all times?

Thank for the first answer to the project!

[Kevin Camp]

if you have a 3d camera (or just add a camera) in the comp, then you can set the cc sphere layer to auto-orient to the camera (always face the camera).

select the cc sphere layer. choose layer>transform>auto-orient… select towards camera from the window that pops up.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Jim Jordan]

Wow,
Got it,
Thank you very much.
Now it is time to do lots of tweeking.

I’m on my way unless you would recommend another approach to have 5 to 10 spheres rotate in random space.