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revolving objects + revolving footage = headspinning
Hello there, long time no see.
I need help on something that’s really driving me nuts, mostly because I’m trying to make it as easy and open to changes as possible.
Let me break it down.
I’ve got a footage of a revolving object that the 3d artist at the office made. Client wants to put text on it and I had the idea to have it revolve around the object. Piece of cake.
I created a null object, made it 3d and made it revolve exactly as the object does. Created my 7 layers of text, made them 3d moved them around in 3d space and linked them to the null object. They always face the camera, to make it more readable. Made the footage a 3d layer too and everything works fine.
Here’s the tricky part. I want to have lines coming out of the object to connect it to the various text.
So I created a new solid, made a mask, generated a stroke, made the layer 3d, connected it to the text and the null object.
Everything revolves just fine but here’s the problem. I have to have the lines way too far from the footage to have them go behind and in front of it as they revolve, if I get them closer to the footage and the null, then they don’t get behind when they are supposed to.
I hope I’m making sense.
I really can’t wrap my head around a solution that doesn’t involve duplicating the footage and using it as a matte when needed, ’cause that would mean having 14 different precomp to retouch everytime a change is made on the position of the text.
Would Z depth help in any way? I have no idea how to use it.
Or am I better off admitting defeat and having the 3D team do the work?thanks on advance for any word of advice on this.
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2 Replies
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I though so, thanks for your sensible advice.
I guess we’ll just have to do that. It still is going to be hard work as the 3d team only made one revolve and I made it turn 6 times in After Effects so that I would have the time for all the text, that’s why I was trying to work my way around in After Effects.Again, thanks for your help.
V. -
Not knowing specifics it’s hard to say that it will work, but the New Zaxwerks Invigorator allows for 3D in AE. You can link 3D objects to AE 3D layers and animate those layers (and thus the objects). This may be an option for your project.
Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist
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