Using AE, CameraTracker and Cinema 4D to add 3D text to video scene – workflow question

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Using Camera Tracker gives you a good Camera solve in AE- you can export that data to C4D, or you can use ShapeShifter AE without going outside of AE. You can use AE Lights, Reflection mapping, change fonts and animate fonts on the fly.

https://library.creativecow.net/jelescu_tudor/ShapeShifter-Review/1

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Lance Gambis]

Thanks, I will definitely check out shapeshifter but still would like to get more details on what do to do with the camera tracker information once it’s imported to C4D from AE. I did find this tutorial from greyscale gorilla (https://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/10/how-to-export-your-scene-from-cinema-4d-to-after-effects/) but (I have not seen it yet) it looks that this is going the other way around.

[Adam Taylor]

The process would be to create your camera solve in AE, create some nulls using the Cameratracker software (these can be used as anchor points in your 3d app), export the tracking and camera data to C4d. You will need to manually copy the cameras focal length to the camera in C4d as that data does not get exported.

In C4D place you text where you want it. I usually load the video file into a background object in C4D so i can check the 3d is aligned where i want it. Then you will need to render out the animation.

Don’t try to do the comp in C4d as it will take forever to make any changes. The best way would be to switch the background object off, then render multiple layers (The greyscale gorrilla video shows this process well).
Its not an easy thing to do if you are a novice – but then its a good technique to learn and what better time than now?

good luck

Adam Taylor
Video Editor/Audio Mixer/ Compositor/Motion GFX/Barista
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK

http://www.sculptedbliss.co.uk
My YouTube Animations Page

[Lance Gambis]

Thanks Adam. I did come across a great tutorial yesterday (https://rendertimeblog.com/index/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=177:gauntlet-workflow-series&catid=43:tutorials&Itemid=202) that is more or less what I was looking for. The author breaks down the whole process:

1. Creating a camera solve with camera tracker in AE
2. Exporting a reference frame from AE to C4D
3. Creating a text animation in C4D and adding lights
4. Exporting the C4D animation with an alpha channel back to AE.

I’m guessing that for more involved project, you would have to export the tracking data from AE to C4D. Is that what the greyscale gorilla tutorial shows. Anyway, thanks again for your advice.

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

Lance, I’ve not used Cinema4D so I’m wondering if you looked at the resources available at https://www.cineversity.com/ ?

As for The Foundry’s Camera Tracker, I’ve used it a fair bit and for accommodating 3D text within a tracked scene, I’ve used Zaxwerks as well as the ole AE trick of adding extrusion. Mettle’s Shapeshifter should suffice as well although I’ve not used it in a similar situation – gotta bother Chris for this sooner than later. 😉

HTH
RoRK

Intensive AE & Mocha Training in Singapore and Malaysia
Adobe ACE/ACI (version 7) & Imagineer Systems Inc Approved Mocha Trainer