[Edward Wu]

Hi Kannan,

The Clipping Mask feature in Illustrator does not work when you import the path into ProAnimator. To check the paths, go into Outline mode by pressing “Cmd/Ctrl + Y”. This will allow you to see what the paths look like in Illustrator.

To clip paths, go into the Pathfinder window, and use the “Subtract” or the “Minus Front” command and it will cut one shape from another shape.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Matthew,

Try saving the Invigorator scene. Then, delete the Invigorator layer from your project, and re-apply it again. Then load the scene and see if this helps.

If you’re still having issues, try sending the project file to me at ed@zaxwerks.com and I’ll take a look.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Allby,

We’re finishing up the 64-bit conversion for The Werks. Our release schedule is as follows. We are close to releasing 3D Layer Tools and 3D Warps. Then, afterwards, we’ll be releasing The Werks 64-bit. At the moment, we do not have a set release date for The Werks.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Matthew,

Sorry to hear about the rendering issue you’re running into. Are you not able to render out any projects or just the one you’re currently working with?

Like Fernando suggested, we can try adjusting some of the settings and see if that helps with your render. In the Invigorator Output panel, be sure you are using the Invigorator Renderer instead of the OpenGL Renderer. Also, go into the Invigorator Preferences, and try disabling the setting “Multithreaded Rendering”. Then, go into the After Effects Preferences and turn off the Multiprocessing setting. See if changing these settings helps with your rendering.

If you are on a Mac, please send the crash report to me at ed@zaxwerks.com. We can take a look at the crash log to determine what is causing the crash on your system.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Kannan,

The easiest way is to go into Illustrator, and save the Gradient into the swatch bin. Then create a new project in Illustrator, and set the dimension of the project to be the size of the object you’re working with. Create a rectangle that fills the entire space, and apply the gradient color onto the rectangle.

Save the image as a JPEG. Then, go into ProAnimator and load the JPEG file into the Material Editor. Then, drag and drop the material onto the object, and you should have the same gradient colors!

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Kannan,

When opening the Illustrator file, be sure the “Use Illustrator Colors” setting is checked. When this setting is enabled, it takes the colors applied in Illustrator, and applies them onto your objects in ProAnimator. Keep in mind this only works for Solid RGB colors. If you are using gradient colors, the gradient colors do not get applied onto the ProAnimator objects. You will need to set up the gradients in ProAnimator.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Travis,

From our e-mail conversation, you should be up and running with no issues now. If you’re running into any other issues, please let me know.

For anyone else running into this issue, there is a compatibility issue with ProAnimator version 4.5.1 and OSX Snow Leopard. To fix this, you can either upgrade to ProAnimator version 5.0.7 or download a specific fix for 4.5.1. For more information on the release of ProAnimator version 5, please visit the link below:

https://zaxwerks.com/blog/2011/02/23/proanimator-5-available/

If you need the fix for version 4.5.1, please contact me at ed@zaxwerks.com

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Todd,

Sorry for the confusion on keyframing the Pre-roll. I was thinking about 2 different ideas and ended up combining them.

There are two ways to get the Flag to go from a still image to a waving flag. The first way is to change the Pre-roll value to 0. This will keep the Flag as a still image, then start waving as soon as it hits time 0.

The second approach is to keyframe the Wind Speed and Gravity. For example, if you want the Flag to start as a still image and start waving at 3 seconds, then change the Wind Speed and Gravity to 0 and set a keyframe at 3 seconds. This will keep the Flag as a still image from 0 – 3 seconds. Then, you can set another keyframe at 4 seconds, and change the Wind Speed back to 11, and the Gravity back to 9.8. You can adjust the keyframe from 4 seconds to customize how fast the Flag changes from a still image to a waving Flag.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Todd,

The key to getting a Flag to go from a still image to a waving Flag is the “Pre-Roll” controls. By setting the Pre-Roll to 0, it will make the Flag start out as a flat image. Then, keyframe the Pre-Roll control and increase the value of the Pre-Roll along the timeline, and the Flag start waving.

For more information on this, please visit the page listed below:

https://zaxwerks.com/online_docs/3D_Flag_AE/2.0/flatCard.html

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Jesper,

You’re welcome. I’m glad it’s working out for you now!

Best,
Edward