[Edward Wu]

Thanks for the update.

Glad to hear everything is working out now.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Michael,

You may want to disable Multiprocessing in the After Effects Preferences and see if that helps you render without After Effects hanging.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Joe,

I forgot to add, 3D Serpentine End caps look for “.zxo” files, so the only way to map 2D objects would be to use the “Plane” technique mentioned in the previous post, or take your footage and turn it into a 3D Layer in After Effects, and parent it to the 3D Serpentine Path. 3D Serpentine doesn’t accept other file formats as the End Cap.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Joe,

If you’re thinking of using a 2D video as your end cap, what you can try is to create a plane in 3D Invigorator/ProAnimator and export that as your custom end cap. Then, apply the video of the sparkle as a texture map onto the head end cap. This will allow you to have the 2D video mapped at the head of the fuse. However, this technique will be similar to the tracking technique mentioned, and might look like there is no depth in certain situations.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Harry,

3D Invigorator does have a tracking command that allows you to track any After Effects 3D Layer. After you set up tracking, the 3D Invigorator object will then move along with the 3D layer.

In the example you’ve provided, if you can obtain the camera data, it would be easier to set up because you can setup the 3D Invigorator Text to use the Comp Camera, and the text will change in perspective according to the camera changes.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Mark,

To get a glass effect, use Object Style 15. To see the swatch names, go to the “Swatch” drop down menu on the upper right corner, and enable the option “Show Names & Notes”. You can then apply Object Style 15 to your objects.

If you’re looking to create your own glass material, the key is to make a material that has a high value set up for Highlight Sharpness and Brightness, as well as a high value set up for the Reflectivity. You will need to add a reflection map, then increase the transparency value.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Chad,

From your description, it sounds like you’re running into an issue where the undocked panels within After Effects are conflicting with the ProAnimator interface.

If you dock all the After Effects panels before running ProAnimator, the interface should open up properly. To dock all the panels within After Effects, select the “Effects” workspace, then go back into the Workspace panel, and select “Reset Effects”. You will see a dialog box asking if you would like to discard changes. Click “OK”, and this will dock all your After Effects panels. Then, you can run ProAnimator.

If you are still having any issues, please let me know.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Mark,

I sent an e-mail to you that includes the screen shot. Please take a look and try the steps I’ve provided in the e-mail.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Mark,

Be sure to check the “Root Directory (Macintosh HD) > Library > Preferences” folder, and be sure that you have “Read & Write” permissions enabled here. This will allow you to input the authorization code, and you won’t see the error message anymore.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Kevin,

I’m not sure how you are setting up the project from your screen shot, but from the looks of it, it might be because you are not applying ProAnimator FX to a Color Solid that is project size. To avoid clipping issues, first create a Color Solid that is project size. Then, apply ProAnimator FX to the Solid. This way, whatever you create in ProAnimator FX should fit exactly into your project window.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Edward