[Edward Wu]

Hi James,

What version of Final Cut Pro and Motion are you running?

Also, try a clean install and see if this helps:

Go to your “Documents > Zaxwerks” folder. Then, delete the “3D Flag FX” folder.

Next, go to your “Root Directory > Library > Plug-ins > FxPlug” folder, and delete the “Zaxwerks3DFlag.fxplug” folder. Now, run the installer for 3D Flag and install the program. Set up your project in Motion or Final Cut Pro, and see if you are still running into the crash.

Let me know if this helps.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Joe,

For the head and tail objects, you are able to attach an exported object from 3D Invigorator, ProAnimator, or ProModeler. However, the exported object would be a static object as opposed to realistic, burning flame. With that said, you can try creating a general shape of a flame, attach it as a Head object and apply a texture map to it. Then, parent particles or footages to the head, and you should be able to pull off the effect that you’re looking for.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi David,

One thing you can do is place all your texture maps in “Documents > Zaxwerks > ProAnimator/3D Invigorator > Zaxwerks Maps” folder. When the program launches, it will first go through that folder to check for the maps or the location of the file. If the program doesn’t find the swatches, it will ask you to re-link the file.

By placing all your texture maps in the Zaxwerks Maps folder, it should automatically find the swatches.

If this doesn’t work for you, you can try going into the “Documents > Zaxwerks” folder, and delete the “ProAnimator” or “3D Invigorator” folder. This will reset your swatches, and you should not get the error messages any more.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi David,

When you import a model into 3D Invigorator Pro, it imports the model with the UV mapping coordinates, but not with the texture map applied. Thus, if you have the texture map, you used in Photoshop, you can apply that texture map onto your sphere in 3D Invigorator Pro, and you’ll be able to get the sphere that you’ve created in Photoshop.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi David,

Our program accepts Cinema 4D files up to version 5. So it’s possible that the model that you are importing is from a newer version of Cinema 4D.

If you purchased the model from a site such as Turbo Squid, they typically have the models available to download in multiple formats, such as Maya OBJ, or Lightwave LWO. If you are able to download the model in either of those two formats, you should have no issues importing the model into 3D Invigorator Pro.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Ken,

Try the following techniques and see if they help with your project:

A) For the first issue you are running into, try adjusting the slider for the “Ease” and that may help the letter show up earlier so the letter may still show up in a tumble.

B) For the letters and the cube, try doing a hard group for each letter for each character. When you use hard group for your letters, they will move and rotate together.

If you’re still having issues, you can try e-mailing me the project so I can take a look at what you are running into. My e-mail address is ed@zaxwerks.com

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Ryan,

The first thing is to double check that you are using version 4.5.1 of 3D Invigorator Pro. Also, where are you seeing the flashing? Is it in the After Effects Effect Controls panel, or is it when you click “Options” or the little red ball to access the 3D Invigorator Set-up window? If you’re having issues using version 4.5.1, please attach a screen shot so I can see what the issue looks like.

If you could provide steps as to what you are doing when you see this issue, that would be great. Be sure to specify at what point the issue pops up. Also, was the plug-in working at any point, or was it not working ever since you’ve installed it?

Please provide as much information as you can so I can figure out what you’re running into. Thanks.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Jim,

The way to do that is to first apply 3D Flag to a Comp-sized Solid, then adjust the size of the Flag from using the “Size From” setting. You can change the “Width” and the “Height” so that they exceed the screen size.”

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi Mark,

When using the “Try” preset animations, the program applies a pre-made animation onto your object. This means that it will act according to the pre-made animation, and not take into account where your objects are, or whether they intersect with other objects.

If you have an animation in mind, the best way is to create the animation manually, so that the animation flows according to how you’ve imagined it. If you are working with presets to get the flow of the animation together, you can go to individual pose positions, and re-arrange the object so that they don’t intersect with one another. If the animation is intersecting at a transition, consider adding more “Arch” to the animation so that it flows in a different direction. You can also add more poses to give the animation more control.

To push your objects back, you can use the “Move XYZ” controls in the “Animation” window. Select the checkbox, then type in a value for “Z” and it will move your objects further or closer to the camera. This will help prevent your objects from intersecting.

Best,
Edward

[Edward Wu]

Hi guys,

We resolved this issue, but in case anyone is running into the same issue, be sure that you do not use a compression type such as DVC, HDV, MPEG, JPEG or any other that does NOT support an alpha channel. If you are rendering to a QuickTime movie, the compressor must be set to “Animation” and “Millions of Colors+”. The “+” means it will render with the Alpha Channel. If you render out in AVI format, use the Uncompressed option.

Best,
Edward