[Jon Okerstrom]

Jimmy,

What’s best for you depends on the type of work you do, but if I had to choose one, I’d choose ProAnimator. A few reasons beyond what you’ve said.

ProAnimator works as a stand-alone as well as a plug-in for AE. Having those options can save time. It comes with lots of animation presets which can be used as-is or as great starting points for moves of your own.

ProAnimator lets you export the camera and object animation data. You can then import the data back into After Effects and assign any other layers or precomps to the placeholder objects created when you import the data.This powerful feature allows you to easily animate AE layers and cameras in AE’s 3D space with the benefit of ProAnimator’s advanced animation controls. This is an advanced technique – there’s lots of animation power under the hood!

Invigorator is great at what it does, but the maximum of 8 sets and the fact that you’re manually setting keyframes are limiting factors.

Both apps share a common modeling heritage… so there won’t be much learning curve.

You also asked about whether it matters that ProAnimator’s 3D space isn’t AE’s 3D space. The fact is, Invigorator works the same way. Both apps let you use comp lights and camera.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi jimmy,

I’d double check with Zaxwerks support for sure, but I’m 99% certain you’ll need to upgrade or crossgrade to ProAnimator (that would be my choice.)

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi brngthepain13,

How realistic do you want the cracks to be?

If you want to make the 3D logo actually appear to crack or break in two, you can use layer cycling… Go from the complete object to a small crack to a larger crack and even two separate parts over the course of the animation.

You can use layer cycling to make the logo stretch over time too… like it’s elastic.

Short of doing that, you can use a layermap to introduce what look like cracks on the surface, without changing the geometry.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Henry,

This helps.

You can use layer mapping to put the contents of any AE layer or precomp on any of the rectangle’s surfaces. The precomp represents a movie of everything that happens on the surface of that rectangle… the movie playing, the text animating, etc. Simply build your precomp so the changes happen at the correct time… then in Invigorator, specify that precomp as a layer map (give it a number). Then make a material that includes the layer map number as its texture.

You will be able to see through the rectangle if the precomp includes text on no background.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Henry, I’m not certain I understand what you’re asking, but I’ll give it a shot.

You have a spinning Invig cube and want other elements in your comp to float around the cube and reactd as it spins. IF this is what you want, yes you can do it. Simply add a primative plane with the same aspect ratio as your comp and use layermapping to map any AE layer or precomp to that plane.

Put them both in the same set and they’ll spin together.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi jimmybee500,

I suspect you’ll need to upgrade. A lot has changed between AE 5.5 and 7.0… and Invigorator’s only gotten better.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Simka,

Glad to help. The number of sets is limited. People get around that by grouping more than one object in each set (which may work for you depending on the movement you want.)

Another option is to divide the objects into separate Invigorator layers. The problem with that is that objects from one layer will not be in the same 3d space as other layers. Depending on the motion you’re doing, this might also work for you.

A third option is to upgrade to ProAnimator, which can handle an unlimited number of objects at once. The animation system is really powerful and completely different from Invigorator, though the two apps share the same modeling interface.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi simka_toshiba,

You’ll need to put each letter into a different set. In the set-up window, choose the object, then use the set number pop-up to assign the object to the set.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Richard,

Two tips:

1) If you’re using bump maps, use the native rendering option rather than OpenGL.

2) You’ll want to use PA as a plug-in to make the most of animated reflection maps, which can benefit from motion as well as changes in brightness and color. You can also use AE’s lights to animate light qualities.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Keith,

I’ll jump in for Serge to speed your project along. Draw your line with a stroke, then use the path>ouutline stroke. This turns a stroked line into a filled solid.

Does this help?

Jon