[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Leon,

My educated guess is probably not. The best way to see is to download the demo and try it.

I would recommend using ProAnimator, because it works as a stand-alone as well as a plug-in for After Effects.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

For clarification…

The third sentence should read: First off, to get the most from either Invigorator or ProAnimator, you really should have Illustrator. True, the pro version of Invigorator and ProAnimator can create text without ILLUSTRATOR.

That’s what I get for typing fast.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Fred,

Knowing more about your needs would help us provide a better answer.

First off, to get the most from either Invigorator or ProAnimator, you really should have Illustrator. True, the pro version of Invigorator and ProAnimator can create text without Invigorator. True, you can generate primative shapes. And yes, you can get minimal shapes out of Photoshop, but Illustrator is almost a must for anything else.

With that decision out of the way… If I had to choose either Invigorator Pro or ProAnimator, I would choose ProAnimator. Its motion controls are unmatched by anything else out there.. plus, it’s a stand-alone app as well as a plug-in…. so you don’t need to deal with After Effects if you don’t want to.

Hope this helps…. by the way, feel free to download the demos from the Zaxwerks site.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Ben,

I don’t have Cinema 4D, but suspect you should be able to choose the option under the object export command.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Ben,

Try exporting the object in C4D version 5 format. Historically, that’s been the format to choose…

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Karen,

Yes, it’s possible. the reload and replace functions are useful in a variety of situlations like this.

Read this: https://zaxwerks.com/zax_tips.shtml

If that doesn’t get you going, tell us more about your project and we’ll get you going.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Walt,

Zaxwerks (the company) offers two different 3D apps that work inside of After Effects: 3D Invigorator and ProAnimator. ProAnimator also runs as a standalone. They share modeling abilities but are vastly different in how they handle animating the 3D objects. They’re very simple to use, compared to typical 3D apps, including Lightwave, Maya, Cinema, etc. At the same time, they’re quite powerful and capable of producing very high-quality animations.

Before you dismiss the demo you have, I’d invite you to drop by the Zaxwerks forum on the COW for some advice on your project. I have a feeling that a bit of basic instruction will help you quickly get what you want.

Jon Okerstrom
Zaxwerks COW forum host

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Walt,

Zaxwerks (the company) offers two different 3D apps that work inside of After Effects: 3D Invigorator and ProAnimator. ProAnimator also runs as a standalone. They share modeling abilities but are vastly different in how they handle animating the 3D objects. They’re very simple to use, compared to typical 3D apps, including Lightwave, Maya, Cinema, etc. At the same time, they’re quite powerful and capable of producing very high-quality animations.

Before you dismiss the demo you have, I’d invite you to drop by the Zaxwerks forum on the COW for some advice on your project. I have a feeling that a bit of basic instruction will help you quickly get what you want.

Jon Okerstrom
Zaxwerks COW forum host

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Russ,

You wrote: >>Been using Invigorator quite a bit lately and a few things which are slowing me down.

1. While in the set up window, I select an object…make some changes and then put away the set up window. If I have to make another change and go back to the set up window, I have to re-select the object. Would prefer that the selected object remain selected.

2. Would like a way to get selected objects to frame in the window the same way some of the other 3D packages do it. In Maya you select an object hit ‘F’ and the select fills the frame.

3. I have a lot of trouble selecting objects with the pen tool…..have to keep the pen down for a long period of time before the object is highlighted.

4. Just in general it is very time-comsuming having to continually open and close the set up window to make changes. Might this change in the future. It there a tip to make it easier?

Thanks
>>

A few thoughts about your comments… First, Zaxwerks is very focused on workflow. You have lots of options for working faster that you might not be using.

I guess I’ll start with a question… what’s driving you to go back to the setup window a lot? Normally, I create my objects and put them in their initial position right away. Once that and the lighting are done, I don’t find myself going back there a lot.

One trick that could save some time for you… use the “test” function in the setup window to see a fully-rendered version of your art. On the Mac, hold down the “Apple” key and the word OKAY turns into TEST. I think it’s the commmand key on PCs, but am not sure. Doing this avoids having to go back and forth a lot, just to see how a material or lighting change looks in “best quality” rendering mode.

Also, if you look at the camera popup for the set-up window and the scene preview window, you will find a “fit all” option and the “fit selected” optoin. They do the same thing, but the impact on your project is very different, depending on which one you choose, and whether you hit the “update camera” button when you leave the setup window. It’s not quite the same as your “F” key example, but is available.

Last, I don’t normally select objects with the pen tool unless your project is really simple. I prefer using the object pop-up menu below the setup window (you can hold down the shift key to select more than onen object), and the set selection pop-up below the scene preview window.

I hope these tips will help you work faster….

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi junior,

If you’re making 3D text and logos – either animated or still – the top two choices in the world are Invigorator and ProAnimator. Nothing else on the planet comes close to the perfect combination of ease of use with powerful animation and rendering options. You can use either one to render movies or high-resolution stills for print work and further manipulation in Photoshop.

ProAnimator and Invigorator have similar modeling abilities, but differ in how they handle object motion. Go to the Zaxwerks site for some good comparison information.

I would strongly suggest spending some time getting to know Illustrator. Understanding how to make the right shapes there will really ramp up what you can do with Invigorator or ProAnimator.

Does this help?

Jon