[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi MrVideo,

In ProAnimator, the rendering settings are accessed by clicking on the camera icon beneath the scene preview window. when you click render movie, you get a compression settings window. That’s where you can choose to render using the animation codec and millions+ to give you the alpha channel. It’s one of many rendering options, but the one I’d use as well. You’ve found the right spot.

As for rendering a still image, it does include alpha channel information. Render the image, then do File>Save Picture. Then choose a format that supports alpha channels… targa does. If you open it in Photoshop, you’ll see the alpha channel is there. I would not adivse using jpeg because of artifacts that may happen during resizing, regardless of the alpha channel issue.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Manny,

There are two ways to get around this limitation: one is to put more than one letter in each set. This may work for you depending on the distribution and movement you’re trying to achieve.

A second way is to use more than one instance of Invigorator, so you increase the number of available sets. The only issue with this is the letters from one instance won’t really interact with the letters in the second. This may or may not be a problem depending on what you’re doing.

One way to make everything line up perfectly is to create the ending position of your text animation in one instance of Invigorator. (Do everything to the objects except animating to sets. Then save the invigorator effect as a favorite effect and apply it to another AE layer. Now that you have identical “Invigorated” layers, turn off the visibility of some letters in the first instance and turn off visibility of the remaining letters in the second.

Now go about animating sets in both instances.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Manny,

I assume you’re taking about the AE version rather than ProAnimator. Animating text is just like animating any other objects you create. Each letter (or group of letters) needs to be assigned to one of the available sets. Then, in the scene preview window select each set and keyframe a starting and ending point in the AE timeline.

You might check out the tutorials here on the COW for more detail.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Emery,

You’re right. I used new features in ProAnimator 4 to make it happen. I’m not aware of a way to accomplish the same effect in ProAnimator 3. Your best bet is to get the upgrade — the wrap feature is just one of many very significant improvements.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Emery,

Try this using the advanced controls:

Create a pose for your text. In your pose, choose cylinder wrap>horizontal bend with the rotate around cylinder center checked. Adjust the bend to determine how tightly the letters arch around the center.

Now in the pose action presets, choose pose grouping>spin y and enter your rotation number. The length of the pose determines how long it takes for the text to do its thing.

Is this what you’re after?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Jody,

The custom edge would look like the shape of the outside surface of the apple, from the point where the stem enters the apple, around one side of the apple and stopping in the indentation in the bottom center.

As for the sphere problems, you’re right. A primative sphere will not work.

Using the circle from Illustrator, make it very, very small. Maybe the size of a 12 point period. Then, in Invigorator, use the depth scale to adjust the size of the sphere.

Hope this helps… in case Serge can’t find his aep file.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Got2BTru,

The short answer is no, not in the current version. ProAnimator uses reflection mapping to simulate reflections from an environment around the object or objects. The environment can be an image or a layermap.

I suspect getting objects to reflect off of eachother would require raytracing, a very processor-intensive form of rendering which is not an option right now. You may be able to fake it, though, depending on how much motion you’re dealing with.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Kevin,

You can get free updates from zaxwerks.com in the support>download software section.

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Chris,

The answer depends on which version of Invigorator you’re using. For example, Invig Pro AE 4 and ProAnimator 4 include a torus primative. One click and instant donut. Without a primative, you could create a custom edge bevel.. I haven’t tried it but a circle offset from the centerline axis in the Illustrator docuument, applied to a small sphere in Invigorator should work.

Adding the icing and sprinkles could be done with a bump map and a texture map, or you could go to the trouble of actually creating and placing individual 3d sprinkles… if you’re getting so close to the donut the illusion from the bump map would be lost… and if you’ve got lots of time.

Does this help?

Jon

[Jon Okerstrom]

Hi Jody,

The trick is to create a custom edge and apply it to a very small sphere. Invigorator Pro AE includes the ability to import custom edges from an Illustrator file and the documentation on how to make the edges in Illustrator.

I searched the archives of this forum and found a picture of an apple Serge made using a custom edge.

https://www.nyc-visual.com/apple.jpg

Jon