Joseph W. bourke
Forum Replies Created
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Ray –
What I normally do (my workflow goes from 3DStudio Max 8 to After Effects) is output my 3D element from Max as a Quicktime with alpha channel (Animation setting, millions of colors+) at 60 frames per second with no fields. This lets my element be keyable, and gets rid of the frame stutter problem commonly associated with elements that contain fields.
When I import the file into AE, I just make sure my setting is 30 frames per second, and it treats the 60 frames as fields – looks great, and keys just fine.
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Daniel –
Here are a few things to try:
1. Set your “secret” settings in AE to purge every 5 frames. To get to the settings, hold down the Shift key while selecting Preferences.
2. Split your project into smaller pieces.
3. Render out Targa files, then, after the crash, at least you will have everything up until the crash saved, at which point you can try the render from the crash frame. Then import your Targas and render out whichever format you need.
4. Read this:
https://generalspecialist.com/2007/02/troubleshooting-after-effects-7.asp
Good luck!
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
For all around special effects, I would point you toward Particle Illusion:
It is a freestanding software package which will allow you to output just about anything you could imagine: smoke, fire, plasma, fairy dust, you name it. It’s a 2D three-D package, meaning that it isn’t true 3D, but take a look at some of the feature films it’s been used in, and you’ll see that it doesn’t matter. There’s a huge free library of presets on the website, so you can get started without creating stuff from scratch. By the way, I’m not affiliated with Wondertouch – I use particle Illusion in Combustion, and find it very useful. You just render off your effect over black, then composite it in Additive mode – looks great.
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Simon –
If I remember correctly, both the CC Cylinder and CC Sphere plugins have the option to render the “inside” or “outside” of the effect, meaning that the inside effect would show what’s on the inside/back of the cylinder, and conversely (or would that be concavely?) the outside effect would show the outside/front of the effect.If you simply make two copies of your papers effect, put the cylinder (or sphere if it enhances the realism) effect on both, then make the one behind your layer the inside of the cylinder, and the one in front of your layer the outside, you will have what appears to wrap around your guy at the office desk. It works, although you will have to play with the radius of your cylinder to make it look right – and make sure whatever radius you use is the same for both copies of CC Cylinder. Good luck!
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Keiko –
At my station there are a couple of ways I deliver lower-third graphics, depending on where the project is ending up. When delivering a lower-third for our Promotions Editor, I simply create a Quicktime movie with a built in alpha channel (Animation codec, millions of colors+) – this would be for an AVID system, not to be played back live, but post-produced. I generally either create more animation than needed (if they need a :10, I make it :15), or make a seamless loop, so they can make as much lower third background as they need. The text is then added in post – sometimes I make an example of how I want the text design done, then send it as a Photoshop file for reference (FPO – for position only).If the graphic is destined for live playback on the air, I have to make a two part graphic which is actually two files – a Fill file and a Matte file. The Fill file is the graphic and the Matte file is the alpha channel. In AE, I render off the Fill as a Quicktime Motion JPEG-A, then render off the alpha from the same codec, checking off the Alpha Only choice in the pulldown. This file is saved with the same file name as the fill, but with a “k” appended to the end. When it is loaded, the fill matches up with the matte, and it airs with an alpha.
As Dave said above…every client/facility is going to have a slightly different way of doing things. Talk to the producer or client and find out what they need. We also have Graphics on our playback system which are created as Templates, so that in our News playback, the producer can open the template, type their own CGs, and then save the file to the News Rundown. It goes straight to air (usually mis-spelled) and our Graphics Operators then have to run the traps on the spelling.
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
I would strongly suggest any of Chris and Trish Meyers’ books, but especially “After Effects Apprentice”, a book designed specifically for getting you up to speed quickly. Any of their books would be terrific – good examples, CD with projects included, and real world solutions to problems you’re likely to run into.
I made the transition from Combustion to AE using their “Creating Motion Graphics with AE” book, and I was up to speed in about three weeks (of course it’s taken me a few years to get really comfortable with the package, but actually using it on the job will accomplish that). Here’s a link:
https://www.cybmotion.com/training/books.html
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Adam –
There’s a free script at AEnhancers which does the job for you. I’ve tried it in AE CS3 and it works just fine…a nice flare at the light point with a cone of volumetric light. You can find it at:
https://aenhancers.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=343
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Yup…this one has been beaten to death, but if you don’t know the answer, just knowing that someone else has it doesn’t help much. I think this sounds like a job for the “Secret” settings. Hold down the Shift key while you enter your AE preferences. There will now be a “Secret” category. Set your purge (I think that’s what it’s called – I’m not in front of my box) to 1 frame. If that works, try the setting a bit higher – I use 5 frames, and it works great for me…no error messages.
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
Joe –
This is an easy one. Just make two indentically sized copies of your subtitle text, one in blue, one in white (or whatever colors you choose). Then create a linear wipe transition on the top layer, and wipe it from right to left. Just time the transition to match the lyrics being sung, and you’re all set. You could even set the softness of the wipe so that you’d get a bit more subtle effect.
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV -
There’s a possibility that it was done using Particle Illusion. This is the “secret weapon” of the visual effects world. It’s cheap, and it can do some killer effects. Essentially it’s a 2D particle system that just spits out small bitmaps which can be custom made by the user, or one can use the extensive libraries which come with it.
Check out the website and see what you think:
There’s also the possibility that it was done using FumeFX in 3D Studio, a real-world smoke and fire simulator that is hard to match for realistic (and surreal) effects:
https://www.afterworks.com/FumeFX.asp?ID=13
Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV