[Zane Bridgers]

Thank you very much for your response!

I guess I was hoping there might be some magic solution I was ignorant of, but it sounds like just checking the 3D box and using the camera tool is a good bet.

Does 3D space increase RAM preview/Render time? Does every layer in every comp need to have 3D checked, or just each precomp in the final composition?

I use null object parenting frequently, but it wouldn’t work for this animation currently as I have a very large vector background scene that the animation moves through. It’s 30,000px and is a real bear to RAM preview, event at 1/8 resolution. Perhaps you could use a low res photo of the vector and then replace with the actual vector for the final render to speed thing up.

As for running out of real estate, so to speak, does anyone know of a tool that can auto-align compositions with the same content? I’ve used HDR photo software that aligns handheld bracketed photos, so I know it’s a possibility, but not finding much for AE. Even with a 30,000px comp, if there’s a lot of motion through the scene, it doesn’t take long to have the scene extend beyond the boundaries.

I’ve noticed 3D rendering software works in an unconstrained 3D plane for this reason, but I suppose since AE wasn’t designed for this, we have to bumble through with the tools we have.

Thank you again!
Zane