Lesson 11: Using 3D Features
Note added to the beginning of Lesson 11.
Wireframes display behavior change
In After Effects 12.1 and later, wireframes for cameras and lights are shown by default, even when the camera and light layers are not selected. Illustrations in the original book were created using After Effects 12.0, which did not display wireframes when layers weren’t selected. Therefore, the illustrations may not exactly match what you see on your screen when you use an updated version to complete the exercises.
Changes in the behavior of new layers
Note
In After Effects 12.1 and later, a new layer is placed directly above the currently selected layer in the Timeline panel; if no layer is selected, the layer appears at the top of the stack. In previous versions of After Effects, new layers always appeared at the top of the stack. The following text replaces the first step in each of the respective sections. In each case, return to the original text at step 2.
Creating a light layer (page 274 in the printed book)
1. Deselect all layers, and then press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler.
Creating and positioning the fill light (page 276 in the printed book)
1. Deselect all layers, and then choose Layer > New > Light.
Adding a camera (page 278 in the printed book)
1. Deselect all layers, and then choose Layer > New > Camera.
Exporting a scene file (page 283 in the printed book)
1. Make sure the Timeline panel is active, and that no layers are selected. Then choose Layer > New > Null Object.
Note added to “Working with Cinema 4D Lite” section (page 283 of the printed book).
Cinema 4D Lite version changes
Maxon updates Cinema 4D periodically. The version you use may differ from the version that was available at the time the book was written, or even when the After Effects 12.2 update was released.
In After Effects 12.1 and later, you can choose which instance of Cinema 4D to use with After Effects if you have more than one installed. To do so, click Options in the Cineware effect in the Effect Controls panel in After Effects. Then, in the Cineware-Settings dialog box, choose a version to use for rendering and one to use with the Edit Original command. Then click OK.
Note added to “Extra Credit: Extruding 3D text” (page 293 of the printed book).
Ability to use unsupported GPU with ray-traced 3D renderer
In After Effects 12.1 and later, you can use the ray-traced 3D renderer with a GPU that hasn’t been tested and supported by Adobe as long as it meets the minimum requirements. To do so, choose Edit > Preferences > Previews (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Previews (Mac OS), and then click GPU Information. In the GPU Information dialog box, select Enable Untested, Unsupported GPU For CUDA Acceleration Of Ray-Traced Renderer. Click OK to close each dialog box. When this option is selected, After Effects will use the GPU-accelerated ray-traced 3D renderer with any GPU that meets the requirements.