Archive for December, 2009

3D Warps – Making a Jumbotron Column

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

In this tutorial, John Dickinson covers how to combine a lot of different effects together to create a captivating jumbotron! In this extensive tutorial, John covers many effects such as our very own Layer Warps, as well as Trapcode Shine and Magic Bullet Looks.

Topics discussed:

• Learn how to identify the field order of footage and interpret it collectly.

• Learn about using CC Ball Action, Glow, Levels and Curves.

• Turn the jumbotron into a 3D column mounted on grungy wire mesh using Zaxwerks 3D Layer Warps.

• Fine tune the look by adding animated arrows plus a touch of Trapcode Shine and Magic Bullet Looks.


Support Motionworks by purchasing the CS4 project file too!

Click on the image above, or the link below to watch the video tutorial.

Click to watch John Dickinson’s Jumbotron Column Tutorial

Posted in 3D Warps, General, Tips, Tutorials | No Comments »

Advanced Control of Invigorator Pro: Part Two

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

In this tutorial, Serge Hamad covers how to use the primitives from 3D Invigorator and the depth control to create an interesting city scape animation where the buildings expand. Serge goes over how pivot points are created, and how to precisely control your pivot points to work with your animation.

Topics discussed:

• Learn about the center of a set.

• Setting up multiple cubes and positioning them for the city scape.

• Setting up different buildings to different sets.

• Adjusting the depth scale, and keyframing them for the animation.

• Setting the depth, and repositioning the pivot points.


Click on the image above, or the link below to watch the video tutorial.

Advanced Control of Invigorator Pro: Part Two

Posted in 3D Invigorator Pro, General, Tips, Tutorials | No Comments »

3D Flag and ProAnimator Tutorial

Monday, December 14th, 2009

In this tutorial, John Dickinson shows you how to create a great animation that integrates both 3D Flag, and ProAnimator. John goes over how 3D Flag can be used for more than just a flag. The plug-in works well for banners, or even an animated fabric background. The tutorial covers tips and techniques on project setups, and After Effects tips to create a good looking animation.

The tutorial is covered in two parts, so be sure to watch both tutorials!

Topics discussed:

• Setting up 3D Flag to create a banner.

• Pre-composing each part of the banner, and masking them to create 3 separate banners.

• Adjusting the pre-roll to create a realistic looking animation.

• Creating 3D Text with ProAnimator and setting up the lights and animation.

• Using Displacement Maps to create a moving shadow for the text.


Click on the image above, or the link below to watch the video tutorial.

3D Flag & ProAnimator Tutorial Part 1

3D Flag & ProAnimator Tutorial Part 2

Posted in 3D Flag, General, ProAnimator, Tips, Tutorials | No Comments »

Pivot Point Tutorial Part 1

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

In this tutorial, join Serge Hamad as he takes you alongside his pencil animation project. Learn how to adjust the pivot point correctly so that you can have your 3D Invigorator objects integrate the way you want with your After Effects objects. See how a good pivot point can allow your pencil to trace the path perfectly.

Topics discussed:

• Setting up the pencil animation.

• Importing the pencil into 3D Invigorator.

• Creating and setting up the null layer for the pencil to follow.

• Tips to set up a precise pivot point.


Click on the image above, or the link below to watch the video tutorial.

Click to watch the Serge’s new video tutorial!

Posted in 3D Invigorator Pro, Tips, Training, Tutorials | 1 Comment »

Zaxwerks Plugins vs. 3D applications

Monday, December 7th, 2009

In the recording of Maltaannon’s live video broadcast, he discusses the topic of Zaxwerks Plug-ins versus 3D applications. If you are wondering about the advantages of why you would want to use Zaxwerks plug-ins in After Effects, take a look at the discussion.

Topics discussed:

• ProAnimator’s setup vs. using a 3D application.

• Creating an animated Layer Map.

• Importing 3D Objects into ProAnimator.

• Working with UV mapping.

• Using 3D Serpentine to create fast noodle effects.

• Working with custom cross section shapes as the serpentine body.


Click on the image above, or the link below to watch the video discussions.

Click to watch the recording of Maltaannon’s Live video session

Posted in 3D Serpentine, General, ProAnimator, Tips | No Comments »