Here’s a demonstration of some of the new drawing features of 3D Invigorator 5 and ProAnimator 5.

- Bezier drawing tools

- Instant 3D object creation as you draw

- Instant holes

- Realtime interactive editing

Creating real 3D reflections is one of the coolest things you can do in After Effects. But some people are confusing fake 2D reflection plug-ins with the real deal. To set things straight and to help you bump up your reflective coolness factor, we’ve created three new tutorials. The 3D Reflector QuickStart movie gives you the basics you need in 6 minutes. The Controls Walkthrough movie shows you more advanced topics including some great techniques for layering effects over the reflections. The High-Quality Reflections tutorial shows you how to get clear reflections in impossible situations.

Topics discussed:

- Making After Effects do something it was never meant to do.

- What can and can’t be reflected.

- How to reflect everything in your AE project with one plug-in.

- Why reflections sometimes stick to a surface.

- Getting faster workflow with the Reflector Updater script.

- Making reflections pop or subtle.

- Do Vampires exist?

- Applying effects to reflections for amazing new looks.

Click on the links below to watch the video tutorial.

Click to watch the 3D Reflector Quickstart tutorial!

Click to watch the 3D Reflector Walkthrough tutorial!

Click to watch the High Quality Reflections tutorial!

There are two kinds of virtual set work. One is where the set and camera are connected through motion control and requires all kinds of expensive equipment. The other is where you shoot the talent green screen with a locked down camera. Then you put the talent into a 3D set using compositing tricks. This second method can be done on a shoe string budget and looks every bit as good as the expensive method. Knowing this technique might be the key to your next job.

This is a three part tutorial lasting 50 minutes. Joe covers the steps to creating a beautiful virtual set, lighting it, inserting the green screen talent and doing the final camera moves. Consider this an Intermediate tutorial because Joe assumes you already know how to open the plug-in and make a Photoshop file.

Topics discussed:

• Creating, positioning and mapping the floor.

• Using 3D Primitives to create columns.

• Importing simple Illustrator files to make furniture.

• Duplicating and rearranging objects.

• Creatively using bevels to make set decorations.

• Setting up lights, light trusses and flares.

• Adding the talent and camera motion.

Download the Illustrator file for the Glass Block Wall: blocks4.ai

Click on the links below to watch all three parts of the video tutorial.

Creating a Virtual Set Part 1 (16 min)

Creating a Virtual Set Part 2 (21 min)

Creating a Virtual Set Part 3 (13 min)

Having trouble turning your Illustrator logos into 3D models? Watch this comprehensive tutorial and learn how to turn your vector logos into professional, billable 3D works of art.

Topics discussed:

• Determining which Illustrator vector paths you need to keep in order to create a well made 3D object.

• Organizing paths into layers, and how to move vector paths between layers.

• Why you would leave some paths grouped and some paths ungrouped.

• Cleaning up Clipping Masks, and cropping the shapes correctly with the Pathfinder tools.

• Saving the Illustrator file and importing it into ProAnimator.

• Creating and assigning Materials, and applying multiple materials to a single object in ProAnimator.

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

Click to watch the Illustrator Tutorial

In this tutorial, Joe Mason shows you how to create the unique structural look you often see in high impact broadcast graphics. Joe shows you from start to finish just how easy it is to make everything look great. He works in 3D Invigorator but the techniques apply to ProAnimator too. You won’t believe how simple it is to make high quality production graphics.

Topics discussed:

• Illustrator shape setup

• Customizing depth, bevel and edge offset settings in 3D Invigorator.

• Creating materials with different wireframe and reflectivity maps.

• Setting up splits in the Edge Profile editor.

• Alternating materials for each profile split.

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

Click to watch Joe Mason’s tutorial!

In this tutorial, Rob Birnholz shows you the entire workflow for ProAnimator! He starts from the Illustrator File, all the way through to the animation process. This comprehensive two-part tutorial provides all the details so you can comfortably set up a logo, apply all the materials, and add all the final touches of a professional looking logo.

Topics discussed:

Part 1:

• Illustrator logo setup.

• Customizing depth, bevel and edge offset settings in ProAnimator.

• Adding a sense of depth to the look of the skyline.

• Creating Splits in the Profile Editor and assigning different materials.

• Setting up lights and shadows.

• Applying a camera animation.

Part 2:

• Integrating the ProAnimator project into After Effects.

• Adding a background in After Effects.

• Setting up Layer Maps for Reflections and Bump surfaces.

• Using the Composition Camera and Lights.

• Applying other filters and effects for the finishing touches.

Click on the links below to watch the video tutorials:

Click to watch Part 1 of Rob Birnholz’s tutorial

Click to watch Part 2 of Rob Birnholz’s tutorial

In this tutorial, we’re going to go over all the details of working with shadows. If you ever wondered about how to get shadows to work with your 3D objects, what settings to use, or how to speed up your projects, you’ll want to watch this video tutorial and find out!

Topics discussed:

• Creating a floor to set up the shadows in 3D Serpentine, 3D Warps, and 3D Invigorator.

• Creating a Light, and positioning it correctly.

• Working with Light Intensity, Shadow Darkness, and Shadow Diffusion.

• Setting up the Shadow Quality and Shadow Catcher.

• Optimizing the setup in After Effects for faster previews.

• Setting up lights in 3D Invigorator and working with Shadow Catcher materials.

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

Click to watch the Working with Shadows Tutorial

In this tutorial, we’re going in depth to create a baseball animation. One of the cool things you can do with 3D Warps is to create interesting reveals. So, we’ll go over how to create an animation where a baseball splits open to reveal a baseball player!

Topics discussed:

• Applying 3D Warps correctly.

• Mixing 3D Invigorator, 3D Warps, and After Effects 3D Layers together.

• Learn how to create an animation path with an After Effects 3D Layer, and use it as a tracker layer.

• Applying scaling and rotation for a nice ball animation.

• Casting shadows onto After Effects 3D Layers.

• Adding cool effects from Zaxwerks Easy Glow to enhance the looks.

Be sure to download 3D Layer Warps version 1.5.1 to have all the latest bug fixes!

http://www.zaxwerks.com/download/

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

Click to watch the 3D Warps Baseball Tutorial

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

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