Jumbotuna

Thanks for responding Robcat & MJL. I do have an AI file of the logo created by another artist, and I did use the AI Wizard to import it into A:M originally. However, the results were not ideal and I ended up with lots of dirty geometry (multiple vertices joined together, bad faces, etc., etc.). Having gone through some but not all of the modeling tutorials, I thought that digitizing the model from scratch wouldn't take that long and I'd get used to the modeling interface inside A:M at the same time. Looks like I should have just tried to re-draw the original AI file from scratch instead.

I'm missing something very fundamental here: I'm trying to model a logo from scratch using a rotoscoped image. I got the outline for the logo finished and looking good and then extruded it to get some depth. My rendering mode is set to shaded & wireframe. As you can see from the attached image (which is the perspective view), the sides of the logo look fine but I'm missing a front & back face. How do I add a front and back face to the model?

No problem HomeSlice. I've just never run into this particular method of copy protection before. Although it is simple, I worry about the wear and tear on the drive and the disk itself from all of the handling. Unfortunately, I just gave away my only "old" computer, so I'll just have to wait for a spare drive to fall into my hands before I implement your suggestion.

First, thank you for the answer and advice. Second, what's with the attitude? I haven't "bitched" about anything, I merely asked a question.

Why is A:M forcing me to have the install CD in the drive to run the program after I've installed it?

Thanks Robcat.

In Lesson 5, "Take a Walk", my action length is 4:10 where it should be 1:10 according to the manual. How do I change the length of the action? (NOT the cycle length). Does this have to be done before the action is saved, or can you change the length after it's saved?

Thank you Jason. Please send me the tracking # when you get a chance. PROBLEM SOLVED.

Thank you Jason. Please send me the tracking # when you get a chance.

OK, I ordered A:M over a week ago and my credit card has been charged, yet the status of my order is still listed as "processing". I've sent 3 e-mails in the last 48 hours yet none have been answered or even acknowledged. If you try calling the number listed on the website, you get a recording saying the number is "temporarily unavailable", and it's been that way for at least the last two days. Does anybody know what's up? Has anybody else had problems contacting the company? If anybody from Hash monitors this forum WILL YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME REGARDING MY ORDER.

No, not always so - If I had the example logo (with glow applied) rotated severely on the y axis so that one end trailed off in the z axis, the glow would be of even intensity/depth along around the entire logo. Realistically, the glow should be of lesser intensity/depth (due to perspective) around the far end of the logo that trails off into the z axis. But ya know what? Only obsessed people like us would probably ever notice that it wasn't 100% realistic anyhow! So in the end, this whole discussion is probably moot anyhow as I've decided to go ahead plunk my $ and buy A:M even without this feature.

So if you got far enough around it the glow would just be a flat plane seen on edge? like saturn's rings? Here's da poop directly from the AE CS4 manual Robcat: Importing and using 3D files from other applications After Effects can import 3D-image files saved in Softimage PIC, RLA, RPF, OpenEXR, and Electric Image EI format. These 3D-image files contain red, green, blue, and alpha (RGBA) channels, as well as auxiliary channels with optional information, such as z depth, object IDs, texture coordinates, and more. After Effects can also import baked camera data, including focal length, film size, and transformation data, from Maya project files as a single composition or two compositions. Note: Some 3D applications, such as Cinema 4D, can export an After Effects composition directly. Though you can import composited files with 3D information into After Effects, you cannot modify or create 3D models directly with After Effects. After Effects treats each composited 3D file from another application as a single 2D layer. That layer, as a whole, can be given 3D attributes and treated like any After Effects 3D layer, but the objects contained within that 3D file cannot be manipulated individually in 3D space. To access the 3D depth information and other auxiliary channel information in 3D image files, use the 3D Channel effects. (See 3D Channel effects.) 3D Channel effect plug-ins from fnord software are included with After Effects to provide access to multiple layers and channels of OpenEXR files. (See Using channels in OpenEXR files.) With RLA and RPF files, all of the auxiliary channels are included in a single file. Softimage PIC files have a corresponding ZPIC file that contains the z-depth channel information. Although you can’t import a ZPIC file, you can access the additional channel information as long as the ZPIC file is stored in the same folder as the imported PIC file. Similarly, Electric Image (EI) files can have associated EIZ files with z-depth channel data. As with ZPIC files, you cannot import EIZ files into After Effects; instead, you simply store them in the same folder as the EI files. For information about creating EIZ files, see your Electric Image documentation. A common technique when working in a 3D modeling application is to insert null objects, such as null lights or null locator nodes in the locations where you want to composite in an image in After Effects. Then, after you have imported the 3D file into After Effects, you can use these null objects as a reference for the placements of other visual elements. As far as your question of being on edge like Saturn's rings, the answer is yes, but that's because glow effects in AE are all 2D effects. Sometimes that's the challenge in AE - making a 2D effect look 3D. However, there are some AE plug-in effects that truly are 3d (like Trapcode Particular), and some that even have their own 3D camera system (like Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator). Fortunately the ability to export camera data is a feature that I don't absolutely have to have in a 3D program, but it would definitely make my life easier.

I know there isn't an explicit "Export Camera Data to After Effects" feature. There is a plugin by Steffen Gross to export for "Particle Illusion" and another that may work with Vue. But AE is, of course, primarily for 2D compositing. I have AE 5. I know the current versions have some 3D ability. Tell us more about a scenario in which that camera transfer would be useful. I'd say AE is more 2.5D than 3D. However, you can move a camera in 3D space. As far as a scenario, let's say I created a 3D logo animation in a 3D program and said logo flies along a path. I export the animation as a MOV file and bring it into After Effects (Other 3D programs, such as Cinema 4D allow you to export an animation directly into After Effects as a new composition). Lets say I then want to apply a certain filter (for the sake of argument we'll use a glow effect) to the logo. If I just apply the glow effect as is (with no camera data from the 3d program), I'll always end up with the glow effect directly perpendicular to the camera lens, no matter what angle the logo is in relation to the camera. If I could match my After Effects camera to the camera from the 3D program, the glow would always be at the correct perspective/angle/FOV, etc., etc. I know that other 3D programs can export this data in one form or another. Is there a workaround for A:M?

I'm an Editor/Motion GFX Artist considering purchasing A:M. Since I do most of my finishing/compositing in After Effects (CS4), the ability to export camera data to AE is an important consideration. Does A:M have this feature?