Element 3D

Create a Bendy Text Animation in After Effects with Element 3D

Element 3D V2 for After Effects added deformers such as bend, taper, and twist, which can be added to any 3D models or extrusions. Check out this new tutorial to learn how to create a bendy text animation using this new feature, as well as other Element 3D tips and tricks.

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Want learn more about 3D animation in After Effects? Check out these other tutorials

Use Element 3D V2 in After Effects to create a 3D Logo

Create a 3D extruded logo in After Effects with Cinema 4D Lite

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Looking for the next Tutorial to watch?

Check out the Top 5 Features of Element 3D V2 for After Effects!

Learn about the new 3D Character Creator app, Adobe Fuse!

Learn about the Top 5 new features of Cinema 4D R17!

Learn the Top 5 After Effects Expressions!

Learn how to Recreate the Agengers: Age of Ultron 3D Title Animation!

See how to Combine Element 3D with the new Saber Plug-in!

Learn about the Top 5 Hidden Features of Illustrator CC!

See how to bring Animated 3D Characters into Element 3D!

To check out new features added to Cinema 4D R16!

Check out the Top 5 Tips for Better Camera Animation in After Effects!

Recreate the X-Men Apocalpyse 3D titles in After Effects with Element 3D

There have been a lot of nice 3D titles in movie trailers lately, so for this week's tutorial I decided to tackle recreating the 3D titles seen in X-Men Apocalypse using After Effects and the 3D plug-in Element 3D. While the focus of this one is the 3D text, there are a lot of small details that go a long way that I'll get into in this one, including customizing the bevel, using custom mask layers for the "X-Men" text instead of just basic text, creating letter-by-letter text using the multi-object setting, and many more Element 3D tips and tricks!

Want to get the project file for this tutorial and other movie title tutorials? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

Don't have the patience to watch the full tutorial? Check out this time-lapse video of the title animation being created in After Effects:

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Want to see more movie title tutorials? Check out the next one on how to recreate the 3D titles for Star Trek Beyond in After Effects

Recreate the 3D Movie Title seen in Star Trek Beyond with Adobe After Effects

Any time I see new movie trailers, I always have my eye on the title animation at the end, and the 3D animated title for Star Trek Beyond did not disappoint. My brother Brett alerted me to this cool trailer, and I wanted to jump into After Effects and Element 3D to take a crack at recreating it. In this tutorial I outline a lot of the steps involved in recreating every element of this logo animation with After Effects CC.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

Don't have the patience to watch the full tutorial? Check out this time-lapse video of the title animation being created in After Effects:

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Want to see more movie title tutorials? Check out the next one on how to recreate the Avengers: Age of Ultron title using After Effects!

Import a Maya 3D Object into Element 3D V2 as an OBJ Model

If you are working with Element 3D V2 in After Effects for your 3D workflow, you might want to bring in a 3D object built in Maya. To do this, you first need to export the Maya scene as an OBJ model. Simple enough, right? That'll only bring the Maya object into Element 3D as one big object with the same texture. Great if you just want to slap one material on an object and move a 3D After Effects camera around it, but not great if you want assign different materials to different parts of the 3D object, or want to animate individual parts separately.

If you want to have different materials on different parts of the object, you'll have to do some additional set-up work in Maya to assign different materials to different parts of the object. This way, Element 3D will read the different materials as markers for different parts of the object. You can then assign new materials to each part of the 3D model in Element 3D. By doing this, with a new feature of Element 3D V2, you can also create animation on each individual piece by using Auxiliary or AUX Channels. To learn how to import 3D objects from Maya into Element 3D V2, check out the video above.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

For a step-by-step breakdown of the process of bringing a Maya 3D Object into Element 3D V2, you first need to turn on OBJ export in the Maya plug-ins manager, which is in Windows > Settings/Preferences > Plug-ins Manager. You then want to scroll down and check on "OBJexport.Bundle"

Check 'em both on and hit REFRESH!

Check 'em both on and hit REFRESH!

The next step is to export the Maya 3D Object as an OBJ, by going to File > Export all, and making sure you select "OBJexport" from the "Files of Type" drop-down.

Don't forget to change it to OBJ!

Don't forget to change it to OBJ!

Next, back in After Effects, within the scene settings for Element 3D V2, you'll want to hit the Import button and locate the OBJ Model.

That is one slick chair.

That is one slick chair.

This will bring in the 3D object as one big object and material. If you want to be able to assign different Element 3D V2 Materials to different parts of the object, you'll have to jump back over to Maya and do a bit of additional work. To allow Element 3D to read different parts of the 3D OBJ model as different materials, all you need to do is assign a new material to each piece of the object, by right clicking and selecting "Assign New Material."

Right-click like a champ.

Right-click like a champ.

It doesn't matter what color the material is, just that each part is a different material. I usually throw on a bunch of bright colors in Maya for reference, and end  with a crazy rainbow colored 3D Model in Maya that looks something like this:

Wow, that is colorful!

Wow, that is colorful!

This way, when you bring the 3D Object back into Element 3D V2 as an OBJ Model, each piece will be separate. This will allow you to assign new materials to each piece.

Colorful and shiny, and now usable in Element 3D!

Colorful and shiny, and now usable in Element 3D!

This process can also be used to animate each piece separately, by creating a duplicate of just one piece, and assigning it to an Auxiliary or AUX Channel. This setting is new to Element 3D V2, so be sure to update!

That is so many channels!

That is so many channels!

Then, after you've assigned different pieces to different AUX channels, you can animate position, scale, and rotation separately on the Element 3D effect, under Group > Aux Channels. This new system of groups with Aux channels massively grows the type of specific animation you can do in Element 3D V2.

So many animation possibilities!

So many animation possibilities!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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Create a 3D write-on Animation by combining Element 3D with the new Saber plug-in

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In my previous After Effects tutorial, I talked about how to Combine the new Saber plug-in with Element 3D text layers. In this new tutorial, I wanted to take that a bit further, and get into how to use saber to drive the animation of an Element 3D layer, to create a cool glowing write-on effect. I'm always trying to build everything as clean as possible, so we'll talk about how to create this full animation using only one set of keyframes.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Combine New SABER Plug-in with Element 3D V2 Text Animations

When the new After Effects plug-in "Saber" was released by Video Copilot, I was excited to immediately dive in and see what this thing could do. One of the features Andrew Kramer showed in his kickoff video was the possibility of aligning Saber with Element 3D. He didn't get into the set-up though, so I wanted to take a crack at how to set this up and share it with everyone! 

In this video I'll go over how to link up Element 3D V2 and Saber to one single text layer, and how to set everything up so it will all align together, even when you start moving a camera around. This technique is also fully non-destructive to both elements, so the great part is that you could change the text to something completely new when you're done, and both the Element 3D and Saber layers will immediately update. Neat, right?!

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Link Optical Flares to Element 3D Animations in After Effects

One of the major benefits to working with Element 3D in After Effects is that it works directly in the 3D Space of After Effects. This means that when you add an After Effects camera, BOOM, you can orbit around your 3D object. This also helps to be able to link up Element 3D scenes with additional plug-ins, like another Video Copilot plug-in, Optical Flares. In this video, learn how to link up Element 3D V2 with Optical Flares, and have everything move and animate together.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to import 3D Characters and OBJ Sequences from Cinema 4D into Element 3D V2

So you can build out custom 3D characters in Adobe Fuse, then send them to Cinema 4D, but what if you want to bring animated characters into Element 3D? This can be done by exporting an OBJ sequence out of Cinema 4D, or your preferred 3D app, and bringing it into Element 3D. While you can now import Cinema 4D animations directly into Element 3D V2, this will only bring in Position, Scale, and Rotation animations, and not keyframes on rigged skeletons. Check out the video above to learn some fun tips on bringing 3D character animations into Element 3D V2.

Want to learn more about Element 3D?
 

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

New to Element 3D? Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to create a 3D logo with Realistic Shadows & Reflections in Element 3D V2

With Element 3D Version 2, we finally get shadows and reflections! There are some different options for calculating shadows and reflections, so I put together this video to talk about how to create a 3D logo in Element 3D V2, and how the new shadow and reflection render settings can be used to push the quality of the render much further! How to create a logo in 3D using After Effects is always a big question I get, and using Element 3D is a great option for speed and quick rendering!

To create the logo, we'll start with bringing the vector logo into After Effects from Adobe Illustrator. We'll then get into how to extrude, texture, light, and render the logo in Element 3D, now with shadows and reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!
 

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Element 3D V2.2 Updates and New Features

It is June 2015 and there were just some minor updates released for Element 3D V2, the After Effects plug-in by Video CoPilot. This update brings the software to Version 2.2. These updates add some minor tweaks and features that are little things here and there in the UI and render settings, but some very useful things that'll help workflow in Element 3D. While there are a bunch of updates, these are my Top 5 updates for Element 3D V2.2

My Top 5 updates are:
• OBJ and E3D format Export
• Saving Group Folders
• Group Shadows & Reflections
• The Symmetry Function
• Lots of additional new switches!

New to Element 3D? 

Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to recreate the Avengers Title Animation using After Effects & Element 3D, Part 2

To recreate the Avengers Title animation in After Effects, it really took some thought on how to pull it off and get everything working how it is in the real thing. In part 2 of my series on how to recreate it in After Effects CC using Element 3D, I get into some of the advanced techniques, such as using 3D stroke to reveal the 3D text, setting up the Trapcode Particular particle simulation, and more.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

In Part 1 of the Avengers Age of Ultron Tutorial, I went over how to create the 3D elements using Element 3D, animating the logo, and adding Optical Flares to create the lens flares. Watch part 1 here.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to recreate the Avengers Title Animation using After Effects & Element 3D

The Avengers title animation used in the film has it all: Optical Flares, 3D letters, lines animating in, lights, cameras, particles, and more. After seeing it in ads and trailers, I wanted to take a crack at trying to recreate it in After Effects using all the tools in the toolbox. To get all the details, I used Element 3D, 3D stroke, Trapcode Particular, Optical Flares, and more After Effects CC techniques. Check out part 1 in the video above to learn about getting started on the animation.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

Be sure to check out Part 2 of the Avengers Title Recreation Series here.

Want a quick idea of what this After Effects tutorial is all about? Check out the time lapse for this one:
 

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Motion Track & Composite 3D Models into live action footage using Element 3D V2

There are many ways to composite 3D objects into live action footage, and with the updates to Version 2 of Element 3D, using E3D is a great option. In this video, I cover the workflow for motion tracking a scene with camera movement using the AE Camera Tracker, and then how to composite a 3D model into the shot using Element 3D V2.

This is done by using the 3D camera tracker in After Effects CC, adding objects using Element 3D V2, color correcting the objects and shot, and linking Optical Flares into the scene.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Shortcuts and Interface Tips for Element 3D V2

How do you figure out all the shortcuts for a new app? Press all the buttons and see what happens! In this Element 3D V2 video, I go over all the new shortcuts, UI updates, and workflow tips for Version 2 of the VideoCopilot After Effects plug-in to help you work quicker and smarter.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to import Cinema 4D Animations into Element 3D V2 for After Effects

A great new feature of Element 3D V2 is the ability to directly important Cinema 4D animations into Element 3D, without the need the save out a separate OBJ sequence. In this video, I go over the process of bringing Cinema 4D Position, Scale, or Rotation animations into Element 3D, as well as talk about the animation possibilities for this process by using a particle replicator and animation engine.

To set up the final shot in After Effects CC, I also cover working with After Effects camera properties and settings, as well as final render settings for Element 3D Version 2.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Top 5 New Features for Element 3D V2

Version 2 of Element 3D for After Effects is a HUGE update packed with tons of new features, including the long-desired shadows and reflections. Version 2 of the Video Copilot 3D plug-in is basically a new software package compared to V1, so I put together this video to outline the updates, differences from V1 to V2, and some of my top new features.

My top new features include:
• updated Element 3D UI
• Shadows and Reflections
• Sub-Object Aux Channel Animation
• Backlight lighting pack
• Deformers

New to Element 3D? Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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