3D paper man


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3D paper man
by Adam Browne on May 7, 2008 at 6:24:09 pm

I've got a project coming up in which the main character is essentially a cardboard cut out. The basic plan was to shoot the actor on green screen and animate him as a 3D layer in After Effects.

I've been using AE for a few years (although still v. 6.5) and have created some pretty advanced 3D scenes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AxAWRUUHvU) but the problem here is I need to be able to bend, twist and warp the 2D video layer in 3D space. Ideally, I'd also be able to give it a bit of "thickness" as well.

Are there plugins for After Effects which will allow me to do this (still using the comp's lighting and cameras)? Are there features in AE CS3 that would help? Or does anyone know of other software that would be good to use for this type of effect?

Thanks.

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Re: 3D paper man
by Dave LaRonde on May 7, 2008 at 9:35:44 pm

Check out 3D Warps by Zaxwerks. I'm pretty sure it'll do the trick for you.

And good luck--this project does NOT sound like a cakewalk.

Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA

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Re: 3D paper man
by Adam Browne on May 7, 2008 at 10:05:28 pm

Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

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Re: 3D paper man
by Jerzy Drozda Jr on May 9, 2008 at 12:18:06 am

Before you start spending money on additional plugins try every single possibility that AE gives you. I'm not sure it 6.5 has that plugin, but you might try to pull it off by using CC Ball Action.

Set the grid spacing to 1 and ball size to about 130, then apply matte choker with a high Geometric Smoothness and low Choke value.

You should end up with something like this: 3d_paper_suzy.mp4

It will probably work even better with a single color cutout.
I hope it helps.

If you ever need immediate assistance check this link out: Maltaannon's Hotline

Good luck!

maltaannon.com - Free After Effects Video Tutorials and more

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Re: 3D paper man
by Adam Browne on May 9, 2008 at 12:36:52 am

Thanks for the pointers

here's two questions I still have:

first, is CC-Ball action truly 3D, or does it just appear that way?

second, does Zaxwerks 3D Warps plugin work with video layers. I don't see why not, but all the examples I've seen use stills.

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Re: 3D paper man
by Jerzy Drozda Jr on May 9, 2008 at 2:00:29 pm

I don't know about Zaxwerks - haven't used it yet, but CC Ball Action is 3D. you can orbit the camera and everything ;)

Also you might pull it off by using Card Wipe or Card Dance with some clever gradient map. Haven't tried it though.

You should have CC Ball Action on your AE installation disk.

maltaannon.com - Free After Effects Video Tutorials and more

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