Which 3D software best with AfterEffects?
by Frank Pretorius
on
Jun 9, 2009 at 4:39:13 pm
Before setting off on the journey to fully explore 3D, can one of the gurus please point me in the right direction? Everybody knows of the need of real 3D with After Effects, the best way to implement this is probably to use an external 3D package... but which is best? And user-friendly enough for an AE boffin to be able to learn quickly? C4D, Maya or Lightwave? Will it be posiible to point out the pro's and cons of each and the best option?
Also: In which package will it be easiest to import and export AE camera settings?
Re: Which 3D software best with AfterEffects? by tom fifield on Jun 15, 2009 at 3:18:37 pm
I want to ask this same question, I have been using Carrara pro but would like to move up. I have been demoing Light wave and Maya.Both seem to be powerful.
Re: Which 3D software best with AfterEffects? by Matt Stewart on Jun 24, 2009 at 4:47:02 pm
I find the best solution for me to incorporate real 3D data into a compositor is Lightwave and Fusion5. I know thats probably not what you would want to hear but here is my reasoning. After effects is not true 3D. Which immediately removes it from a true 3D solution.
For example, you can animate a camera in lightwave and then in Fusion 5 load the actual lightwave scene file directly into Fusion. It really is an amazing marriage between the 2 applications.
As for after effects there are plug-ins out there to get camera moves from lightwave and other 3d apps to AE, but they don't work all the time, and when they do I have found they are still hard to work with in AE dues to the fact its not true 3D.
Re: Which 3D software best with AfterEffects? by Eric Chard on Jul 2, 2009 at 6:04:53 am
To knowledgeably answer this question, someone would have to be conversant with ALL the packages and all their combinations, and that would be a rare person indeed.
I'd say that there are methods for accommodating every combination, but some are distinctly easier than others. Lightwave's layered PSD export gives very good 2d support for AE, but isn't all that well documented. In general, for advanced stuff you are FORCED to acquire 3rd party documentation, such as the excellent KURV Studio's DVD tutorials.
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Re: Which 3D software best with AfterEffects? by Phil Lowe on Oct 12, 2009 at 4:19:09 am
In speaking with artists at the station where I work, it seems they prefer working with Cinema 4D because of its tight integration with AE. As Autodesk owns 3DS Max, Maya and now XSI, Combustion would offer the greatest integration with at least Max and Maya.
I have no experience with Fusion, but I figure that if you're looking to keep things 3D, stay in a true 3D environment like LightWave. For example, I've created some pretty cool motion graphics in Lightwave that would have been impossible to do in AE or Combustion.
