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1. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
Mylenium Nov 20, 2010 10:57 AM (in response to steveprc)Well, your best bet would be to copy&paste the paths to Photoshop, then use Repoussé to add depth, color/ texture it and add light and then import the resulting 3D PSD in AE. not glorious and possibly ridden with a number of performance issues and otehr obstacles, but the best solution if you don't want to spend any extra money or go through the process of learning a full 3D program...
Mylenium
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2. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
steveprc Nov 20, 2010 11:24 AM (in response to Mylenium)Awesome! Thank you so much. If I were to invest in any software that would streamline the process, what would you recommend? Thanks SO MUCH for any info.
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3. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
Mylenium Nov 20, 2010 11:39 AM (in response to steveprc)Depends on your mindset and purse plus how much you want to expand into that area. Blender is free and has good forums and tutorials, but it is not necessarily intuitive and does not obey "industry standards" of other 3D apps, that is mostly it's UI navigation, viewport handling and specific processes (seloection for modeling tools etc.) work considerably different than elsewhere. If all you ever do is text and you want the process to be simple and "just work", Cinema 4D Prime is still a pretty good option, in particular since its procedural approach for spline extrusions will spare you fiddling with polygonal modeling as in some otehr programs. If you will: You could create template scenes there and then only update the splines and text as needed... Everything beyond that depends on how much you expand in the field of 3D, but most otehr programs would probably be overkill for you
Mylenium
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4. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
steveprc Nov 20, 2010 12:01 PM (in response to Mylenium)Good advice that Ill take - thank you again. I hate to impose on you, but if you could give your feedback on software packages that I've found on my own, both Zaxwerks 3D and Lightwave 10 have popped up a lot in my searches. I need a quick solution for the vector art because the videos I'm putting together don't pay extremely well, and a quick solution is the only one that makes sense. But, I would also like to learn and begin to create more complex 3D artwork that integrates with After Effects and/or Premiere Pro. I don't presently have the funds, but I'm working towards something like this, so I'm not afraid to spend the money at some point if it's a useful tool. Sorry to ask so many questions, but it's hard to get a qualified opinion on some of these matters.
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5. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
Mylenium Nov 20, 2010 12:21 PM (in response to steveprc)Invigorator Pro, similar to C4D "just works" and there's a sneak peek of new features on the Zaxwerks website for version 5 (check their blog), but it's not yet available, so this probably will not help you. LW is nice, but not for what you need. I've been a "Waver" ever since v4, but it's strictly polygonal and even in LW 10 there is still a separation between modeling and animation. This has benefits for large projects and reusable scenes consisting of repeating items such as they occur on TV series (for which LW is still notorious, anyways), but not so much for what you have in mind. Text there is always immediately converted to polygons, bevels need to be cleaned up, materials need to be assigend fresh etc.. While this doesn't bother me in any way and is a snap after all those years, it is not something I would recommend to someone doing your kind of work. Every time the cleint changes his mind you have to start over or work on frozen polygon data, which can become tricky with complex contours needing to look smooth... It's really more for "serious" animation work...
Mylenium
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6. Re: Need a pro's advice - 3D and annimation of Illustrator files in AE CS5
steveprc Nov 20, 2010 12:48 PM (in response to Mylenium)Thank you. I'll stop bothering you now. ;o)



