after effects help

[matteusclement]

I have used the repousse feature with a gear that I made in PS.
It looks good in PS.

In AE I want to make the gears interact, but the two objects seem to be tied together so that when I move one, I move the other.

1. how do I stop/change that so that they are independant of each other?

2. can I make the the PS file an object?

What I mean in #2 is the gear is still on a very small canvas that has limited space and I can't seem to move that canvas.

I am using CS5.5

 

[matteusclement]

Also, what apps are out there to make 3d objects for AE? Mac or PC .

 

[Gymnut]

Can't help you on your specific problem but a few 3D modeling apps from free to paid are:

Blender
Cheetah3D
Cinema4D
3DSMax
Maya

There are a few others, but the last three are more prominently used and known; I just purchased Cinema4D and am going through the tutorials on Cineversity and at GreyscaleGorilla; Cinema4d was more affordable, stepping up from Cheetah3D, which I purchased for $75 two years ago as part of a MacUpdate promo, and I like the following, and After Effects integration that C4D provides. I won't make no bones about it, it is an app that has a steep learning curve, but the same can be said for Maya & 3DSMax, I would imagine. Never used Blender, but it's free.

 

[matteusclement]

Can't help you on your specific problem but a few 3D modeling apps from free to paid are:

Blender
Cheetah3D
Cinema4D
3DSMax
Maya

There are a few others, but the last three are more prominently used and known; I just purchased Cinema4D and am going through the tutorials on Cineversity and at GreyscaleGorilla; Cinema4d was more affordable, stepping up from Cheetah3D, which I purchased for $75 two years ago as part of a MacUpdate promo, and I like the following, and After Effects integration that C4D provides. I won't make no bones about it, it is an app that has a steep learning curve, but the same can be said for Maya & 3DSMax, I would imagine. Never used Blender, but it's free.

How steep is steep?

With the video copilot & lynda.com tuts, I am JUST able to go from lesson to lesson. I have been watching tuts for the last 3 days and athough it feels like I was plugged into the matrix, I am still able to keep going.

My 3d shapes will be SIMPLE to start out. IE - a mechanical gear.

 

[Gymnut]

If you have an AE background, then it's not quite as steep; However, what I'm finding is that much of the tutorials on Cineversity & GreyscaleGorilla are project based(which is great in their own right), but given my limited experience with 3d modeling apps, I wish there were an emphasis on introducing the layout and explaining the interface, menus, and what each selection does. I regularly use AE and have been able to stumble my way around and figure it out as I go along. Broadcast does have an assets library in which you can select pre-made models.

Fyi, Maxon, the developer of C4d, has got a 30% off "side grade" for all versions of C4d(Prime, Broadcast, Visualize, & Studio). I e-mailed them to ask whether Cheetah3D qualified, and they said it qualified; Initially I went with Prime, but yesterday I went and e-mailed them again to upgrade to Broadcast because of the benefits of the Mograph tool and Global Illumination. Customer support has been stellar and I just had to pay the difference between the side grade price of Prime & Broadcast, rather than pay the full upgrade price from Prime R13 to Broadcast R13.

If you can find it in your budget for C4d and know you'll be using it beyond the simple models you want to create now, I highly recommend it; It's been awhile since I've been this excited to learn a new piece of software.

Edit: I see that lynda.com has got a few tutorials for C4d, including an "Essential Training", although it is for the previous version, R12.

 

[mBox]

Is it in layers?
Each gear that is.
You save it as two layers that way you can animate each one.