Fixing objects in relation to each other

Question

Hi all,I'm trying to create a dynamic timeline which is navigated through by use of a null object animation.I have a timeline element and an indicator element. The indicator is parented to the timeline, and the timeline to the null object. All are 3D layers.Expected BehaviourWhen adjusting the position of the null object, I'd expect to see the timeline and indicator enter frame in the same position as previously arranged.Observed BehaviourAs the timeline is longer than the indicator, the indicator moves quicker than the timeline. This then shifts it's position on the timeline. Attempts to fixI've tried parenting both elements to the null object and pre-composing the entire timeline, however this doesn't work (And the pre-composition cuts off the off-screen areas of the timeline.)A solution to this would be greatly appreciated!Thanks,Chris

Rick Gerard · Accepted Answer

If the null and the timeline layer are at different distances from the camera you are going to have different relative speeds because of parallax. This happens in real life and it happens in a simulated 3D world. Say you have someone 3 feet in front of the camera walking right to left at about 1 mph. They will cross the entire frame in just a couple of steps. You have another person 100 feet from the camera and they are also walking right to left at about 1 mph. It is going to take them a long time to walk across the field of view.

If that is not the problem then we need to see a screenshot of your comp with the modified properties of the layers involved revealed. Including a 2 view screenshot would also help so we can see the relative position of the null and it's child layers. Don't crop it, just PrintScreen and paste to the forum.

Rick Gerard · Answer

Your illustrations for this kind of a project should be created in Illustrator or with shape layers and depth of field should be off. There will be no quality issues with vector layers if you collapse transformations.

If you have to make the illustrations using pixels (Photoshop) or video then the trick to keeping quality at different distances from the camera is to make that the images are the right size to start with. When a layer is the same distance from the camera as the zoom value (press AA with the camera selected to find the zoom value) then the layer is at 100% scale. If you need the layer closer to the camera then to keep it at 100% effective scale you need to scale it down so it fills the same space on the screen. If it is farther from the camera then you can scale it up. There are expressions that do this automatically.

Visually, when this happens, it does not look like the camera is moving closer or farther away from the layer, but it allows you to put other layers in their proper place to get the set staged the way you want it staged.

I hope this helps. There are a lot of things you must consider when designing artwork for use in a 3D world.

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