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neals98398989
Participant
Apr 13, 2018 4:40 PM UTC
Question

"Geometry options > Extrude" does not show up on imported AI file

Hey i do not have the option to extrude this path i have imported in from Illustrator. I have followed many step by step tutorials on how to use illustrator paths in after effects but i cannot progress past the point of "extrude" becuase that option does not show up. I can even edit the path in after effects so i know it is not a bitmap image it is a vector path. Why cant i extrude them?

    14 replies

    defaultxtnyp286f668
    Inspiring
    Aug 21, 2022 8:54 PM UTC

    I have the same issue.  My Create Shapes from Vector option is greyed out so this solution will not work.  Are there any other solutions that get the extrude option to show up under geometry?

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      charlottesamady
      Participant
      Mar 8, 2024 3:24 PM UTC

      Did you find a solution to this? I'm having the same issue at the moment. 

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        Jean GLENAT
        Participant
        Mar 5, 2020 11:56 AM UTC

        You can only extrude shapes and text.

        Which means that your Illustrator layer must be converted to shape layer (Layer/create shapes from layer).

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          Jean GLENAT
          Participant
          Mar 5, 2020 11:57 AM UTC

          Oups… "Create shapes from vector" !

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            angie_taylor
            angie_taylor
            Legend
            Apr 15, 2018 4:54 PM UTC

            Tray going to Layer > Convert To Shape Layer. Then do the same process on the new Shape layer. Does this work?

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              YoshBear
              Participant
              Apr 16, 2018 5:44 AM UTC

              That worked for me. Thanks. The path was Layer/Create/Create Shapes from Vector.

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                angie_taylor
                angie_taylor
                Legend
                Apr 16, 2018 6:29 AM UTC

                Glad it helped. Can you please mark the answer as “correct” to help others who experience the same issue. Thanks :-)

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                  YoshBear
                  Participant
                  Apr 15, 2018 4:13 PM UTC

                  I am having the same problem. The imported AI file is RGB, 3D box checked, render mode is C4D, continuous raster is on and Extrude still does not show up as an option.

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                    ILJI
                    ILJI
                    Inspiring
                    Apr 13, 2018 6:39 PM UTC

                    Did you do these two steps?

                    1. Enable the 3D checkbox for the layer

                    2. Switch to the CINEMA 4D Renderer in the comp settings

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                      Community Expert
                      Rick GerardCommunity Expert
                      Community Expert
                      Apr 13, 2018 7:03 PM UTC

                      If geometry options do not show up then you are in the wrong rendering mode. You have to switch to C4D rendering or if you are a glutton for punishment, Ray-traced rendering.

                      If the geometry options do not include Extrude then you are looking at pixels instead of vectors. It is entirely possible for an Illustrator layer to come in as pixels if you have added raster effects to the layer in AI. Things like drop shadow, blur, and a bunch of other effects are rasterized when the file is imported into AE and the layer is converted to pixels without any warning or notification. You can quickly check this by making sure that the Continuously Rasterize switch is on and then scale up or move the camera closer to the layer. If the edges go soft then the AI layer contains raster effects and has been turned into pixels. If the layer is pixels the only option is to bend the layer.

                      Just in case you don't know, you can always find the material and geometry properties of a layer by selecting the layer and pressing the A key twice. Any rendering engine you select in the Composition Settings other than Classic will show up in the top right corner of the Active Camera view in the Composition Panel.

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                        Dave_LaRonde
                        Dave_LaRonde
                        Inspiring
                        Apr 13, 2018 4:48 PM UTC

                        First thing to check: make sure the Illustrator file is RGB and NOT CMYK.  Change it to RGB if necessary.

                        That one simple thing is the cause of many woes.

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                        neals98398989Author
                        Participant
                        Apr 13, 2018 5:32 PM UTC

                        i changed it to RGB resaved under a different file name and i still dont get the option to "extrude" under geometry. I even made a completely new file in illustrator with random shapes, and there is still no option to "extrude"

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