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threeheadedhotdog
Known Participant
December 12, 2023
Question

Will After Effects let me make a material that uses a 2d image as a texture for 3D text?

  • December 12, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 313 views

Hello AE Crew!

 

Newish to AE, veteran VFX artist on other packages. I need to texture animated 3d letters with a material that uses an image input.  Looking at the material options in the 3d-ified text layer, i dont see any option for an image input. I also a google search didn't show anyone discussing a solution to this. 

 

Is it possible to do this AE? I understand that there is now some version of C4D that can work directly with AE projects (do I have that right?). C4D can do this, but if I sent a 3D text layer that had keyframes on the Range Selector Animator property (so that the words are popping on) would C4D recieve that information?  Is it a viable workflow to take an animated 3d text layer on a round trip workflow from the AE timeline, to C4D to apply an image texture and then either rendered out or directly back to the AE timeline? 

 

If this is not a viable workflow, is it possible to export an FBX or .obj sequence of my animated text to be textured in Blender?

 

Thank you for your time! I did my best to try and find these solutions online, I'll test out the AE C4D workflow now, but maybe one of you will clear this up for me before I'm done. 

 

Cheers! 

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1 reply

R
Community Expert
Rick GerardCommunity Expert
Community Expert
December 13, 2023

You can add Environment Maps (Layer options) if you are using the C4D rendering engine, but there is no way to specifically add a texture in the After Effects timeline unless you use 3rd party effects like Video Copilot's Element 3D. 

 

C4D Lite/Cineware has a fairly limited UI, but you can add textures there. You can use the Classic Rendering Engine, animate a camera and Text, export that 3D animation to C4D, and then work with the limited tools in C4D Lite to extrude and add texture to your 3D text or shape layers. You have to start with the Classic 3D rendering option. 

 

The Advanced Rendering engine is in its infancy. Who knows what capabilities it will have? You can't add effects, use camera depth of field, or do many other things with the Advanced 3D or C4D rendering engines that you can do in a Classic 3D comp. You can see the limitations by opening the Composition Settings/Render Options tab (Ctrl/Cmnd + K).  

T
threeheadedhotdogAuthor
Known Participant
December 13, 2023

Thank you for the reply! Some more context and then some questions.

 

The project I have is already in progress and in a good place with the client, so I'm not really in a position to rethink my workflow and i need to find a solution that works with what I have. I went with the C4D engine because it was simple for me to extrude and implement a type-on animation simply with Range Selector (super neat tool).  My client now wants images textured onto the text. This has always been a simple ask of other packages.  As of now, I have 3D text animating on in the C4d engine through the Range Selection property in the Animate function. The text is being extruded there as well.  The volume of text is high and specifically timed, so this isn't something that i am in a position to recreate, and the animation has already been approved. 

 

Questions: 

Is there a way for me to get this material (3d text animated via 3d text layers in c4d render engine, animated with keyframes on Range Selector and extruded via the Geo properties on the 3d text layer) out of AE as a 3d asset (FBX, obj sequence, whatever) and into a program that can do this?

 

3. Can I export depth data to an .EXR channel from any of the render cameras? I might be able to hack this effect in another package if im suck in AE for the 3D. 

 

final thoughts: i really would like to be able to do this all in AE. I don't see why there can't be a file in option on the font color value in the 3d text animmator function. Failing all of this, i might be able to hack it by keying the colors of the 

 

Thanks again for your time, i know these migth be newbie questions

 

best regards! 

Now: XR + Traditional Media Creator. Then: Senior VFX Artist on AAA titles
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