Greetings!
Today we are excited to share major improvements to 3D model rendering and lighting, starting in After Effects Beta build 24.0x23:
- Adobe Standard Material (ASM) is now used when rendering 3D models. ASM is a physically-based rendering model that is shared across Adobe and Substance products.
- Environment Lights create realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows on 3D layers by surrounding the scene with an image-based environment map. In After Effects Beta, environment lights only work in the Mercury 3D renderer.
- Voxel Shadows can be cast by environment lights, with new controls for how the shadows are rendered.
- Scripts can access the new Environment light type.
We have also published a new FAQ for 3D model import and rendering that includes a full overview of these features and all existing 3D model import and rendering functionality in After Effects Beta. We encourage you to read through this.
Adobe Standard Material
Adobe Standard Material (ASM) is a physically based rendering model shared across the Adobe and Substance products. This enables image-based lighting and gives your models a more consistent appearance throughout the full design pipeline. Certain more advanced material options like translucency are not yet enabled.
Environment Lights
Environment lights create realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows on 3D layers by surrounding the scene with an image-based environment map. Environment lights are a new feature exclusive to the Mercury 3D renderer in After Effects Beta.
To add an environment light, choose Layer > New > Light, and set the Light Type to Environment.
Environment lights use a default environment map. This can be changed to use an HDR or HDRI format image layer as an environment map:
- Import an HDR (Radiance HDR) file into your project.
- Add the HDR file to a comp with an environment light.
- Twirl open the environment light’s properties in the Timeline panel.
- Set the light’s Source property to the HDR layer.
The HDR layer’s visibility will be disabled when it is chosen as an environment map. You can re-enable this if you wish, however this will continue to be a 2D render of the layer. To simulate the HDR layer as a background scene layer, apply the CC Environment effect to a solid layer the same dimensions as the comp.
Note: The existing Layer > Environment Layer switch does not work with the Mercury 3D renderer. This option works only with the Cinema 4D renderer.
There are many HDR and HDRI environment maps available to download on the internet, including from Adobe Stock, or you can create your own using Substance 3D Sampler.
While environment lights only accept HDR format files as environment maps, you can easily convert other image file formats to HDR using Photoshop:
- Open the image file in Photoshop.
- Choose Image > Mode > 32 Bits/Channel. (Radiance format requires 32 bits per channel.)
- Choose File > Save As or Save a Copy.
- Set the Format to Radiance.
You can also export a Radiance HDR file from After Effects comp: choose Composition > Save Frame As > File, then open Output Module settings and set the Format to Radiance.
Environment maps must be single HDR frame layers, not sequences. Effects and animation applied to the environment map are ignored.
Environment light shadows
When the Light Options > Casts Shadows option is enabled for an environment light, all 3D layers in the scene will cast voxel shadows.
Note that the default environment light does not cast shadows. You must add an environment light layer to cast shadows.
Voxel shadows are memory intensive. The shadow settings are controlled in the Renderer Options dialog, which you can open from either Composition Settings > 3D Renderer or in the 3D Renderer drop-down menu at the bottom of the Composition panel.
- Anti-aliasing: Adjust how blocky the shadows look. Higher values can use extremely large amounts of memory.
- Smoothness: Reduce or increase the amount noise in the shadows. Default is 3. There is an inverse relationship between Smoothness and Render Quality. When Render Quality is set lower, you will want a higher Smoothness value, and vice-versa.
- Casting Box Size and Casting Box Center: To limit memory use, voxel shadows are only cast inside a limited box in the scene. Making the box larger spreads the voxel resolution across a bigger area, causing shadows to get softer. While the Mercury 3D Render Options dialog is open, the cube is represented in the comp by a magenta outline.
More improvements are planned for visualizing the voxel shadow box.
Scripting access to environment layer light type
Using scripting to read the lightType property of a LightLayer object will return LightType.ENVIRONMENT for an environment light.
Known Issues
In general, please be aware that rendering and shadow quality is a work in progress. Expect changes in future builds. Below are some of the most significant, currently-known issues:
- Ambient lights in the same comp as an environment light are brighter than expected.
- Spot, Point, and Parallel light intensities are dimmer than expected.
- Voxel shadows ignore transparent areas in layers that cast shadows.
- Models from Adobe Stock that use ASM properties don’t currently render in After Effects Beta.
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