3D Camera Tracker shrinks text

[Ryancccc]

Hi there,

Please help me as I have spent actual days if not weeks trying to solve this problem and I can no longer sleep and am beyond frustrated.

I have simple basic text which I have added 3D features to eg Bevel/ extruded edges / lights .

I then have footage which I have 3D camera tracked.

I would like to add this 3D text I have created into the 3D camera tracked space that the 3D camera tracker created.

Once create a null in my 3D tracker, my 3D text I created goes very very very small within the space.

I cannot find a way to make this text bigger without throwing the text off its 3D tracked position or anchor points.

i have tried 

- scale up

- dolly in

- text size enlarge 

- increasing position 

nothing I do allows me to increase the size of the text without effecting the tracking position .

the closest I get, is when I dolly into the text , but then that only effects 1 keyframe and doesn't allow me to ripple the size increase across multiple keyframes.

please help . Please help

[Rick Gerard]

First, you cannot change camera settings when using Camera Tracking. Everything from position and rotation to focal length is calculated and applied to the comp camera. 

If is always a good idea to set an origin and ground plane when using Camera Tracker. Then, you use the same target to add a camera and a solid. The solid will help you see if the camera track is good. You can then select other trackers on different surfaces to add more solids. I always use solids instead of nulls or text layers. You can shift + Parent any 3D layer to one of the track solids, and the new 3D layer will snap to the correct position. It's much easier to see if the targets you use to add things are accurate if you use solids. I usually set them as Guide layers so they won't render, so I just leave them in the comp.

When you set an origin and ground plane and add a solid and camera, the solid is at 0, 0, 0, which gives you a good starting point. 

When you add a target, you can increase the target size so that it is about the same size as the object you want to add to the comp. Usually, the new layer you add will be the right size, and if you add text layers, they will be about the same size as the target.

Sometimes, a camera track fouls up distances and scale. The easiest workaround to fix that is a free script called Normalize Track. If you follow the "Set Origin and Ground Plane," add a Solid and Camera using the same target workflow, then apply Normalize Track, and the 3D layers scale and distance from the camera will be normalized. You can then add other layers easily using the script's UI. I almost always use the Normalize track script. It also resets the origin to comp center which helps setup other layers. 

[Ryancccc]

Thank you so much for your reply Richard. It is so much appreciated.

Can you please walk me through this process you explained step by step:

"You can shift + Parent any 3D layer to one of the track solids, and the new 3D layer will snap to the correct position"

this is where I believe I am coming undone .

Ryan

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

1. Make sure the Parent/Link column is visible in the timeline (F4 or Function + F4 on most laptops)
2. Create a new 3D layer
3. Hold down the shift key
4. Drag the Parent pickwhip from the new 3D layer to the Tracker Solid or Tracker Null you have created, or choose the tracker layer from the list that pops up
5. The position, rotation, and scale of the added 3D layer will match the Tracker layer

That is all there is to it. 

[Ryancccc]

Richard thank you so much for taking the time to help out an absolute stranger.

Your advice 100% solved my problem and I knew that it was going to be something as simple as holding down the shift key.

Thank you so much again it is greatly appreciated.