3D diamond

[evie_k]

Hey there guys! Would any of you know if I can make a 3D diamond out of a 2D diamond picture? In my animation I want the diamond to spin, therefore I thought making the object 3D would make the spinning effect nicer. If not, is there any way I can make a 3D diamond from scratch in after effects without using any other 3D programs. Here's an example of what I'm hoping to create: 3D Diamond (Star Shine) - YouTube

[Dave_LaRonde]

Considering that clip was made in a 3D application, it's going to be tough.

There are all sorts of internal reflections and refraction influenced by the facets going on in that shot.  In a 3D app, you model the object, define the physical properties, define the sources and properties of lights, and then you tell it to do the reflections & refractions.

In AE, you'd have to fake it.

[evie_k]

Thanks for the reply Dave LaRonde . I was thinking of making a plain model for now without any lights or other effects. Do you maybe know a way to make a 3D model of the diamond in After effects? I have watched some tutorials on Youtube, but they all seem to have is 3D text or 3D cubes. Would finding a some sorts of a 3D diamond template and tracing it with a pent tool work? Or placing a 2D diamond image and playing around with the transform properties. I have never worked with 3D objects before, therefore I am not sure how create this.

[Mylenium]

This is nothing AE can handle in any way. You can't avoid having to model it in some form or the other first. Even if you use the Cinema 4D Lite that comes with AE CC, you still have to spend soem time doing that before being able to load it up in AE via Cineware or a third-party plug-in like Element 3D. Of course depending on what specifically you want to do you may get away with some "drawn" shapes and a bit of animation, but there are obviously limits to that. The front-on example you linked could be done this way with some clever animation of shapes in a pre-comp and ofsetting them using Motion Tile or mapping them to CC Cylinder and then throwing on a distortion effect to taper things out and otehr effects to add the bling, but it realyl comes down to how much you understand classicla drawing techniques and on the opposite these "tricks" in AE. In the end it may be easier for you to just download a 3D program and follow generic modeling tutorials. You might even find one that explains how to model a diamond with a brillo cut as you want...

Mylenium

[kirkeric]

Here's a free 3D model of a diamond.

Download the OBJ, use Element 3D and you might just have what you need.  Hard to know without playing with it whether the three shown here can be separated but if not, Google for more.  The easiest way in my view would be find the model and use Element and then add your lighting effects.

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/free-diamons-3d-model/678489

Eric

[evie_k]

Thanks Mylenium and Eric for your answers I will try and work with with some sort of a 3D program (preferably cinema 4D) to create the object. I tried looking for 3D objects online, but none of them work in After Effects... not sure why. Maybe I'm not importing them right.

[kirkeric]

Glad this was of some help. I'm not the C4D expert but for Element, as long as you download the OBJ version of the model, it should work.

If you get an OBJ, you set up Element (new solid, apply effect), open Element, Import (upper left of Element panel) and it will bring it in.

The quality is hit and miss but that's the reality of a free model.

Eric

[Szalam]

OBJs should import into Cinema 4D Lite too, but not After Effects.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi evelinal,

How did you end up solving this issue? Let us know, please!

Thanks,
Kevin