3D icons

[fredsa]

When I check the 3D checkbox, some layers get a different icon, not the 3D box. What does the other icon mean?

Thanks

[Mohammad.Harb]

The 3D box indicates the layer is 3D. the other icon indicates a 3D light, a camera or a 3D null layer.

[fredsa]

Thanks for your reply. 

The "other icon" also appears for a comp, with the little "star" icon checked. That comp holds a shape layer.

[Rick Gerard]

The 3D cube indicates a layer that can be rendered. The X, Y, and Z arrows indicate a camera, null, or light. Those layers can affect the look of other layers, but they do not render. 

[fredsa]

Thanks for your reply. 

In order to understand this, I created a simple comp (named "Master comp") and added another comp (named "Shape comp") wich had a basic shape layer in it . No other effects or anything... At this point, checking the 3D box gives me the "proper" 3D box icon. However, when scaling the Shape comp the shape gets blurry so I checked little the "star icon" to solve that issue. Result: The blurry issue is resolved bu now the 3D icon has changed. 

So, is there a way to get a sharp shape in the Shape comp AND keeping the 3D icon?

[Rick Gerard]

The indicator graphic changes because you have collapsed transformations. The nested comp (the pre-comp TEST) is now a placeholder for the 3D layers in the other comp in the same way that a 3D null is a controller for a child 3D layer. Continuous rasterizations will also work to maintain resolution. The camera and lights in the main comp are now affecting all 3D layers in the nested comp. If you want to change the nested TEST comp to a 3D layer and add additional position and rotation changes layer in the Main comp, the graphic changes again. If some of the layers in the nested TEST comp are 2D instead of 3D, you get a square icon in addition to the three arrows indicating that the comp also contains 2D layers. Moving the camera or the TEST layer will not move the 2D layers.

Once you understand how collapse transformations and continuously rasterizing work, the changing graphics on the 3D switch make it easier to understand what is happening in your composition. Not changing the graphic would make it more difficult to understand the workflow and structure of the comp, and it would not affect the outcome at all. 

[fredsa]

Wow. This was way more complicated than I was expecting. I did some Googling on "collapse transformations", watched a few videos and I think Jake finally made me go "Aha" (well, almost 😄 )

Thanks, Rick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns41v75th_I&t=266s