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After effects 3d tracking target not appearing

New Here ,
Dec 19, 2023 Dec 19, 2023

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Hello, I am new to After Effects and think that I'm going to start peeling the skin right off my face because of this, when I try to use the 3d tracking effect and click on the track markers no target appears and it only allows me to delete the track marks. I have watched every tutorial, read every post, and searched for every fix however, nothing has worked. Here are the things I've tried so as to not waste your time: Going to view –> show control layers (it is already turned on), clicking the analyze button under the 3d camera tracker section (it is grayed out anyway), making sure that "show track points" is turned on in the effects of the targeted video, and making sure that the active camera is turned on. Oh, and I am using 2d source instead of 3d solved because for some reason when I select 3d solved the trackers don't appear. You can find an attached file of what my screen looks like down below.

 

After effects has been updated to the latest update and I am using a 2020 MacBook air with the M1 chip.

 

thanks.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

There are a few problems with your shot. The first one is the swish pan at the start of the shot. There is insufficient detail in that part of the shot to get useful tracking information. I've marked the unusable section.

RickGerard_0-1703096337890.gif

If you run Camera Tracker (notice I am in the Motion Tracking Workspace), you will get a camera solve fail. Turning on detailed analysis will get you a solution for part of the shot.

RickGerard_1-1703096677867.gif

If you scrub through the timeline until you get some tracking markers showing up, you'll see

...

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Community Expert ,
Dec 19, 2023 Dec 19, 2023

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You're not following the right workflow. Most of the time, you should have Detailed Analysis turned on. You should also be in the Motion Tracking workspace so all the tools are easily accessible. Then, you must select 3D Solved, not 2D source. Then you pick at least 3, but if more tracking markers are on the same plane, drag a selection around them all, size up the Target, set an Origin and Ground plane, and then use the same target to create a Solid and Camera. Solids are best because you can add a Grid to them and see if they accurately track the surface.  That's about it. 

RickGerard_0-1703028704794.gif

Note: in the future, drag or copy your screenshots to the reply field instead of using the Drag & Drop here... button so we can see them without downloading.

 

That should get you started.

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New Here ,
Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

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This is all good advice, however, when I select 3d solved, the track markers don't appear therefore I can't select them which appears to be a big part of my problem. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Screenshot 2023-12-20 at 9.34.07 AM.png

 

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Community Expert ,
Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

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If the markers disappear, you did not get a camera solution. It's probably the shot. Is it a camera pan? There is no average error reported. Try resetting and analyzing again. Post the shot so we can see what you are working with.

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New Here ,
Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

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I have reset and analyzed it again, but no luck. I don't really know what a camera solution is (still new to AE and filmmaking) and yes, it is a camera pan. here is my clip (unfortunately I can't attach it to the reply section this time because for some reason it wont let me):

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Community Expert ,
Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

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There are a few problems with your shot. The first one is the swish pan at the start of the shot. There is insufficient detail in that part of the shot to get useful tracking information. I've marked the unusable section.

RickGerard_0-1703096337890.gif

If you run Camera Tracker (notice I am in the Motion Tracking Workspace), you will get a camera solve fail. Turning on detailed analysis will get you a solution for part of the shot.

RickGerard_1-1703096677867.gif

If you scrub through the timeline until you get some tracking markers showing up, you'll see problems with the solution. The tracking markers that are farther away from the camera are bigger than the ones that are close to the camera. Dragging a selection around the markers and then moving the target around shows the wrong perspective changes.

RickGerard_2-1703096988890.gif

When doing Camera Tracking, it is always a good idea to split up the shot so you only track the frames where you want to add some 3D elements to the scene. You can split the layer using Shift + Ctrl/Cmnd + d. I usually pre-compose the cuts, moving all attributes and trimming to layer length. Here, I tried splitting the shot into three sections.

 

RickGerard_3-1703097963107.gif

There were some problems with the first part of the shot. I didn't bother with the swish-pan. The last part of the shot showed the proper perspective on the Tracking Markers, and selecting a bunch of them on the ground allowed me to set an origin and ground plane fairly accurately and then add a solid that tracks fairly accurately. 

 

It is nearly impossible to select three or more tracking markers on the back wall and end up with the right perspective. That problem can be solved by carefully selecting a single point, adding a small solid, then increasing the size and adjusting rotation until the solid appears to stick to the wall. 

RickGerard_4-1703098805932.gif

Look for my new AE tutorial series coming soon to YouTube. My Quick Tips Playlist. I will be going over many aspects of compositing, tracking, and automating After Effects projects that professionals at major production companies are using..

Your footage is a perfect example of a shot that is not easy to track and has some unsolvable problems in part of the shot. This modified workflow will allow you to at least end up with a starting point.

 

 

 

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New Here ,
Dec 20, 2023 Dec 20, 2023

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It worked! thank you.

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