CC Ball Action looks pixelated when I scale up — any fix?

[Marta_Newmann0562]

Hi everyone,
I’m stuck on a problem in After Effects.

I’m following this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB7tLjqsKMY , and everything works fine,  until I try to make my molecule higher quality.

If I scale up the layer inside the new composition, it becomes too pixelated.
But if I increase the size directly in the base composition (where the solids are), I go from having about 3 atoms to around 10, and the whole effect looks completely different.

I’d like my molecule to be at least 1000 px wide for my animation.
However, it seems that it’s not possible to go beyond 50 in the “Space Grid” setting of CC Ball Action.

Does anyone know how to get a higher-quality version of this effect or how to recreate the same look as in the tutorial without using a 3D program (ideally staying within After Effects)?

Thanks a lot for your help! 

[RobShultz]

The tutorial is making the comps 220x220 pixels which is pretty small especially if you want them the be 1000 px. You may want to modify the tutorial by making the comp larger.

[nishu_kush]

Agree with what Rob suggested. Scaling up the layer or the comp will result in pixelation. It's better to start with a larger comp.

Let us know if there are any other questions.

Thanks,
Nishu

[Kyle Hamrick · Accepted solution]

As OP pointed out, CC Ball Action maxes out with a Grid Spacing of 50, so while this is a clever technique, it hits a wall pretty quickly. The CC Sphere effect can mimic the look of a single sphere, but I don't think you'll get this same ease of movement or correct overlapping, as you're ultimately dealing with standard 2d layering.

This would be relatively easy to recreate by importing a simple 3d sphere - that's probably how I'd approach it for the size you're looking for. It'll require a bit more knowledge about 3d and expressions, but still rather entry-level versions of each.

You'd be able to create a sphere quickly with Cinema 4D Lite (included with your AE install), or honestly, you could also create it in Adobe Illustrator, since they added some limited 3d capabilities (and the ability to export as a model). Save it as an OBJ or GLTF and you'll be able to import directly into AE. More complex than the example you posted, but doable. 

It'd be easiest to do the coloring directly on the models (outside of AE), because you can't apply effects direcly to imported 3d models, but you *can* apply colors via effects, using a second layer and effects like Calculations. (Again, more complex.)

In this example, I created the spheres in Illustrator, applying the color there before exporting them. 

I imported and arranged the spheres, then applied the Position wiggle to each (using the same settings applied to Scatter in the tutorial). I created a Null, enabled 3D and parented all three spheres to it - this will be our tumbling rotation point.

 

Hopefully this helps get you moving in the right direction - let me know if you have questions!