How do you avoid pixelization when zooming into a map in a 3D scene???

Report · Mar 01, 2025

This is a problem I've never been able to resolve in After Effects. This is my method I use for illustrating invasions on maps:

[1] Start with a base layer vector map and remove the ocean color using the "Linear Key":

[2] Duplicate this map layer twice. This first copy right above the base map will serve as a matte for all other map layers (states/countries) above it so that they can be colored in without the color spilling over into the ocean part (except for the invasion mask layer which will use a copy of the invaded country as a track matte.)

[3] The second copy of the map will be right at the top using a blend mode (Multiply, Color Burn, or Linear Burn). Like this all states and invasions below can stay in Normal blend mode, and there will be no spill over between states. Here are the layers in question:

I added a Turbulent Displace effect on the invading layer:

[4] Now I pre-compose the map into a new composition, add a null-parented camera, and check that all layers are 3D.

[5] But the problem is that the more I zoom into my map, the more pixelated it becomes, even though it's a vector map and all the layers in the 2D comp are rasterized:

[6] I'm told the only way to avoid pixelization is to rasterize the pre-composed map layer. But if I do that, it kills the whole 3D scene as it disables the camera framing:

And if I go back into my 2D map composition and check the 3D box for all the layers, it then kills my invasion mask:

So how do I square this circle? Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can help me resolve this.