Forgive me if this doesn't make sense, but I'll try my best. Refer to attached pictures for better idea of what I'm going for:
I'm looking to create a template of sorts to make consistent content in a one point perspective grid style. Simple VJ content, nothing too crazy. I've recreated a similar effect in Resolume Arena by using a fixed camera, shoebox claymation video to lineup and shift my video/picture layers for each wall. Basically I want a grid of sorts that I can import a 3d object onto and animate it along the Z axis but have it locked to where it follows a wall, floor or ceiling path until it reaches the vanishing point or zooms past the camera, without keeping the object perfectly centered and completely covering the camera. I'm aware I could just use Z axis or scale to blow up or vanish an object but I want it locked to the perspective and walls.
I'm also looking to make the walls interchangeable with videos, so I can have the video walls open/close or rotate to make more content but always keeping the angle and perspective consistent.
Not really sure of what kind of answer I'm looking for, but if anyone has any advice, links or tutorials relating to this I would very much appreciate it.
Red lines are videos shifted to match the walls of the orange/yellow video. Red moon is a video scaled to match the back wall of the orange/yellow claymation video
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Replies
You can fairly easily move things on a plane. Here's what I would do to build your virtual set:
- Create a large solid that is 2X the height and width of your composition and name it Rectangle
- Create a square solid that is 2X the width of the composition and name it square
- Add both layers to the composition
- Make the layers 3D
- Duplicate both layers
- Change the z anchor point to the comp width for both rectangle layers
- Change the z anchor point to the comp height for both square layers
- Rotate the first rectangle layer 90º in Y, the second rectangle layer -90 in y
- Rotate the first square layer 90º in X, the second square -90º in x
- Add a camera
- Add a point light at the center of the composition
- Move the camera back until you can see the leading edge of the tunnel you just made
- Add a 3D null to the comp and parent all solids to the null
- Add a shape layer to the comp, make it 3D, hold down the shift key and parent the shape layer to one of the sold layers
- Set the anchor point z value of the shape layer to the z anchor point value of the layer you chose as the parent
- Save the project
- Export the comp as a C4D project using the File>Export menu
- Import the saved C4D project and drag it into the comp
- Open the C4D lite editor and open the C4D file
- Add extrusions and caps to the shape layers
- Turn off the solid layers
- Save the file
- Return to After Effects
- Change the Cineware render to Standard Final and the camera to Centered Comp Camera
- Save your file
- Animate the position of the camera
The project looks like this:
There you go. 3D elements on virtual walls. You can move the shape layers anywhere you want on the walls or even past them using the position controls in the timeline and they will stick to the walls. You can re-arrange any 3D elements you created in C4D lite by simply moving them around on the stage. You have the walls for reference. You can even add additional 3D elements like this:
If you want to map a video to one of the surfaces of the cubes you can just add a masked video layer to the comp, make it 32D and position it over one of the surfaces. You can even add textures to the shapes in C4D lite.
I hope this helps. Just for fun here's a project file and the C4D file:
Dropbox - Cube and cylinder.c4d
These are CC 2018 files. If your browser adds a .txt extension to the files when you can just delete it.
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