No cast shadows in Advanced 3d - AE 24.6.1

[AndrewTheGreat]

I was trying to animate a Google earth studio map with city names with shadows on it. Thus I discovered that After Effects 24.6.1 doesn't have cast shadows if the renderer is Advanced 3D. Am I wrong with the settings somewhere or in the Advanced 3D shadows are not cast at all?

See an example in the video. Only the classic 3D works. And the Classic 3D would have been fine but for it missing extrusions for layers, which I need and only the Advanced 3D does them

[Rick Gerard]

Open composition settings (Ctrl/Cmnd + K) and carefully read the descriptions in the 3D Renderer tab. Everything is explained there.

You will need to work around the limitations using a different workflow and maybe some pre-comps or wait for other features to be added to the different rendering engines. The rendering engines are also limited by GPU compatibility.

[AndrewTheGreat]

@Rick Gerard 

Thanks for your response. It appears ADVANCED 3D is not so advanced... 

You either have extrusions or lights and shadows. This is ridiculous...

So if shadows for non environment lights are off, then the environment light can cast shadows in advanced 3d, right?

[thepixelsmith]

Yes, environmental lighs can cast shadows in advanced 3d.

[AndrewTheGreat]

I couldn't make them cast shadows either. The situation is as follows: I have a Google Earth Studio map animation with landmarks via the google earth studio script file. So in result I get a camera flying above the map and three text layers following the land along. I'm sure you know how this works. What I need to do is to make the three landmarks (cities names) 3d that is extruded and at the same time cast a shadow onto the map. Basic 3D renderer does not have extrusions. Advanced 3D renderer has them but as it appeared it cannot cast shadows. Cinema 4D renderer has both but it does not hide the shadow catcher - the layer material options > Accept shadows > Only does not work. The layer remains visible. So how do I make an extruded object WITH a shadow? If I pre-compose it the layer becomes 2D with a 3D (extruded) image on it which cannot be rotated as a 3D object - just a 2D one. I really think Advanced 3D renderer needs to be improved, but meanwhile how can I achieve what I need? So I could only add shadow to a non extruded object that is a text

[thepixelsmith]

 

Environmental lights can definitely cast shadows.

Did you make a 3D shadow catcher layer to recieve the shadows and switch it to Accept Shadows Only?

It would need to be parallel to the plane of the google earth image's ground but it should work.

I usually just use a white solid for that.

This example is using both an imported 3d Model and extruded/beveled text and casting the shadow onto a solid that has been rotated to 90 degrees to form the floor.

Maybe there is a problem with the rotation properties of the environmental light layer?

[AndrewTheGreat]

Don't know what is going on. I created a new AE project and there Environment lights really cast shadows. In my Google earth studio project created via the google script file the shadows just don't work in the advanced 3D...

See yourself. Can you guess what is wrong? See the video - all the options for the light text and the shadow catcher are set

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1krgRO7O4KSdNM6KcHOcusQtOGyxMsVuB/view?usp=sharing

[Ben30866796b4td]

I feel like I'm going crazy because I have the exact same issues. All the appropriate cast/receive shadow settings are enabled. Light is set to environmental (and I've tried all the others). All my 3D layers receive light correctly, and the light falls off as expected when turning away from the light source. But even when I place an object directly between my light source and my 3D layer, it still receives light.

I'm on a GeForce RTX 2060, so I doubt it's hardware related.

[thepixelsmith]

@Ben30866796b4td Was this composition created from scratch or was it created by some kind of third party script?

[Ben30866796b4td]

@thepixelsmith No it was created manually, but I managed to resolve the issue by updating my graphics drivers... can't believe I didn't try that first. Appreciate your effort to help though! 😊

[thepixelsmith]

Cool. Glad it worked out.

[Kim Pimmel]

I had this same problem with not being able to see shadows for 3d objects on my shadow catcher (with all light/shadow settings correctly set, and shadow catcher and lights oriented correctly as suggested in numerous forum posts)

I was able to get my shadows to show for an Advanced 3D comp - for Environmental Lights only- by going into Composition Settings, Options for Advanced 3D, then selecting the 'Fit to Scene' button for Casting Box Size/Center.  This changed the values in those boxes and then my scene's shadows became visible.

Hope this helps someone else with the same issue.

[Thetope]

Hello, I have a problem with the casting box position, the value of the Z does not go beyond 30000 and it place the box like this when I click on Fit to Scene. I can't moove the box behond so I can't see the shadow of my car deeper into my scene, I do a lot of search but I have no answer to how fix this box problem.

[ShiveringCactus]

Can you make your shadow catcher a child of the 3D object, then set its position to 0,0,0 and then move it from there?

[Thetope]

It's work, amazing you one shot my problem with this answer, thanks ! 

[Thetope]

OK, it's dont' work completely when I do that the shadow cast well, but now I lost my tracking the car is mooving weirdly

[Thetope]

The real problem is in fact the solid that I creat for the traking, when I right click and do creat a solid and a camera the position in the space of the layer are insane like you can see on the image and that why the casting box can fit well, any solution to that ?

[ShiveringCactus]

When the 3D camera track completed, did you set a Ground Plane and Origin and then make the camera and null

/solid?

[Thetope]

Aa no I don't. When the track is over and the camera is resolve I clck directely on Create a camera and Solid.

I don't know how to set a ground plane and origin like you said can you help me with a vidéo tuto or just tell me if its simple ?

[ShiveringCactus]

I'm not 100% sure of the reason, but all the advice I was ever given over the 3D tracker was to set a ground plane and origin first before making a camera.

[Thetope]

Hi, I succeeded doing the technique you told me and as you can see on my screen shot the position and the size are normal now.

But I have one last problerm always with the Casting Box witch is at his maximal size 30000 for no reason and when I want animate my car in the scene even before animated this is not covered the entire area of the shadow. I'm out of idea now I join you a vidéo so you can cleraly see the problem ! 

[ShiveringCactus]

It's a little hard to tell, but it does look like the scale you are using is massive.  I'd be tempted to look at the free Normalize script from Workbench.tv 

Also, there's no rule saying you cannot parent your shadow catcher solid to the car, so that it moves with it.

[Thetope]

Hi, just to say to you that its work with this plug thanks a lot to all your answer ! It's just boring that you can't animate the casting box so in my vidéo I would like to faking the car riding on the road but it's not possible actually, hope after can ameliore that ! Thanks again, bye !