How to make 2D mask into 3D to fall off screen?

Report · Nov 25, 2018

Hello After Effects Community,

I'm trying to create a logo that has been traced by a laser and falls off screen.

I've been trying to make a 2D mask into a 3D object and fall off screen. I already created the mask to fall off screen, but it still looks like a 2D shape.What is the best way to create a shape retaining a certain texture and animating it to fall off screen as a 3D look? I've tried looking for YouTube tutorials of this description and websites, but have found no luck. Any tutorials or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Report · Nov 26, 2018

I am not getting a clear picture of what you want to accomplish.

If I had some text on a plate and I wanted it to be cut out by a laser I would Duplicate the text layer, put a solid or an image below the ext layer to act as a background, Set the original copy of the text layer as a track matte for the background layer to punch a hole in it, select the top copy of the text layer and use Layer>Create>Shapes from Text to generate paths around the text, Select the paths one at a time and set then cut (Ctrl/Cmnd + x) a keyframe, then select one of the endpoints of a beam effect or the position property of a null, set a keyframe and paste to make the laser follow the outside of the text, then copy each individual shape in the Text To Shape layer to a new layer, make those layers 3D, position the anchor point of each layer appropriately and when the laser has finished following edge of the text animate the position and rotation to get the layer to fall off the screen.

Did you follow all of that? It was kind of a stream of consciousness tutorial. This took me about 5 minutes and shows the basics without the laser effect.

This would also work with vector layers from Illustrator.

Report · Nov 26, 2018

Hello Rick Gerard,

Thank you to the response to my question. I guess what I'm asking is how do i make the object that i created have more depth to it. I'm not working with a title, more with a logo. I used a picture that looks like metal and portraying it to look like its traced a shape with a laser I animated. When to object falls It doesn't have depth to the logo, but because it's a mask I don't know if I can create it to have depth.

Thank you