Flying through Text in 3D Space


Next you'll animate the wall of text through 3D space to create a camera fly-through effect. There is more than one way to create a fly-through effect, but you'll use one of the easier methods: animating a Null Object layer and parenting it to the other layers. Here are the steps:

1.

Create a new comp named Text Stack Comp, using the same composition preset as the Base Text Comp: NTSC D1 Square Pix, 720x540, with Duration 8;00 seconds.

2.

Place the Base Text Comp into the Text Stack Comp's Timeline at time 0;00. These layers will be used to stagger the effect into 3D space and give the project the depth needed for the fly-through.

3.

Choose Layer > New > Null Object to create the layer you'll use to animate the Base Text Comp layer.

4.

Drag the text layer's pick whip in the Parent column to the Null 1 layer.

5.

Turn on the 3D switch for both layers in the Switches column.

Assigning the Null Object layer as parent to the text layer

6.

Duplicate the Base Text Comp layer seven times so you have eight copies of that layer.

7.

Select all the Base Text Comp layers, and press P to display their Position properties. Deselect the layers, and then set the first Base Text Comp layer's Z Position value to 100. Change the Z value of each of the remaining Base Text Comp layers, each time increasing the value by 100 more than in the previous layer.

New Z positions for the text layers

The text layers viewed from the Left 3D view

The text layers viewed from the Active Camera view

Tip

If you notice that your system slows down now that you've turned on the 3D switch for every layer, you can improve performance by setting the Composition window's Resolution to Half, its Fast Previews option to Adaptive, and the text layers' Quality switches to Draft.

8.

To make the text layers fly toward and behind the viewer, add a Position keyframe to the Null 1 layer with the values 360, 275, -450.

9.

Press End on your keyboard to go to time 7;29, and then change the Null 1 layer's Z Position value to -1800.



    Adobe After Effects 6.5 Magic
    Adobe After Effects 6.5 Magic
    ISBN: 0321267230
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 236

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