Building the Gold Bar

You'll create the gold bar by applying the Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator effect to a solid layer and extruding the solid in 3D with the help of a 2D Illustrator file. Once the effect has been set, you can also enhance the image by adjusting the lights to control the reflections:

Important

If you haven't already installed the 3D Invigorator plug-in into After Effects, you'll need to do so before you can complete this section. You can download a demo version of the 3D Invigorator plug-in from Zaxwerks' Web site at http://www.zaxwerks.com.

1.	Go to time 1:00, and create a comp-size Solid layer named Gold Bar 1. It can be any color, since the effect you apply will determine the solid's color.
2.	Apply Effect > Zaxwerks > 3D Invigorator to the solid layer.
3.	In the Open dialog that appears, select the rectangle1.ai file located in this chapter's folder in the book's DVD, and click Open. The 3D Invigorator effect prompts you to select a file to work with.
4.	Go to time 2:00, and expand the Camera property group in the Effect Controls window.
5.	Add a keyframe to every Camera property listed, and set the values to the following: Camera Eye X: 300 Camera Eye Y: 500 Camera Eye Z: 500 Camera Target X: 0.00 Camera Target Y: 0.00 Camera Target Z: 0.00 Camera Distance: 330.00 Camera Tumble Left: 0.00 Camera Tumble Up: 0.00 Camera Ortho Size: 500.00
6.	Click the camera button next to Update in the Effect Controls window to refresh the Scene preview. Adding the first group of keyframes for the 3D Invigorator effect

The new steps add texture and animate the solid:

1.	Click Options in the upper-right corner of the Effect Controls window to open the 3D Invigorator Set-Up Window dialog. Choose a gold-like style in the Object Styles tab to apply to your solid, and drag the style onto the center portion of the rectangle and then onto the rectangle's edge. Click OK when you're satisfied with its appearance. Applying texture to the solid
2.	Go to time 1:00, and type in the values to move the solid past the viewer : Camera Target X: 0.00 Camera Target Y: 0.00 Camera Target Z: 30.00 Camera Distance: 1.00 Camera Tumble Left: -70.00 Camera Tumble Up: 70.00 Camera Ortho Size: 25.00

The object isn't visible in the window because it's been moved offscreen at time 1:00.