After Effects: 3D Typography

Explore techniques for creating 3D animated text inside of Adobe After Effects using the ray-traced 3D feature, third-party plugins, scripts, and Cinema 4D Lite.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching this course
• Using the exercise files

1. 3D Typography Essentials

• Why good typography matters
• Advice for good 3D type
• 3D type options in After Effects
• Case study introduction
• What are we going to test?

2. 3D from 2D

• Faux 3D using effects and layer styles
• Pseudo depth
• More options: 3D Extruder and Elementary

3. Ray-Traced 3D

• Using the ray-traced 3D renderer
• Extruded text layers
• Extruded shape layers
• More options: Per character 3D, curvature, and reflections

4. CINEMA 4D Lite

• Prep for using the CINEWARE effect
• Extruded text in CD4 Lite
• Create the explode shapes
• Reconnect the animation
• Render settings
• More options: Basic MoGraph tools

5. Mettle ShapeShifter

• Text and vector extrusion
• 3D displacement mapping
• More options: 3D Repeater and 3D deformers

6. Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) Units 3D Objects

• Extruded text
• Extruded EPS
• More options: 3D deformers

7. Zaxwerks Invigorator PRO

• 3D text creations
• Extrude the explode layers
• Render settings
• More options: Warping and light rigs

8. Video Copilot Element 3D

• 3D text workflow
• Explode Layers Extrusion
• Connecting through nulls
• Render settings
• More options: Multi-Object and Particle Replicator

Conclusion

• Pros and cons summary
• Next steps