Adobe 65008009 - After Effects CS4 Using Manual page 190

Last updated 12/21/2009
Aligns the axes to the view you have selected. For example, suppose that a layer has been rotated
View Axis mode
and the view changed to a custom view; any subsequent transformation made to that layer while in View Axis mode
happens along the axes corresponding to the direction from which you are looking at the layer.
Note: The camera tools always adjust along the local axes of the view, so the action of the camera tools is not affected by
the axis modes.
More Help topics
"Coordinate systems: composition space and layer
3D layer interactions, render order, and collapsed transformations
The positions of certain kinds of layers in the layer stacking order in the Timeline panel prevent groups of 3D layers
from being processed together to determine intersections and shadows.
A shadow cast by a 3D layer does not affect a 2D layer or any layer that is on the other side of the 2D layer in the layer
stacking order. Similarly, a 3D layer does not intersect with a 2D layer or any layer that is on the other side of the 2D
layer in the layer stacking order. No such restriction exists for lights.
3D layers intersecting (left), and 3D layers prevented from intersecting by intervening 2D layer (right)
Just like 2D layers, other types of layers also prevent 3D layers on either side from intersecting or casting shadows on
one another:
• An adjustment layer
• A 3D layer with a layer style applied
• A 3D precomposition layer to which an effect, closed mask (with mask mode other than None), or track matte has
been applied
• A 3D precomposition layer without collapsed transformations
A precomposition with collapsed transformations (Collapse Transformations switch
with the interaction of 3D layers on either side—as long as all of the layers in the precomposition are themselves 3D
layers. Collapsing transformations exposes the 3D properties of the layers that compose the precomposition.
Essentially, collapsing transformations in this case allows each 3D layer to be composited into the main composition
individually, rather than creating a single 2D composite for the precomposition layer and compositing that into the
main composition. The tradeoff is that this setting removes your ability to specify certain layer settings for the
precomposition as a whole—such as blending mode, quality, and motion blur.
space" on page 145
USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Layers and properties
selected) does not interfere
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