About Z Scale; About 3D Layer Order; Using Effects With 3D Layers - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 7.0
174
User Guide
See also
"How After Effects works with 3D image files" on page 107

About z scale

Usually, scaling a layer's z axis has no effect on the layer because the layer itself has no depth. To add depth, you can
change the position of the layer's anchor point or establish a parenting relationship with other layers. Once you add
depth, scaling the layer's z scale value appears to change the layer's position.
See also
"Moving an anchor point" on page 207
"To work with parent and child layers" on page 208

About 3D layer order

When you move 3D layers behind or in front of each other in the Composition panel, their order in the Timeline
panel does not change. You can use additional views, available from the 3D View menu, to determine the actual
position of the 3D layers in the Composition panel.
Layer order in the Timeline panel specifies how After Effects applies track mattes—they always affect layers that are
adjacent in the Timeline panel. When you apply a shadow to a 3D layer that has a track matte, the shadow may not
appear as expected. To ensure that the shadow remains where expected, precompose (but don't collapse) the 3D and
track matte layers, then apply the shadow to the composition.
Compositions can contain both 2D and 3D layers. However, lights and shadows cast by 3D layers do not affect 2D
layers. The position of 2D and 3D layers may affect how After Effects renders the composition.
See also
"About track mattes and traveling mattes" on page 279
"Default rendering order" on page 593
"To precompose layers" on page 133

Using effects with 3D layers

Though all After Effects effects are 2D effects, you can apply them to any 3D layer, except light layers and camera
layers.
With effects that have a Comp Camera attribute, you can use the active composition camera or lights to view or light
an effect from various angles in order to simulate more sophisticated 3D effects.
Note: Because effects are 2D, effects that appear to cause protrusions in a layer, such as Bulge or Wave Warp, don't have
z space values and don't let you view layers through a camera. So, when you rotate a layer with those effects applied and
view it from the side, the effect does not protrude out of the plane of the layer into 3D space.
See also
"Effects with a Comp Camera attribute" on page 351