About 3D Rotation; Adjusting 3D Layers; To Show Or Hide The Axes - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

About 3D rotation

You can adjust 3D rotation two ways: by changing a layer's Orientation values or changing its X, Y, and Z Rotation
values. You can use the rotation tool to change Orientation or X, Y, or Z Rotation values.
When you animate any of a 3D layer's Orientation values, the layer moves along the shortest possible rotational path
in 3D space, creating natural and predictable rotations. You can smooth this path by changing the spatial keyframe
interpolation to Auto Bezier.
When you animate any of a 3D layer's X, Y, or Z Rotation values, the layer rotates along each individual axis. You can
adjust the number of rotations, as well as the angle of rotation. You can also add keyframes to the layer's rotation on
each axis individually. Animating using these properties allows for more alternatives for fine control with keyframes
and expressions than does animating with the Orientation property, but also may result in motion that is less
predictable. The individual rotation properties are useful for creating rotations with multiple revolutions along a
single axis.
See also
"Applying and changing interpolation methods" on page 222

Adjusting 3D layers

In the Composition panel, 3D layers appear with three axes. Axes are color coded: red arrows control the x axis, green
arrows control the y axis, and blue arrows control the z axis. You can control the layer's location by dragging an axis
with either the selection or rotation tool. Changing the position moves the layer along an axis; changing the angle
(rotation) pivots the layer on its anchor point around the axis. The Info panel updates to show the coordinates of the
layer you are adjusting.
Note: The axis along which you can drag a layer depends on the composition 3D view.
3D layer rotated in Composition panel
You can also move 3D layers by dragging the layers in the Composition panel. Dragging from the center of a layer
using the Selection tool moves the layer within the camera's plane of view. Dragging a layer handle using the Rotation
tool constrains the rotation to a particular axis.
To show a wireframe representation of the layer movement, click the Disable Live Update button in the Timeline
panel.

To show or hide the axes

Activate the Composition panel that contains the axes you want to show or hide.
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