3D Rendering; Rendering Compositions Containing Both 2D And 3D Layers; To Use The Advanced 3D Rendering Plug-In - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

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Export source images for a graphics program in which the images can be edited or retouched and imported back
into After Effects as footage items.
Choose Composition > Make Movie.
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Type a file name.
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Note: When rendering frames in Mac OS for use in Windows, the file name must be in this format: file_name[###].tga.
As each frame is rendered and a file name created for it, After Effects replaces the [###] portion of the name with a
number indicating the order of the frame in the sequence.
In the Render Queue panel, click the underlined Output Module template name.
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4 Choose one of the sequence formats from the Format menu. Specify the rest of the settings you want and click OK.
In the Render Queue panel, click Render.
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3D rendering

About 3D rendering
After Effects provides three 3D rendering plug-ins: Advanced 3D, Standard 3D, and OpenGL Hardware. These plug-
ins compute the motion blur, lighting, shadow, and depth-of-field information unique to 3D. OpenGL also provides
rendering support for a number of other 2D effects. After Effects can also use OpenGL—if the appropriate hardware
is available—during interactions like moving and rotating layers. After Effects can use the Advanced 3D rendering
plug-in to create both RAM previews and output files. The 3D rendering plug-in you specify becomes the default for
future compositions.

Rendering compositions containing both 2D and 3D layers

If a composition contains both 2D and 3D layers, After Effects renders the 3D layers in independent, noninteractive
groups (determined by their order in the Timeline panel) that are separated by the 2D layers. For example, if the
Timeline panel contains (from top to bottom) two 3D layers, two 2D layers, and two 3D layers, After Effects renders
the composition in the following order: First, the bottom two 3D layers as a set, according to their spatial order in
the Composition panel. Second, the 2D layers according to their Timeline panel order, from bottom to top. Third,
the top two 3D layers as a set. These are rendered in a geometric space independent of the 3D layers at the bottom
of the Timeline panel.
Essentially, the 2D layers split the 3D space into separate universes. The result is that shadows cast by either set of 3D
layers do not fall on the other set, and the two sets of 3D layers do not interact geometrically. The two sets of 3D
layers do share cameras and lights, because these two elements are global to the composition.

To use the Advanced 3D rendering plug-in

Use the Advanced 3D rendering plug-in (the default) to render compositions containing intersecting 3D layers. The
Advanced 3D rendering plug-in accurately calculates these layers so that they appear to slide through each other
naturally instead of popping from one side to the other. This plug-in also accurately calculates anti-aliasing, motion
blur, and blending modes for intersecting layers.
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