Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 91

Importing 3D images from Photoshop Extended and Illustrator
3D models in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop Extended can import and manipulate 3D models in several popular formats, including 3D Studio
(.3ds) and Universal 3D (.u3d). You can manipulate these 3D models in Photoshop Extended and then save one or
more frames as PSD files that you then import into After Effects.
Vanishing Point exchange
When you use the Vanishing Point feature in Photoshop Extended, you can then use the File > Export For After
Effects CS3 (.vpe) command to save the results as a collection of PNG files—one for each plane—and a .vpe file that
describes the geometry of the scene. You can then import the .vpe file into After Effects. After Effects uses the infor-
mation in the .vpe file to recreate the scene as a composition containing a camera layer and one perspective-
corrected 3D layer for each PNG file.
The camera is on the negative z axis, at (x,y)=(0,0). The point of interest for the camera is in the center of the compo-
sition. The camera zoom is set according to the field of view in the Vanishing Point scene.
The 3D layers for the planes in the scene have a parent layer with its anchor point at the center of the composition,
so the whole scene can be transformed together.
Vanishing Point exchange only works well for images that have square pixels in Photoshop.
Illustrator 3D effects
The effects in the 3D category in Illustrator—Extrude & Bevel, Revolve, and Rotate—give a three-dimensional
appearance to any vector graphic object, including text and drawings. If you want to add depth to your vector art and
text, consider creating it in Illustrator, using the 3D effects, and then importing the results into After Effects.
See also
"Working with 3D layers" on page 174
"Cameras, lights, and points of interest" on page 179
Import RLA or RPF data into a camera layer
After Effects imports camera data saved with RLA or RPF sequence files. That data is incorporated into camera
layers—one for each camera in the sequence—that After Effects creates in the Timeline panel. You can access the
camera data of an imported RLA or RPF sequence and create a camera layer containing that data.
Add the sequence to a composition, and select its layer in the Timeline panel.
1
Choose Animation > Keyframe Assistant > RPF Camera Import.
2
Note: To create an RLA or RPF file with the camera data in 3D Studio Max, save your rendering in RPF format with
Coverage, Z Depth, and Alpha Channels enabled.
See also
"Working with 3D layers" on page 174
"Cameras, lights, and points of interest" on page 179
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