3D Animation

How to send 3D Characters from Adobe Fuse to Cinema 4D

When I first got a look at Adobe Fuse, one of my first big questions was - how do you get this into Cinema 4D or After Effects? After you've created a custom 3D character in Adobe Fuse, the other option besides adding it to your CC Library is to upload it to Mixamo.com. This process lets you add your newly minted 3D character to Mixamo's web app, where it'll auto-rig it, and let you add a variety of Motion Capture animations. Once you have a couple MoCap animations added to your character, you can download it in a variety of formats, such as .fbx or .dae. From there you can open it up in Cinema 4D, and take it from there!

Adobe Fuse is a new 3D character creator app, part of Adobe Creative Cloud. With it you can build out a custom 3D character using an intelligent UI, and then either bring your newly created character into Photoshop CC, or upload it to Mixamo's where you can add MoCap data and Download workable 3D files in a variety of formats.

Want to get a more in-depth look at Adobe Fuse? 

Learn what Adobe Fuse is, and how to bring Characters from Fuse into Photoshop CC

Learn how to bring Adobe Fuse Characters in Cinema 4D

Take a closer look at how to Assemble a Character

Learn how to Customize and Model a 3D Character in Fuse

See how you can add and Edit Clothing in Adobe Fuse

Learn about editing Textures for Fuse Characters in Photoshop

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to create custom 3D Characters in Adobe Fuse and bring them into Photoshop CC

I first saw Adobe Fuse at Adobe MAX back in the fall of last year, and I was really excited about the potential of what you can do, and what this app has the power to become. When Adobe first announced the purchase of Mixamo, known for 3D gaming character assets, I was curious as to how it would be added to the Adobe Mix. Now the Fuse, which was under development by Mixamo, you can design a 3D character using a smart UI and sliders, and then bring it into Photoshop CC, or export it to your preferred 3D app.

Remember that sweet character creator in NBA Live '95? (kids ask your parents) Now you can do that, and call it work! Learn how to get started with Adobe Fuse to build out a custom 3D character in the tutorial above, and then how to sync it to your Adobe Creative Cloud Library and bring it directly into Photoshop. Once in Photoshop CC, you can then choose from a large library of MoCap data to have the character animated.

Adobe Fuse is a new 3D character creator app, part of Adobe Creative Cloud. With it you can build out a custom 3D character using an intelligent UI, and then either bring your newly created character into Photoshop CC, or upload it to Mixamo's where you can add MoCap data and Download workable 3D files in a variety of formats.

Want to get a more in-depth look at Adobe Fuse? 

Learn how to bring Adobe Fuse Characters in Cinema 4D

Take a closer look at how to Assemble a Character

Learn how to Customize and Model a 3D Character in Fuse

See how you can add and Edit Clothing in Adobe Fuse

Learn about editing Textures for Fuse Characters in Photoshop

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Cinema 4D R17 - Working with the new "Takes" System

Once in a while, a new feature comes out for Cinema 4D that I hadn't thought of before, but would have made a past project MASSIVELY easier. That is what the new "Takes" in Cinema 4D R17 system was for me. With the Takes system, you can have multiple versions of a different animation, materials, or ANYTHING within one Cinema 4D project file. What exactly does that mean? Say you have a couple objects and you want to run a dynamics simulation, but you need several versions of the animation, but don't want copies of the objects, or multiple project files. Now you can use Takes to record multiple options. Get it, "Takes," like in the movies. Ohhhhhh...

There are so many new features in Cinema 4D R17, I put together several more videos taking a deeper look at new features. Check out these additional topics for more coverage of Cinema 4D R17!

• Rebuilt Pen Tool for R17
• NEW Variation Shader
• Working with the New Takes System
• Updates to the MetaBall Object
• 3D Motion Tracking Updates for R17
• New Lens Distortion Tools
• Easier SketchUp Import
• Updated Color Chooser
• NEW Book Generator

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Create a Flat Design Title sequence using Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite

For this video, I wanted to go over how to recreate the flat design technique using Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite inside of After Effects CC. This was also a good opportunity to show off the new Cogwheel object in Cinema 4D, that was added in Cinema 4D R16.

Ever since the Apple went flat with the UI design of the iPhone, flatter, minimal colors and design have been more and more popular. This was very apparent during the end credits of Captain America: Winter Soldier. I love this style of animation, where it looks like everything is flat, 2-dimensional pieces, with sudden camera movement revealing that the objects are actually 3D. Check out the reference at the video below to see the inspiration for this tutorial.

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Captain America: Winter Solider End Credits

How to recreate the Avengers Title Animation using After Effects & Element 3D, Part 2

To recreate the Avengers Title animation in After Effects, it really took some thought on how to pull it off and get everything working how it is in the real thing. In part 2 of my series on how to recreate it in After Effects CC using Element 3D, I get into some of the advanced techniques, such as using 3D stroke to reveal the 3D text, setting up the Trapcode Particular particle simulation, and more.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

In Part 1 of the Avengers Age of Ultron Tutorial, I went over how to create the 3D elements using Element 3D, animating the logo, and adding Optical Flares to create the lens flares. Watch part 1 here.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to recreate the Avengers Title Animation using After Effects & Element 3D

The Avengers title animation used in the film has it all: Optical Flares, 3D letters, lines animating in, lights, cameras, particles, and more. After seeing it in ads and trailers, I wanted to take a crack at trying to recreate it in After Effects using all the tools in the toolbox. To get all the details, I used Element 3D, 3D stroke, Trapcode Particular, Optical Flares, and more After Effects CC techniques. Check out part 1 in the video above to learn about getting started on the animation.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

Be sure to check out Part 2 of the Avengers Title Recreation Series here.

Want a quick idea of what this After Effects tutorial is all about? Check out the time lapse for this one:
 

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Using the Composite Background Tag in Cinema 4D to cast realistic shadows on top of Footage

When you're compositing 3D models into live action footage or photos using Cinema 4D, getting the shadows to cast and feel realistic can be one of the trickiest parts. Luckily Cinema 4D has the "Composite Background Tag" to do just that. In this video I go over how to get it set up using a still photo with a ground and wall, and casting the shadows from 3D objects onto the physical surfaces.

This Cinema 4D VFX & Compositing tutorial also covers overall Cinema 4D R16 texturing and modeling tips and tricks.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Looking for the next Tutorial to watch?

Check out the Top 5 Features of Element 3D V2 for After Effects at this video!

Learn about the Top 5 new features of Cinema 4D R17 at this video!

Learn the Top 5 After Effects Expressions in this video!

Learn how to recreate the Agengers: Age of Ultron 3D logo in this video!

To check out new features added to Cinema 4D R16, check out this video!

 

How to add post-production Motion Blur to 3D Renders in After Effects

When you shoot footage with a camera, you naturally get motion blur when objects are moving past the camera quickly. When you are working in 3D, however, this doesn't happen by default, which can make 3D animations feel like they are missing something. In this video I cover different options for getting that motion blur into Cinema 4D renders.

This can be done in a number of ways: Using the physical render properties in Cinema 4D, as well as adding post-production motion blur in After Effects using Pixel Motion Blur and Really Smart Motion Blur. This post production motion blur technique can also be applied to other 3D animation software options such as Maya and 3D Studio Max.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to make a Brick Wall Explode using MoGraph and Dynamics in Cinema 4D

In Cinema 4D, you can create 3D animation using Mograph, or you can add dynamics tags and let the simulations do the work. But how do you combine the two? In this video, I dig into exactly that topic, by going over how I created an animation where a brick wall stacks up using MoGraph techniques, and then explodes with realistic physic and gravity using Dynamics Tags! 

Topics include MoGraph animation, working with effectors such as plane and random, animating effector falloff, creating and extruding text, and additional Cinema 4D MoGraph Animation Tips and Tricks.

Want to get the project file for this tutorial? You can purchase it in the online store for just a couple dollars!

Check out Part 2 of the tutorial - adding motion blur to 3D animations here.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to import Cinema 4D Animations into Element 3D V2 for After Effects

A great new feature of Element 3D V2 is the ability to directly important Cinema 4D animations into Element 3D, without the need the save out a separate OBJ sequence. In this video, I go over the process of bringing Cinema 4D Position, Scale, or Rotation animations into Element 3D, as well as talk about the animation possibilities for this process by using a particle replicator and animation engine.

To set up the final shot in After Effects CC, I also cover working with After Effects camera properties and settings, as well as final render settings for Element 3D Version 2.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Top 5 New Features for Element 3D V2

Version 2 of Element 3D for After Effects is a HUGE update packed with tons of new features, including the long-desired shadows and reflections. Version 2 of the Video Copilot 3D plug-in is basically a new software package compared to V1, so I put together this video to outline the updates, differences from V1 to V2, and some of my top new features.

My top new features include:
• updated Element 3D UI
• Shadows and Reflections
• Sub-Object Aux Channel Animation
• Backlight lighting pack
• Deformers

New to Element 3D? Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to create a Tracing Text animation using the MoGraph Tracer in Cinema 4D, Part 2

In part 2 of the tutorial on using the Cinema 4D Tracer object with 3D text, I go over bringing the project in After Effects CC and adding some post-production effects. Some of these tips include how to create balloon effects on 3D text, as well as animating expressions and adding post-production motion blur.

Watch Part 1 of the video covering the Cinema 4D R16 techniques here.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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How to create a Tracing Text animation using the MoGraph Tracer in Cinema 4D

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There is a lot you can do with MoGraph and MoGraph objects in Cinema 4D once you start connecting things and seeing what they do. In this Cinema 4D tutorial, I outline and experiment I set up to see how you could use the Tracer Object with 3D text.

I'll start in Cinema 4D to create the main texture animation, covering many Cinema 4D Animation Tips, and then do the post-production in After Effects in the second part of the tutorial, available here.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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How to Fracture and Destroy 3D Buildings using the Thraussi plug-in and Dynamic Simulations in Cinema 4D

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What's the point of learning 3D software if you can't use it to implode CG buildings, right? In this Cinema 4D tutorial, I go over how to fracture 3D buildings or objects using the free plug-in Thraussi, and then how to use dynamics to have the buildings implode, knock over, or fall down. Once you have this technique mastered, JJ Abrams should be calling any minute.

This fractured object can also be brought into Element 3D and Element 3D V2 for After Effects.

Topics include creating and grouping basic polygonal shapes, fracturing 3D objects, beginner to intermediate rigid body dynamics, and using invisible collider body dynamics to create CG destruction with Cinema 4D.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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How to Create an infinitely Looping 3D logo using Cinema 4D, After Effects, and Cineware

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You might see those small little network logos animating and spinning in the corner of the TV screen all the time. In this Cinema 4D Lite and After Effects CC tutorial, I go over how to get a looping 3D logo to animate seamlessly in Cinema 4D, and how to use Cineware and Time Remapping in After Effects to loop only one spin, and save on the render time. Which is good because who wants more render time?

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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Switch between multiple Cinema 4D Cameras in After Effects using Cineware

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Switching between multiple 3D cameras in Cinema 4D or other 3D apps can get tricky. Previously you would need to take the editor approach, either by rendering out all frames of multiple cuts and editing back together, or by exporting an After Effects CC project file. Now with the Cineware Connection in After Effects CC, you can cut between multiple cameras in the same project file quickly and easily. This is one of my favorite features and techniques of using Cineware, and in this Cinema 4D & After Effects CC tutorial video I'll show you how I do it.

Looking for more Tips on Cinema 4D Camera Animation?

Check out Part 1, Cinema 4D Camera Animation Tips, Tricks, and Tags

Check out Part 2 on Cinema 4D Camera Properties

Don't forget Part 3 on Cinema 4D Camera Rigs

And Watch Part 4 on Setting up a Cinema 4D MultiCam Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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Animating the Camera Crane and other Camera Rigs in Cinema 4D

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There are some really fun built-in camera rigs in Cinema 4D that you can grab to simulate realistic camera rigs, such as cranes, steadicams, and stereo rigs. There are a lot of settings for each one to get that green green guy to bob and weave with your camera correctly, so in this video I cover some of my favorite techniques for using the built-in Cinema 4D camera rigs.

In this Cinema 4D R16 camera tutorial, Part 3 of the Cinema 4D Camera Series, Learn to work with and animate the built in Cinema 4D camera rigs, including the Target Camera, Stereo Camera, Motion Camera, and Camera Crane.

Looking for more Tips on Cinema 4D Camera Animation?

Check out Part 1, Cinema 4D Camera Animation Tips, Tricks, and Tags

Check out Part 2 on Cinema 4D Camera Properties

Don't forget Part 3 on Cinema 4D Camera Rigs

And Watch Part 4 on Setting up a Cinema 4D MultiCam Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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How to use Depth of Field, Motion Blur and 3D Camera Properties in Cinema 4D

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A great thing about working with Cinema 4D Cameras is that you can recreate realistic effects we would see in real cameras, such as Depth of Field, Motion Blur, and other camera properties. Tackling these camera properties starts with some understanding of how actual cameras function, so in this video I cover how these aspects work in physical cameras, and then outline how to create the same effects in Cinema 4D.

In this Cinema 4D Camera Tutorial, learn tips on working with real camera properties in Cinema 4D R16, such as Focal Length, Aperture, Depth of Field, and Motion Blur. Achieve great Cinema 4D camera results by combining these tips with the previous tutorial about Creating Cinematic Camera Animation in Cinema 4D.

Looking for more Tips on Cinema 4D Camera Animation?

Check out Part 1, Cinema 4D Camera Animation Tips, Tricks, and Tags

Check out Part 2 on Cinema 4D Camera Properties

Don't forget Part 3 on Cinema 4D Camera Rigs

And Watch Part 4 on Setting up a Cinema 4D MultiCam Workflow

 

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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Camera Tips, Tricks, and Tags for Cinema 4D Camera Animation

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You can do a lot with camera animation in Cinema 4D scenes, whether it is animating the camera, attaching it to nulls, or using some useful Tags to control the camera movement. In this video, I cover some of my favorite camera animation tips for creating better camera movement in Cinema 4D.

Some of these Cinema 4D Camera Animation Tips include:
• Camera Keyframe Animation
• Parenting Cameras to Nulls
• Camera tags such as Align to Spline, Target, and Look at Camera

Looking for more Tips on Cinema 4D Camera Animation?

Check out Part 2 on Cinema 4D Camera Properties

Don't forget Part 3 on Cinema 4D Camera Rigs

And Watch Part 4 on Setting up a Cinema 4D MultiCam Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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How to animate flat 2D images within 3D scenes using Cinema 4D

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Working with 3D objects is great and all, but what if you have a flat product image, and you need it to be a part of your Cinema 4D scene, but it needs to really pop? In this tutorial I cover a technique I discovered while dealing with this question on a recent project, and how to use Luminance Materials in Cinema 4D to get flat 2D product images to integrate into Cinema 4D scenes. Go pick up your 99% sale VCRs before they're all gone!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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