lightning fast animation in element 3d

Lightning Fast Animation in

Element 3D

Master the intricacies of Element 3D, the fast-rendering

Adobe After Effects plugin

Ty Audronis

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

Lightning Fast Animation in Element 3D

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First published: March 2014

Production Reference: 1190314

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

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ISBN 978-1-78355-938-1

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Cover Image by Pratyush Mohanta ([email protected])

Credits

Author

Ty Audronis

Reviewers

Adam Geoffrey Anderson

Jeff Lange

Acquisition Editors

Vinay Argekar

Subho Gupta

Content Development Editor

Vaibhav Pawar

Technical Editors

Edwin Moses

Faisal Siddiqui

Copy Editors

Shambhavi Pai

Stuti Srivastava

Project Coordinator

Sageer Parkar

Proofreader

Ameesha Green

Indexers

Mariammal Chettiyar

Monica Ajmera Mehta

Rekha Nair

Tejal Soni

Graphics

Yuvraj Mannari

Production Coordinator

Komal Ramchandani

Cover Work

Komal Ramchandani

About the Author

Ty Audronis has a rather unique background in the media world. He's often

asked how he got into the field. Well, it's a bit of a story, but he'll be as brief as

possible, narrating it in his own words.

I had the great benefit of having a father in the semiconductor industry and an

overachieving (to say the least) family. So, my family was the first of all my friends

to have a computer in 1980 (well, maybe 1981, I'm not sure). When other kids were

fooling around, I was out hooking up neighbors' computers and showing them

how to use them. I was only seven (or eight).

In the mid 80s, my father hired me to do some quality assurance (QA), and illustrations

for his software. This was my first paid graphics gig (laughable by today's standards).

I used "Dr. Halo" on a monochrome computer, but still, that was a huge advantage

over other kids.

At the same time, I was learning music and programming, and doing anything

where I could mix art and technology. Remember that Star Trek: The Next Generation

episode where that kid got hold of a cool laser thing that meant he could sculpt

anything he liked? That was me, tech and art all the way.

After some difficulties in the music world after high school, I joined the Navy. I forgot

all about art for the time but stayed with technology. I was stationed in Japan and

served aboard the USS Independence (CV-62) from 1992-1994 in a helicopter squadron.

No, I wasn't a pilot or anything glamorous (just a lowly E-3). I got hurt in a typhoon off

the coast of Guam and was retired.

The Navy began to pay for my college fees, and I decided to be a lawyer. I won many

debates, and got a national bronze medal for informative speaking. However, my

mentor for the debates told me not to be a lawyer. She said that I debate effectively

but I couldn't stand people lying. She said I'd have a heart attack before 35, so I went

into marketing.

Why is all of this relevant? Because inadvertently, I found art again. I figured, "I may

as well learn about animation and production, because I'll need to tell them what I

want in their language." So, I took a computer animation class. This is really where

my career took shape.

The class was taught by a man that was to become my mentor, Rick Vertolli. He and

his assistant (Randy Wall) shaped my animation skills, and resparked my desire to

create. After that class in Wavefront (yes, way back then, our workstations were

Silicon Graphics "Indy" machines), I found myself interning for Rick over the summer

and rewriting the text book to be used in Lightwave and later, Maya. This was the

first taste I had of writing how-tos. Over the years, I became Rick's assistant, lectured

several times, and was the full-time lab assistant. I changed my major to a special

major in Computer Generated Special Effects. I also won my first award in animation

during this time (a "Rosebud").

After working with Rick, Randy, and Chris Ficken as an intern and lab assistant for

four years, I was recruited by frog Design as a design technologist. My knowledge

of programming and graphics was unique and was in high demand during the

.coms. Those were the days. We had our desks in a circle with a model train and slot

car track with every video game system on the market, coffee time at 4 PM, soccer

in South Park (in San Francisco) at 5 PM, and unreal tournaments across the intranet

(against other frog offices world-wide) at 5:30 PM nearly every day. Yes, we worked

hard but we played hard too.

Sorry, I digress. At frog, I got to work with some of the world's best companies,

had access to design, animation, web development, and just about every toy a geek

artist could desire. But then, .com turned into .bomb and layoffs came. I still remember

lunches on Bryant St. in San Francisco and going up and down the street to auctions

in Web MD and Pets.com (to name a few). Cars were clogging San Jose International

airport (techs on H-1 visas just abandoning their Mercedes and BMWs and flying back

home to England, France, India, and so on). An auction car would be a steal back then;

times were scary. My first child was born; I was terrified.

So, I returned to entertainment. I went to a local TV station in Chico, CA and worked

on producing ads for a few months. I moved on to an ad agency for a few years

(worst job ever). Then, I met up with another mentor of mine, Robert (Bob) Condos.

Bob gave me my first real production gig. I came on a show called "So, You Want

to Be a Star" as the producer, with Bob as the EP. Everything up to this point in

my career was a concept. I used every bit of my art, tech, and personal knowledge,

and we pulled off the impossible. It was a 14-week show on a shoestring budget.

In the end, I was the producer, director, and editor. We had a lot of help from some

great people but I learned a lot during that show. It's still my favorite experience in

entertainment; not the most prestigious, not the most recognizable, but the best.

This is when my second child was born.

At the same time, I was in a partnership that started an Internet radio station that

catered to MMO gamers in Matrix Online. Machine radio was fun, amazing, and

a great experience. I learned a lot about online community building, appealing to

markets, and what appeals to people in general. I couldn't devote enough time to

machine radio (due to the TV show I was producing), so I let one of the partners

take over—a decision I'll regret until the day I depart this sweet earth. The station

then died.

After a few nondescript tech jobs, I was recruited to California Academy of Sciences

in San Francisco to help with the web redesign during their rebuild in 2007. Near

the end of the web relaunch, the Planetarium Director heard that I had some TV

experience. So, I had lunch with him and gave him a few nuggets of advice on setting

up the Science Visualization studio (basically, a full production and effects department

for the purpose of making visual representations of scientific principles, among which

are planetarium shows). We built the (at that time) world's largest all-digital dome,

a 3D theater, and a full animation and editing department. It was amazing. We won

many international awards and played with some of the entertainment industry's

hottest technology.

The next four years were spent as the senior/supervising editor of Science

Visualization there. It depends on who you ask and what year it was as to whether

I was senior or supervising. It was the same job and I'm not too hung up on titles

so… meh. I got to work with some great people, make some good friends, and work

on some mind-blowing projects (from going to NASA rocket launches to talks with

Neil Tyson to programming interactive exhibits to making friends with Pierre the

Penguin). This was truly a great time in my career. However, nothing lasts forever

and eventually, my position was removed from the department and I was laid off.

I spent some time teaching, spent some time contracting (again, with frog, some

movies, and so on), and eventually landed at a TV production company. A year

of "murder-porn" (as South Park calls shows like I [Almost] Got Away With It) for

Investigation Discovery, some travel channel, and History shows. I hate what

cable television has become, but it's a living and it pays fairly well.

Now, I've moved away from civilization, and my wife and I live in a small town off

Interstate-5 in Northern California. It's private, quiet, and I still get to have my fun.

Currently, I am strictly a contractor. I work on anything from court cases (graphic

simulations, recreations, audio/video cleanup, and so on) to feature movies. I also

write for Videomaker magazine occasionally. Yes, I still do a lot of graphics. However,

what I'm enjoying the most right now is shooting with drones. It's a mix of my media

and Navy careers, and it's truly fun.

So, that's my career. Well, at least the brief summary of it. How did I get into this

business? Luck. A series of coincidences and opportunities (that turned out just right)

have led to my success. Don't get me wrong; I've worked very hard. However,

I've truly been blessed. Not just with opportunity, but with the people who have

given me these opportunities. I'd like to thank all of the people mentioned above

(Rick Vertolli, Randy Wall, Chris Ficken, Bob Condos, the entire staff at "So, You

Want to Be a Star", and the amazing folks I've worked with over the years).

Acknowledgment

I'd like to thank my family: my loving wife Jessica (whose love and devotion make

life worth living) and my children, Aurielle and Asher (who will be the next great

chapter in the Audronis family history).

Additionally, I'd like to thank my father and mother for exposing me to art and

technology in my childhood and sparking my interest in science.

I want to thank all those men and women who serve their respective countries

world-wide in the effort to keep our world safe. From the simple E-3s running

chocks and chains on the deck of a carrier to the special forces that operate with

no glory nor press. Without you all, our world would not have the opportunities

afforded to people like me, my family, or the readers of this book.

Finally, thank you for purchasing this book. I truly hope it has been of benefit to

you, and you have my gratitude for your patronage.

About the Reviewers

Adam Geoffrey Anderson, a Telly Award winner and currently the Senior

Video Editor with one of the top automotive advertising agencies in the United

States, completed his undergraduate work in Pittsburgh and earned his MFA at

the Miami International University of Art and Design. While building a freelance

business, Adam taught college level courses in Final Cut and Avid.

Very passionate about education, he puts himself in situations that challenge his

skills and require him to keep learning as well as providing tips and helping others

hone their abilities.

Jeff Lange is a web content specialist in the field of higher education. In his free

time, he works as a photographer, videographer, digital artist, and creator who

likes to experiment with new technologies such as Element 3D.

In 2009, Jeff gained international attention for designing an iPhone app, Battery

Go!, which reached the top 100 paid apps list.

At a young age, Jeff has become a successful web marketing and analytics

professional in the field of higher education.

I would like to thank my fiancée, Lindsay, for always being

supportive of me. I would also like to thank my family for giving

me access to a computer at a very young age and supporting me

throughout my life. Finally, I would like to thank Andrew Kramer,

Ryan Connolly, Nick Campbell, Andrew Price, and Jonathan

Williamson for helping me become a better artist.

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Table of Contents

Preface 1

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Element 3D Animation 5

Welcome to the world of 3D animation using Element 3D 5

Assumptions about the reader 5

What is 3D? 6

What is Element 3D really? 6

Summary 7

Chapter 2: Welcome to Element 3D 9

The machine specifications 9

The PC configurations 9

Software 10

Introduction to the interface 10

Tour of the interface 11

The Model Browser window 12

The Edit window 12

The Material and Bevel Browser window 12

The Preview window 12

The Scene window 13

Toolbar (top) 13

Modeling versus animating 14

Setting up your first project in Element 3D 14

Staying organized 14

Directory structure 14

Summary 15

Chapter 3: Your First Objects 17

Primitive modeling 17

Booleans (cutting and molding tools) 19

Differences between Boolean operations 20

The shaker top 21

Table of Contents

[ ii ]

Object arrays (duplicating objects in a pattern) 23

Finalizing your salt shaker 25

Point modeling (the table and wine bottle) 25

The wine bottle 26

Do it again (the table) 28

Box modeling (the lamp) 28

Subdivs, metanurbs, and curved shapes 29

The Polygon proxy mode 29

Extruding and editing 30

Freezing subdivs to polygons 32

Incorporating multiple methods (the completed lamp) 33

Summary 34

Chapter 4: Painting Your Geometry (Textures) 35

Digital paint 35

Exporting your objects to Element 3D 35

Lamp shades 36

What are UVs? 36

Assign your materials 38

Exporting your objects 38

The wine bottle 39

Shading in Element 3D 41

Import the lamp 42

Fixing and texturing the lampshades 43

Transparency map workaround 46

Specularity 48

Reflections and refractions 49

Illumination and ambient occlusion 51

Bump maps and using AEX layers for

texture maps 53

Preset shaders 55

Summary 56

Chapter 5: Preparing Your Scene 57

Element scenes in After Effects 57

Saving your objects 58

Preparing our scene 59

Setting up the lamp 60

Replicating the bulbs 61

Lighting the lamp 62

Adding the table and wine bottle 64

Finishing the initial setup 65

Faking shadows 65

Light falloff 66