Here’s the latest in After Effects tutorials, plug-ins, scripts and other news from around the web. You never know when you’ll need examples, so don’t forget to scan the varied AEtuts+ tutorials as well.
ShapeShifter AE, a new AE filter for text and logo extrusions, is now available for Windows only. Shapeshifter goes beyond simple extrusions to offer 3D Deformations, particles, 3D displacement maps, depth maps for use with lens blurs, reflection mapping, and shadow casting, all with high-speed rendering. There’s also ready a good number of tutorials and presets for this filter, like Aetuts+ Plug-in Sneak Peek: ShapeShifter Ben Griggs, reviews by Phil Bearman and Tudor Jelescu, and more through Mettle. Here’s a newer one from Ben Griggs, ShapeShifter AE | The Basics – Part 1:
Export Blender 3D 2.59 to After Effects is one of several video tutorials, scripts, and plugins by Bartek Skorupa:
Andre Yang released YY_Voronoi, a Procedural Texture Generator, on AE Scripts: “Voronoi diagrams are procedurally generated images which can be used as all sorts of textures, from terrain maps to water caustics to abstract backgrounds. By layering different Voronoi patterns, variations in complexity can be achieved. YY_Voronoi provides a way to generate Voronoi diagrams in After Effects, with extra options to control animation, shape, and more.”
Motionworks’ After Effects A-Z series continued with a video tutorial on the Cartoon filter, with guest host James Zwadlo demonstrating. See also The Cartoon filter story and Cartoonification at Artbeats at AE Portal archive.
Trapcode Form has been updated to version 2. New features in this particle system for After Effects include: 3D import of static or animated OBJ (leapfrogging Plexus), orthographic viewing & Shading and Layer Maps, Particular’s Textured Polygons that can rotate in 3D space, Shadowlets that cast shadows onto other particles, natural light fall-off, and intergration with 3D Cameras using World Transform and Motion Blur. A full list of new features is available at Red Giant. Check out blogs with more info from Harry Frank, Peder Norrby, and Tim Clapham. Also new is Plexus OBJ Sequence Exporter for C4D, which is compatible with Form 2; see also RipTide from Keith Young. Here the demo for Form 2:
Miscellaneous
Making It Look Great 9 was recently released but, thanks to piracy, it looks unlikely that the Making It Look Great training series for AE and Cinema 4D will continue.
Autodesk has a ton of training resources for Smoke by Grant Kay, including a video series on Smoke for Final Cut Pro users.
Alex Lindsay spoke in-depth with Brent Bye about different types of lighting, white balance, color temperature and more in the video Pixel Corps Live: Gear Media Tech – July 7th, 2011. There’s been a lot of good video coming from Pixelcorps this summer on editing, effects, greenscreen, photography, etc.; here’s the lighting show: