Element 3D pros/cons

laynemoore

I'm looking at Elements 3D from video copilot. I'm not really sure what it does other than act as an AE plugin to import .OBJ. I know that the main thing I'll want to do with motion graphics is use the models composited into live action. Using Carrara 8, are there any other advantages? Please post your reviews, thoughts, opinions. Does anyone here have some video examples of using Elements because I'd love to see it.

3DAGE

Hi Laynemoore :)

Elements 3D is essentially a "Particle" plugin for AE.

It can import OBJ files, and C4D files (without animation) and you can use those models in a particle system within AE for faster rendering than your 3D program.

If you have an "exploded" or fragmented model,. then elements can animate that destruction,
but it won't break-up a single model for you.

It does say that "Elements will identify different parts of a model". so,..you may be able to animate parts of an OBJ, but I think that means simple animation like rotation of a part, but not a walk cycle...etc.

This is a particle plug-in, ....not a 3D animated model importer.

Bottom line:
This is a Big step forward in AE plugins, (speed and functions) but it's not an ESSENTIAL tool to add 3D rendered objects into 2D film.

You can bring film into Carrara as a backdrop,. and add your 3D objects to the scene, use the Shadow catcher shaders to add the shadows from the 3D objects,.. to the floor, or other objects in the film.

Or,...

You can composite the 3D rendered animation , and 2D film in After effects, or another video compositor.

Elements looks great, and probably has some really cool advantages over rendering in a 3D particle system, and compositing,..
but you don't need it to add 3D generated footage to film or video.

Hope it helps :)

laynemoore

Yes, that is helpful. You've been a great friend to me and I appreciate your wisdom. I know the importance of keeping many tools in the effects arsenal to curb that defiant reliance on one or two. I like what I see from video copilot, especially action essentials 2, which provides pre-keyed effects with more realism than my newbie skills could hope to create. I like how film has many different paths of achieving the look but, in the end, what matters is what's on the screen, not how you got there.

I'm going to hold off on elements 3d unless I discover a compelling reason to use it.

3DAGE

HI :)

I couldn't hold off,. ....Playing with it now.

very fast , very clever, and very deep,. :) lot's of options and controls which should keep me busy for a while.

The one drawback is that it's OpenGL and not ray-traced, so,.. objects don't reflect other objects in the scene, but you can use images or other layer in the comp as reflections.