Adobe After Effects User Manual
Page 189
Note:
This control is active only if Casts Shadows is selected.
Online resources about lights
Eran Stern provides a video tutorial on the
that demonstrates the use of lights as adjustment layers, to precisely control
which layers are affected by which lights.
Chris and Trish Meyer provide tips about shadows and lights in 3D in an article on the
Trish and Chris Meyer provide a tutorial for using 3D layers, lights, and cameras in a PDF excerpt from their book After Effects Apprentice on the
Chris and Trish Meyer provide a tutorial on the
that demonstrates how to use lights and 3D layers to project a video onto other
layers, such as onto a wall.
Adjust a 3D view or move a camera, light, or point of interest
Camera layers and light layers each include a Point Of Interest property, which specifies the point in the composition at which the camera or light
points. By default, the point of interest is at the center of the composition. You can move the point of interest at any time.
A one-node camera ignores the point of interest. (See
.)
To make a light ignore its point of interest, select an option other than Orient Towards Point Of Interest in the light’s Auto-Orientation options. (See
Auto-Orientation options.)
As with all properties, you can also modify a camera or light’s properties directly in the Timeline panel.
Move a camera, light, or point of interest with the Selection and Rotation tools
1. Select a camera or light layer.
2. Using the Selection or Rotation tool, do one of the following:
To move the camera or light and its point of interest, position the pointer over the axis you want to adjust, and drag.
To move the camera or light along a single axis without moving the point of interest, Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS)
the axis.
To move the camera or light freely without moving the point of interest, drag the camera icon
or light icon.
To move the point of interest, drag the point of interest icon
.
Move or adjust a camera or working 3D view with the Camera tools
You can adjust the Position and Point Of Interest properties of a camera layer by using the Camera tools in the Composition panel.
You can also use the Camera tools to adjust a working 3D view, a 3D view that is not associated with a camera layer. You can think of 3D views
as being virtual cameras through which you can view and preview a composition. The working 3D views include the custom views and the fixed
orthographic views (Front, Left, Top, Back, Right, or Bottom). The working 3D views are useful for placing and previewing elements in a 3D scene.
If you use a Camera tool to adjust a working 3D view, no layer property values are affected.
After you’ve modified a 3D view, you can reset it by choosing View > Reset 3D View.
You can’t use the Orbit Camera tool on the fixed orthographic views.
For information on choosing and using 3D views, see Choose a 3D view.
1. In the 3D View menu at the bottom of the Composition panel, choose the camera or 3D view to adjust.
185