Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 619)

613 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Effects and animation presets
Last updated 12/21/2009
Obsolete effects
Effects in the Obsolete category are retained for compatibility with projects created with previous versions of After
Effects. When updating projects or creating new projects, you should use alternative effects and techniques rather than
effects in the Obsolete category.
Basic 3D effect
If you are working on a project that was created in an older version of After Effects and the Basic 3D effect is applied
to one or more layers, you can continue to use the Basic 3D effect; otherwise, use the 3D layer switch to convert layers
to 3D layers. (See “
3D layers ” on page 179.)
This effect works with 8-bpc color.
The Basic 3D effect manipulates a layer in 3D space.
The quality setting of the layer affects Basic 3D. Draft quality calculates pixel location to the nearest integer value; Best
quality calculates pixel location to the subpixel level.
Swivel Controls horizontal rotation (rotation around a vertical axis). You can rotate past 90° to see the back side of
the image, which is the mirror image of the front.
Tilt Controls vertical rotation (rotation around a horizontal axis).
Distance To Image The distance from the image to the viewer.
Specular Highlight Adds a glint of light that reflects off the surface of the layer. The light source for the specular
highlight is always above, behind, and to the left of the viewer. Because the light comes from above, the image must be
tilted backward to see this reflection. The specular highlight can be viewed only at Best quality. When Draw Preview
Wireframe is selected, the specular highlight is indicated by a red plus sign (+) if it isn’t visible on the layer (that is, if
the center of the highlight doesn’t intersect the layer) and a green plus sign (+) if the highlight is visible.
Preview Draws a wireframe outline of the 3D image. The wireframe outline renders quickly. To see the final results,
deselect Draw Preview Wireframe when you finish manipulating the wireframe image. The preview wireframe is
drawn only at Draft quality; when you switch to Best quality, the image content is drawn. This way, you won’t
accidentally render a Best quality movie in Preview mode.
Basic Text effect
If you are working on a project that was created in an older version of After Effects and the Basic Text effect is applied
to one or more layers, you can continue to use the Basic Text effect; otherwise, use text layers for greater control over
text formatting and text animation. (See “
Creating and editing text layers ” on page 341.)
The Basic Text effect places text on an existing layer—unlike text created on text layers or imported text created in
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, either of which becomes its own layer.
This effect works with 8-bpc color.
Note: The width and height of text aren’t constrained by the dimensions of the layer; the layer dimensions merely define
the visible region of the text.
Position The position of the text on the layer.
Note: The Alignment setting in the Basic Text dialog box affects the behavior of the Position point. The point always positions
the vertical center of the text relative to the layer. However, if the text is left-aligned, the point positions the left edge; if the
text is center-aligned, the point positions the center; and if the text is right-aligned, the point positions the right edge.