Adobe After Effects CS3 - Manual (Page 515)

AFTER EFFECTS CS3
User Guide
510
Shape controls
Shape controls specify the shape and appearance of the shattered pieces.
Pattern Specifies the preset pattern to use for the exploded pieces.
Custom Shatter Map Specifies the layer you want to use as the shape of the exploded pieces.
White Tiles Fixed Prevents pure white tiles in a custom shatter map from being exploded. You can use this control to
force certain parts of a layer to remain intact.
Use this control when your shatter map uses images or letters such as O: Set the portion you don’t want to blow out,
such as the centers of the O and the background, to pure white and set the rest to another pure color.
Repetitions Specifies the scale of the tile pattern. This control works only in conjunction with the preset shatter
maps, which all seamlessly tile. Increasing this value increases the number of pieces on the screen by scaling down
the size of the shatter map. Consequently, the layer breaks into more and smaller pieces. Animating this control is
not recommended, as it can cause sudden jumps in the number and size of shatter pieces.
Direction Rotates the orientation of a preset shatter map, relative to the layer. As with Repetitions, animating this
control results in sudden jumps in the animation and is not recommended.
Origin Precisely positions a preset shatter map on the layer. This is useful if you want to line up portions of an image
with specific shattered pieces. Animating this control results in sudden jumps in the animation and is not recom-
mended.
Extrusion Depth Adds a third dimension to the exploded pieces. The higher the value, the thicker the pieces. In
Rendered view, this effect isn’t visible until you start the shatter or rotate the camera. As you set this control higher,
the pieces may actually pass through each other. While this is generally not a problem in full-speed animations, it
may become visible when the pieces grow very thick and move slower.
Force 1 and Force 2 controls
Force 1 and Force 2 controls define the blast areas by using two different Forces.
Position Specifies the current center point of the blast in (x,y) space.
Depth Specifies the current center point in z space, or how far in front of or behind the layer the blast point is. Adjust
Depth to determine how much of the blast radius is applied to the layer. The blast radius is a sphere, and the layer is
basically a plane; therefore, only a circular slice of the sphere intersects the plane. The farther away the layer is from
the center of the blast, the smaller the circular slice. When pieces explode, they fly away from the force center. Depth
determines which way the pieces fly: Positive values cause the pieces to explode forward, toward the camera
(assuming the default camera settings of 0, 0, 0); negative values cause pieces to blow backward, away from the
camera. To see the result of the Depth setting, use the Wireframe + Force Sphere view.
Radius Defines the size of the blast sphere. The radius is the distance from the center of a circle (or sphere) to the
edge. By adjusting this value, you can fine-tune exactly which pieces explode. Changing this value can vary the speed
and completeness of the explosion. Animating it from small to large generates an expanding, shockwave explosion.
Note: To begin the shattering at a time other than layer time zero, animate the Radius property, not the Strength
property. Pieces inside the force sphere defined by the Radius property are pulled off-screen by gravity even if Strength is
set to 0. Use Hold keyframes on the Radius property with the value 0 until the time when you want the shattering to start.
Strength Specifies the speed at which the exploded pieces travel—how hard they are blown away from or sucked
back into the blast point. A positive value blows the pieces away from the blast point; a negative value sucks the pieces
into the blast point. The greater the positive value, the faster and farther they fly away from the center point. The
greater the negative value, the faster the pieces launch themselves toward the center of the force sphere. Once the
pieces are launched, however, they are no longer affected by the force sphere; the Physics settings take over. A