QuarkXPress XTensions; Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat, Premiere, and Illustrator Plug-ins;
Macromedia FreeHand, Flash, Fireworks, and Director Xtras; extensions and extensible software is offered.
3D Flag generates realistic flags, banners, and pennants within Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, or Apple Motion 2. Whether looking to create a flag high atop a pole, a banner hanging from a window, or a dramatic background image, 3D Flag can generate the imagery.
Use any layer (image, movie, or animation) to color the flag and determine its shape. Choose from a variety of included flagpoles or add a custom pole.
Customizing how the flag moves is easy. In addition to animating the flagpole, optionally set wind speed and direction or specify gravity. The flag itself can be stiff or limp, depending on the parameters set in the 3D Flag editor.
3D Flag enables the user to create flags of almost any color and shape. Use an image, image sequence, or movie to color the flag. Also, by choosing an image with transparent areas, create flags that look like pennants and banners.
A flag may or may not have a flagpole — it's up to the creator. If the flag does have a pole, choose one of horizontal or vertical poles that come with 3D Flag — or install your own. The flags may sit on any side of the flagpole but 3D Flag has a quick start menu that will help the user attach the flag to the pole. Flagpoles do not have to be fixed in space. Animate as with any other 3D object, adjusting the location and rotation. Make the flag wave in the air or simply rotate it into the correct orientation for the scene.
There are many different types of cloth materials with which to simulate. Make flags loose and rubbery or stiff and inflexible. The 3D Flag options window enables the user to select different cloth presets or set specific parameter values.
3D Flag offers forces such as wind speed, wind direction, and gravity. Animate them to simulate varying wind conditions (the wind is rarely constant, after all) or make the flags look like they're on the moon (that has much less gravity than Earth).
The 3D Invigorator PRO for After Effects Plug-in has once again proven to be the must-have software of the year. Already known as the industry standard 3D graphics power house, version 4 adds many new capabilities that appeal to the artistic side of graphic design, as well as adding new tools that appeal to the motion graphic artist who must create large numbers of graphics on impossible deadlines. These new features unlock a whole different way of using 3D as a design tool and will be sure to inspire an evolution in animated motion graphics.
Rather than starting in Adobe Illustrator, jump into the 3D process with a full-featured text editor. The 3D text engine can use PostScript Type 1 and TrueType fonts resident on the user's computer system to directly create 3D models using any of the 100 edge bevels included with the program.
Each letter can have its own font, size, kerning, tracking, baseline shift, horizontal and vertical scale, color, bevel, position, and depth, but the most astounding hallmark to this feature is the ability to change the text at any phase of the production process and retain the color, modeling, and animation.
This means that after the first version of a promotion is created, 50 other versions can be created by simply changing the text. The new 3D text will retain the same coloring, text attributes, 3D beveling, texture-map placement, and even the animation data. This makes for an unbelievably fast production process when many changes or extra versions are needed.
The new primitives engine will create spheres, cubes, planes, and cylinders with control over smoothness and size. There is even a control for the shading of the facets so the user can create shapes that look like they have been cut from crystal or polished as smooth as a gem.
We have added a new file format for importing and exporting 3D objects. The new Invigorator object format enables the user to set up 3D logos, titles, and 3D text, color them, apply the materials, maps, and object settings, and then save them into files that can be reused over and over in other Invigorator projects. This is a huge time saver for repetitive work.
Invigorator PRO v4 now supports 3D Motion Blur. Anything that can be created or imported into the Invigorator PRO can be motion blurred. This includes models made in other programs such as Maya, 3D Studio, and LightWave.
Another great new feature is the ability for Invigorator objects to track, or mimic, what an AE 3D plane is doing. On the surface this feature might not seem that significant, however for the advanced After Effects' user this feature opens the doors to incredible new abilities. By tracking AE's 3D planes, an AE user is now able to use the standard 3D manipulation tools within AE to create motion paths and keyframes for the Invigorator's objects. This means that everything that can be done to an AE 3D plane can now be done to Invigorator objects. Get visible 3D paths, function curve control, animation assistants, and even expression-based control over 3D animations.
There is a new control for texture maps to animate the wrap of a texture as it is applied to an object. This feature is especially useful for reflection maps. Once a 3D title comes to rest, the reflections stop moving too. This can make the graphic look "dead" and uninteresting. By animating this new parameter the map will continue to move so the graphics will remain alive and visually appealing.
Highlight mapping, or specular mapping as it is sometimes called, is a type of texture mapping that only affects the highlights on an object. Much of the textural feel of a surface is contained in the highlights. The base-paint job on an object may be fine, but over the top of the paint job the surface may be worn or dirty, and this type of surface detail isn't seen until the eye is lined up with the glare from a light. Creative uses of highlight mapping include hidden messages such as writing on a mirror, streaks, handprints, scratches, dents, and smudges.
Version 4 PRO also supports render farming using the After Effects render engine. Now, multiple computers can be used to render 3D Invigorator animations in record time.
For the visual designer, there are many new ways to paint the final picture and broaden the options for being visually creative. Wireframe rendering is that "techno-looking" style where 3D objects are rendered only as the lines that define their shape. This is uniquely appealing because objects look more like drawings rather than big clunky 3D objects.
Hidden line rendering is a special kind of wireframe where only the lines that define the visible parts of the objects are seen. In standard wireframe, one would see all of the lines no matter if they are on the front or the back of the objects, but with hidden line the back lines are hidden and only the lines that best show the front side of the object can be seen.
Lines will get brighter or darker depending on the placement and intensity of the lights. This gives shading and increased appeal to the lines rather than having plain solid-colored lines. Another unique ability is that the lines can be texture mapped. Apply any of the standard maps (e.g., color, reflections, bump) to the surface of the lines. Make the lines look like brushed metal. Line weight can be set in tenth/pixel increments, are professionally anti-aliased, and even the space between the lines can be filled with a color if desired.
Render 3D objects as though they were drawn by a poster artist or an animator painting animation cells. Standard 3D rendering paints the objects in continuous tones creating a photo-realistic look, but cartoon color rendering paints the objects in bands of color. The bands block in the color of the highlights, shadows, and base, giving a big bold look with lots of punch.
Use absolute coloring so a color will be absolutely the same after rendering as it was before. Perfect for when doing a job for a corporate client who demands that their corporate colors be used and that the colors cannot be affected by the lighting or shadows in the 3D scene. This rendering option is also useful to put colored strokes around objects, for doing extremely graphic pop srt looks, or to make 3D TV screens where the image in the TV looks as though it is lit from within. Best of all, these new material styles can be mixed and matched within the same 3D scene.
matte coloring is a special material option that makes a 3D object act like a mask. When an object with this material is visible, it creates a traveling matte. (Prints black in the alpha channel.) This is used to block out objects that are not to appear in the final rendering. For instance, use a placeholder cylinder to create a 3D mask to enable 3D stars to circle around an picture of a bottle. It is also useful for creating transition effects out of 3D objects.
shadow catcher rendering enables the shadows from 3D objects to fall onto the objects in a piece of background video.
Version 4.0 has made significant changes to the way swatches are handled. Swatches are now based on a global library system which keeps the file size down and speeds up the save process. It also means that once a material or object style is saved it is immediately available to use in all other Invigorator Plug-ins — great for keeping projects consistent and speeding up work.
The new features of version 4 support the Invigorator philosophy where exceptional power is combined with exceptional speed and ease of use. All of the new material styles are one-click easy. Switching from wireframe to cartoon to photo-realistic is nothing more than a single click.
3D layer warp deforms After Effects layers using a variety of warp styles. Combine multiple warps to create an infinite number of shapes. Use any layer (e.g., image, movie, animation) to color the warp and determine its shape. Use a displacement map to apply user-defined warping.
3D grid warp also deforms layers, but it has a powerful grid generator to create a variety of grid styles. Overlay (or underlay) a color map for additional effects.
3D Layer Warp and 3D Grid Warp provide a variety of warp styles to choose from. Combine the styles in order to achieve complex shapes. Use the line controls and the color controls in 3D Grid Warp to create custom grids. Combine up to three warps to create unique shapes. Animate the parameters to put warps in motion.
Apply any other layer as the source for the color image used in the warp. Images with alpha channels can be used to cut out pieces of the source image. Color maps can be combined with the grids in 3D Grid Warp. Layers can have transparency, specular highlights, and reflection maps. Use the lights in the warp Plug-in or use After Effects lights for additional effects.
This collection of 100 plus presets includes a spectrum of effects that aren't included with the Trapcode software: unusual organics, 50s and 70s retro styles, luminescent configurations, cosmic effects, and dozens of original animations that can be used for wipes, transitions, kinetic backgrounds, and other elements in broadcast design projects.
Eye Candy for After Effects is a set of 20 time-saving special effects that will enhance any film, video, animation or multimedia project. Sophisticated texture, production and distortion effects have never been easier. You'll be creating dazzling organic effects in a fraction of the time they used to require. Eye Candy for After Effects automatically adapts to irregular floating objects, modifies layer opacity information, and allows users to draw outside layer boundaries without precomposing. Users can also apply effects based on transparency information from other layers.
Eye Candy for After Effects improves on the formerly-stationary filters, adding new parameters and giving users exact control of the effects' new time- and direction-based aspects. For example, bevels can mutate and snake around footage with a few mouse clicks. With new phase controls, users can control undulation. With 20 incomparable special effects, Eye Candy makes spectacular results quick and easy in any After Effects project.
This new collection of 102 beautiful and surprising animated light configurations are the same as the LUX collection by Little Men Entertainment but without the Plug-in. It includes a myriad of variations using 1 to 14 light with innovative positions, shadow and light movements, and colors. Use as is or as templates to create totally new designs by going in and moving lights, adding lights, deleting lights, changing intensity, angles, point of interest, and other variables.
This new collection of 102 beautiful and surprising animated light configurations include a myriad of variations using 1 to 14 light with innovative positions, shadow and light movements, and colors. Use as is or as templates to create totally new designs by going in and moving lights, adding lights, deleting lights, changing intensity, angles, point of interest, and other variables.
An outstanding algorithm of object-motion estimation, PatchMaker has a number of incontestable advantages compared to two-dimensional (2D) tracking tools:
Perfect motion tracking quality is attained because PatchMaker uses all the color data present in the object image rather than a few tracking points. The motion is computed with sub-pixel accuracy so that no artificial smoothing of motion parameters is needed — the object moves as it actually does. The results are not feasible with common tracking techniques, especially in reproducing the finest motion details.
PatchMaker tracks 2D object motion in the image plane and this involves much less computation compared to full-fledged three-dimensional (3D) tracking. However, 2D transformations will do perfectly in a vast number of cases, particularly with the use of more complex motion models supported by the program. The motion of non-planar objects in a sequence can often be divided into segments where it can be quite accurately represented by 2D transformations.
Despite comparatively fast running times of other trackers, the inferior quality of their results and cumbersome tuning procedures make one re-track the same sequence many times. Overall, this will often take much longer than when using the PatchMaker.
Easy to use — select a frame for which an overlay (a patch) is drawn, mark out an object that moves just like the overlay should, and run the tracker. The default parameters are chosen such that the need to change them would arise as rarely as possible. The effort required to become familiar with PatchMaker and obtain a first meaningful and high-quality result is minimal.
Wide range of supported motion models: translation; translation with rotation; translation with rotation and scaling, and affine transforms, using multiple motion types for differrent intervals in a single video sequence being possible.
Affine transformations computed by PatchMaker do not yield in quality to other motion types. In concurring products such transformations are estimated from the motion of as few as three points, and their total statistic error does not permit to use this model in practice.
Easy, familiar, and neat interface. The PatchMaker interface will seem familiar to users of After Effects and other Adobe products. Retaining their style and power, PatchMaker allows easy access to all supported features and operation modes, including:
Concurrent execution of independent actions. All lengthy computations are performed in the background and do not interfere with user activities such as drawing masks, editing parameters, previewing, or rendering the already obtained results.
Undo any action. One or more recent user actions can be undone, or redone.
In addition, direct data exchange between PatchMaker and After Effects (including footage, overlay, and motion parameters) is fast and easy.
Plugin Galaxy for After Effects is set of 20 Plug-ins including over 120 effects that can be animated. The product has oft-needed functions such as transparency manipulation, blurring, texture and pattern generation, noise creation, mirroring, and warping. It also includes amazing metal, chrome, neon, pop art, glass, rainbow, sunshine, and star effects. Additionally, enhance, colorize, add edges to videos and animations, or even encrypt them. Includes rarely found effects such as feedbacks, grids, or zooming.
The effects of Plugin Galaxy for After Effects can be adapted and animated with the help of sliders, check boxes, color dialogs, color pickers, and preview coordinates. Plugin Galaxy for After Effects works with Adobe After Effects 4/5 and Adobe Premiere 6, Windows, and Macintosh. It also be used with Apple Final Cut Pro, Pinnacle Commotion 3, and Discreet Combustion.
100 comps. Awesome motion effects for presenting photos, QuickTime films, text, graphics, and creating transitions. (This collection does not come with presets. Applying a preset isn't enough to create the animations developed for this collection.)
100 presets covering a broad range of cool styles that can be applied to text, shapes, and graphics. As with the other collections from Little Men Entertainment, each preset has a matching After Effects comp so the user can see the setting for each preset and use as is or tweak the key frames.
121 power-packed transitions (presets and QuickTime files) in dozens of visual styles not available in other collections. Little Men Entertainment has put in the time and the experimentation so the user won't have to.
100 plus presets include many categories of effects that can be used for animated logos, commercials, and other video and film projects including a multitude of animated light swirls, swooshes, grids, sabers, squiggles, matrixes, extrusions, and other effects. Camera motion travels through many of the effects adding powerful dynamics to many of the elements in this collection.
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