Note – You can find information on establishing a camera and animating a camera move by going to this page.
To make a layer three-dimensional, go to the Main Menu > Layer > 3D Layer, or refer to the Composition Timeline and click on the 3D toggle (but make sure that “Switches” are active).
In regular 2D mode, when you expand the default Transform features of a layer, and refer to something like Position, you will find that the category consists of two values that indicate the “X” and “Y” coordinates of the layer. Moving or changing the “X” will shift a layer East or West, Left or Right. Similarly, moving or sliding the “Y” will shift a layer North or South, Up or Down.
The X-Y coordinates represent the pixel dimensions in a field. For example, when you work with a 1080p composition, the dimensions of the comp are:
- 1920 pixels wide, or 1920 pixels along the X-Axis
- 1080 pixels high, or 1080 pixels along the Y-Axis
The values begin at the top-left corner of the field or composition:
- Y-Axis = Pixel 0 at the top-left of the composition
- Y-Axis = Pixel 1080 at the bottom-left of the composition
- X-Axis = Pixel 0 at the top-left of the composition
- X-Axis = Pixel 1920 at the top-right of the composition
- Bottom-Right = Y at 1080, X at 1920
- And so on
The Centre of the field is:
- X = 960 pixels
- Y = 540 pixels
These are, therefore, the two values in the Position section of each layer.
Turn on the 3D switch and a third, “Z” value joins the mix:
- X = 960
- Y = 540
- Z = 0
Slide or change the values for Z:
Position:
- Slide to the left or go into increasing negative values and the plane/layer will move towards the Active Camera (or viewer). It will increase in scale.
- Slide to the right or go into increasing positive values and the plane/layer will move away from the Active Camera (or viewer). It decreases in scale.
- X Rotation = Default / begins at 0x, +0.0º Adjust the slider to 0x +90.0º and the plane will move towards you and flatten like a ground plane.
- Y Rotation = Default / begins at 0x, +0.0º Crank the slider to the right, to -90.0 and the plane will rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, like the side wall of a box. Crank the slider to the left, to +90.0 and the plane will rotate in a clockwise direction, like the opposite side wall of a box.
- Z Rotation = Default / begins at 0x, +0.0º Crank the slider to the right, to +90 and the plane will rotate/spin in a clockwise direction. Move the slider to the left, towards -90 and the plane will rotate/spin in a counter-clockwise direction.
Orientation:
- 0.0º, 0.0º, 0.0º
- X, Y, Z
X = Red, Y = Green, Z = Blue
- X = Move the slider to the right towards 90º, the top-edge of the plane will move towards the viewer and will become a flat plane, like the ground.
- Move the slider to the left towards 270º, the top-edge of the plane will move away from the viewer and will become a flat plane, like the ground.
- Y = Move the slider to the right towards 90º, the right-edge of the plane will move towards the viewer and will become a flat plane, like the side wall of a box.
- Move the slider to the left towards 270º, the left-edge of the plane will move away from the viewer and will become a flat plane, like the ground.
- Z = Move the slider to the right towards 90º, the top-edge of the plane will rotate to the right in a clockwise direction.
- Move the slider to the right towards 90º, the top-edge of the plane will rotate to the left in a counter-clockwise direction.
In addition to adjusting/sliding the values for Position, Orientation, X, Y, Z Rotation, etc., you can also use the Tools:
- The Selection Tool [V] = will move or pan a layer, East / West or Left / Right
- The Rotation Tool [W] = will Rotate a layer
- The Pan Behind Tool [Y] = will change the position of the Anchor Point, where an object will rotate from
- To create a Null Object: Go to the Main Menu > Layer > New > Null Object.