Photoshop CS4 3D

Photoshop CS4 3D

One of the most intriguing new features of the CS4 version
of Adobe software is the ability to bring 3D models into
After Effects as Photoshop 3D layers. You might expect
this feature to radically change what can be done with an
After Effects 3D scene; however, there are many limitations
to its use—enough, in fact that it may rarely be worth the
trouble.
To really take advantage of using 3D models directly in
After Effects, you would want them to preview quickly
(perhaps using OpenGL), to allow fi ne tuning of lighting,
texturing, anti-aliasing, and motion blur, not to mention
animating or deforming the mesh itself. Instead
. You can control texture, lighting, and anti-aliasing only
in Photoshop CS4.
. To adjust Photoshop-only features (even changing antialiasing
from Draft quality so you can work quickly to
Best quality for rendering) you must choose the image
layer and use Edit Original (Ctrl/Command+E).
. After Effects lighting, material options, and motion
blur have no effect.
3D model imported into After Effects;
although the source Photoshop fi le has a single layer, the
After Effects Comp contains three: a camera, a Controller
layer, and the 3D image itself. You can replace or even
eliminate the camera layer, but the other two must remain
together or the layer becomes ordinary again, like Cinderella
after midnight.
To transform the 3D object, you work with the controller
layer, a null. You can apply any standard image effects to
the layer that contains the image itself. More fundamental
changes to the appearance of the model are hardly more
convenient than if it were rendered in third-party software
such as Maya; lighting and surface changes can only happen
in Photoshop.

The lack of motion blur seems like the main deal-killer;
there are workarounds if you’re willing to take the render
hit. You can try adding an adjustment layer at the top of
the comp containing your 3D animation and then
. Apply the Timewarp effect to that layer. Change speed
to 100 and toggle Enable Motion Blur, then set the
other Motion Blur settings to get the motion blur look
you want.
. For a less render-intensive approach, you can try applying
CC TimeBlend; it won’t work with heavy motion
and is a bit eccentric to preview (if it looks strange, try
hitting the Clear button at the top of the effect and
re-previewing).
These are the same workarounds you would use if for
some reason your 3D render had no motion blur; it’s a
less accurate and, especially in the case of Timewarp, more
render-intensive approach. More about using Timewarp to
generate motion blur can be found