3D Widgets


Version: 1.01 Sign up to be notified by email when a new version of this script is posted
3D Widgets is a collection of 3 scripts that help you navigate the After Effects 3D space:
- BR_Grid
- BR_Horizon
- BR_Widget
If you are familiar with 3D Animation software these widgets should be very familiar to you. They allow you to quickly orient yourself while animating your 3D comps.
BR_Widget
This script renders this “widget” in the corner of your comp and will quickly let you see your camera pitch, heading and horizon. It will also warn you when the camera goes below the horizon or floor or is upside down.
BR_Grid
This script renders a grid that moves and reacts with the 3D camera. It utilizes a very clever procedural method that will add very little rendering overhead to your workspace.
BR_Horizon
This script draws a triangle, base line and ground fill to further help you in navigating the 3D space. It also utilizes a very clever procedural method that will add very little rendering overhead to your workspace.
Last updated June 7th, 2010
3,509 views
Tags: 3D, Comp, CS3, CS4, CS5, Featured, Grid, Horizon, Navigation, Widget
About the author
Ben Rollason is a director of live action, motion graphics and visual effects work. You can find him online at www.benrollason.comPingbacks
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Hi Ben – Does this script work with camera’s which are part of a rig (eg. a chain of parented nulls) and so display position and rotation keyframes which are not taken from 0,0,0? And does it work equally for one and two node camera’s (eg. with and without POI)? Thanks.
Hi Steve,
Yes it does. The scripts respond to the global position and rotation of the active camera, regardless of what method is used to get it there.
In other words, It works just as well with cameras that are at the end of a chain of nulls as it does with cameras that are all on their lonesome. And the scripts are just as effective for cameras with a point of interest as those without one too.
Best,
-Ben.
WOOHOO! This is by far THE one feature I was missing for too long. And never mind that you put in one or two rather useless features (as you mentioned in the demo
. Most of the time I get annoyed by software is when it doesn’t offer me enough options. And using green and yellow as the default colors makes this piece even more likeable ( …do you know Alex Alvarez’ tutorials on Maya? ).
Thanks a lot! My next pocket money is yours
Thanks Jake. Glad you like it!
-Ben.
I baffled!
I like when software is open enough to give 3rd party developers a chance to create their own implementations but i REALLY baffled about on how small engineers who aren’t in the Adobe engineering team create program “features” that users are begging and requesting since years!?
I’ll never understand this software business.
However, great to have you on planet earth.
T.
Hehe! Adobe moves in mysterious ways, eh?
Thanks for the support though, Thomas.
-Ben.
By the way: I translated this to work on German AE.
Make it work for french !! please
I don’t know how to translate it !!
Hi Arnaud,
It’s on my ‘to do’ list… so watch this space. But I’m a bit insanely busy at the moment.
-Ben.
Is there a way to force the Grid 3D to render out as it appears in the comp? Simply turning off the guide layer makes it all black and loses the transparency it looks like?
Just wondering. I’m loving this new script!
Hi Jordan,
If you want to use the grid as a visible element, then you’d need to RAM preview and use a screen capture tool. That’s what I did for the preview. The grid isn’t really designed to be rendered out.
-Ben.