3D Text Creation
Rather than starting in Adobe Illustrator, you can now jump into the 3D process with a full-featured text editor. The 3D text engine can use Post Script Type 1 and True Type fonts resident on your 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 promo 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.
3D Primitives
Need a spinning globe? Need a video box or a 3D floor? Now one button will get you there. 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 you can create shapes that look like they have been cut from crystal or polished as smooth as a gem.
New Import/Export Format
We have added a new file format for importing and exporting 3D objects… our own! The new Invigorator object format enables you to set up 3D logos, titles and 3D text, color them, apply the materials, maps and object settings, and then save them into files which you can reuse over and over in all your other Invigorator projects. This is a huge time saver for repetitive work.
Motion Blur
Invigorator PRO version 4 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.
Tracking AE’s 3D Camera
The plug-in version of ProAnimator has the ability to track, or mimic, what the After Effects camera and lights are doing. This feature enables you to combine AE 3D layer animation with ProAnimator animations. For instance you can set up a project containing AE layers moving in 3D, and then use ProAnimator to add dynamic moving 3D objects right over the top of the moving AE backgrounds!
Layer Map Animation
There is a new control for texture maps that will let you 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
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 you line your eye up with the glare from a light.
Creative uses of highlight mapping include hidden messages like writing on a mirror, streaks, hand prints, scratches, dents and smudges.