Frequent Questions for 3D Assistants.

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I installed the Assistants, but I can't find them in the After Effects menu.

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I want to choose an Assistant, but they're all grayed out in the Windows menu.

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I've downloaded the demo but didn't really get time to play with it before it expired. I tried to download it again but it will not allow me to install. Is there any way to reinstall the demo?

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Unfortunately... no. We can't undo the part of the installation that keeps you from installing the 3D Assistants demo twice on a computer.Our 3D Assistants demo is a fully enabled version with no watermarking. Because we don't limit its functionality, we do limit how long you can use it.

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There is a known problem with Mac OS 10.3. If you don't direct the installer to a specific location, it looks for a hidden 'MAC OS' folder and install the files there. Please go to this Install Support page for a detailed explanation of the very simple solution.

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Do the Assistants work with text layers?

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Yes, the Assistants do work with text layers as long as they are 3D-enabled. The Assistants do not work with Cameras or Lights.

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Is there a limit to the number of layers I can use?

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There is no limit to the number of layers that you can simultaneously apply a 3D Assistant to. In fact, the ability to distribute large groups of layers is one of the most useful aspects of this software. You can even use the assistants to replicate your layers and create large groups of layers. Be careful about this, though… you can easily turn 7 layers into 700 layers, which won’t have happy results if you don’t have enough memory for 700.

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can I determine the order in which layers will stack in 3D space?

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The 3D Assistants distribute 3D layers in the order they are arranged in the Time Layout Window. If your animation requires that there be a certain order to your layers, be sure to arrange your layers in the proper order in the Timeline before applying the 3D Assistants. Some of the Assistants handle this process differently than other ones.

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My 3D Assistants installer doesn't install the 'EZ' set.

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The EZ set is now called the 'Lite' set, and the Lite Assistants are rolled into your Pro purchase. If you purchased the Assistants before the EZ/Lite was offered, you are entitled to the Lite set as a free upgrade. Please email sales@digitalanarchy.com. We will check for proof of purchase, then send you the installer and instructions.

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I have the 'Lite' set. How is this different than the Pro set?

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The Lite set was a free giveaway tied into purchase of After Effects 6.0 and 6.5. You get three 'lite' tools, instead of the whole 16 tool set. The installer came free on your AE 6.x disk.

This offer is not being distributed through AE 7.0 at the request of Adobe. The 6.x installer will not work in AE 7.0. If you would like to upgrade to Pro from the Lite set, we offer that at $99.00 (reg. $199.00). Please contact us through this short web form to get upgrade instructions and a discount code.

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Under Windows XP Pro, ServicePack2, we have a problem. When we first use the 3D Assistants, a window pops open and we can use the product. However, once we click the 'Apply' button and close the 3D Assistants window, we cannot reopen it. We are using After Effects 7.0.

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This is a known issue. On Windows XP, if you're running After Effects 7.0 or lower, you need an earlier build of 3D Assistants. We are currently at version 1.3; however, you need to run version 1.2.2. Please contact us through this Request Form to get the 1.2.2 installer. You will need to do a fresh install for the product; you cannot drag and drop the plugins from one app folder to another.

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Is there a way to control all of the arranged layers
simultaneously without hand-animating each one?

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After you arrange all of your layers, create a 3D Null Object and place it in the center of all your layers. Parent all of the arranged layers to the Null object, and animate the Null object to simultaneously move all of the layers.

For example, you can create a slowly scrolling video wall by using our Matrix Creator. Then parent all of the layers in the matrix to a Null that's slowly animating from left to right. All of the layers will be moving, while you've only used two keyframes to do it!

You can then animate each layer in the wall independently of the Null object's motion, such as scaling certain layers up to fill the frame while the wall is moving. By the way, this method of Null object parenting can be used for all kinds of effects. These effects include setting all of the layers up in a rotating sphere; moving cylinders; and creating a starfield with hundreds of layers and panning through it all by only moving the Null.

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I have created a 'stacked cylinder' using the Cylinder Creator. Is it possible to just map images onto the inside faces of the cylinder only? At present, it seems that I am getting a flipped or mirror image on the outside of the cylinder, which I do not want.

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Unfortunately, that's due to a function of After Effects that we can't circumvent.

A workaround is the following: Create another cylinder out of solid layers that's slightly bigger. Instead of normal NTSC (or PAL) sized solids, make them 2 or 3 pixels longer, but the same height. Then apply Cylinder Creator with the same settings as your original Cylinder. Since the layers are slightly bigger, the radius will be slightly bigger and will enclose the original cylinder. It should be close enough that you can't tell there's actually two cylinders.