Pro & Lite tools.

The 3D Assistants have two kinds of tool palettes, 'Pro' and 'Lite'. If you spend a lot of time in After Effect's 3D space, Pro tools offer the control necessary to build sophisticated 3D scenes. While it takes a little longer to learn what all the options do, this pays off in the variation that the Pro tools bring. In comparison, Lite tools are trim, simplified versions of the Pro tools. Each palette is more limited in its options but still very powerful.

The Lite palette.

Lite tools are great if you are starting out with 3D layers, or not planning to venture further than a few simple shapes. If you use After Effect's 3D space only occasionally, the 'Lite' tools are an easy way to design interesting animations.

For the most part, the 'Lite' tools drop out functionality that isn't esstenial for doing 80% of the tasks you'll ask of the 3D Assistants.

AT LEFT: The Box Creator Lite includes the most frequently used functions to give you a simplified interface. There are far fewer parameters in the 'Lite' palette as compared to the Box Creator palette (shown below).

The Pro palette.

To get the most control over your 3D environment, we recommend using the Pro palettes. These palettes are great for any professional compositor who uses the 3D capabilities of After Effects on a regular basis.

The Pro tools have features that are cut out of the Lite tools. Some of these ae important for more advanced work.

For instance, in the Lite tools, we've removed the 'Starting Point' function. In the Pro palette, this option allows you to place a 3D shape anywhere in 3D space. In the Lite palettes, the starting point simply defaults to your 'Comp Center'.

AT LEFT: The Box Creator has additional options for arranging both simple and very complex shapes out of 3D layers.