1. The animation can’t be longer than nine seconds. FIVE SECONDS is highly recommended!
2. The animation must fit the theme.
3. Only submit animation. Any and all animation forms are accepted (stop motion, hand drawn, cg, 3d, motion design, etc… ). Unmodified, videos will not be accepted, however.

Why Should You Enter? Check out the video…

How Do I Enter my Video?

• 1. Create a five second animation based on the theme, “Start With A Photo”.
• 2. Upload your video to Vimeo. Don’t forget to add a link back to this blog post.
• 3. Post a link to this posts comment thread and Nick will add it to the Channel.
• 4. Deadline is Sunday December 13th

Tell a friend about the five second projects and get them involved too. Don’t forget to push yourself to try something new every week. What about a new piece of software or technique you have wanted to try? Take control of your creative output and Make Cool Shit!

Visit the Vimeo Channel.

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Aharon Rhabinowitz from All Bets Are Off Production and Red Giant Software and myself had a similar idea: doing some tutorials on sound design with the tools available to most motion designers. In this tutorial, we both demonstrate techniques on creating backwards reverb. Aharon shows you some techniques common to most editing tools, and I do the same thing in After Effects.  LINK HERE

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Create a colorful disco tunnel using shape layers and matching the look to a video footage using the color link effect.  LINK HERE

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FilmMakerIQ always has huge roundups, this time they have compiled 222 Apple Motion Tutorials for you to check out!  LINK HERE

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Dennis Radeke of the Genesis Project has Adobe Beginner Classes Episode #26 which teachs you how to make semi-realistic fog inside of AE.  LINK HERE
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Taken from AEportal.blogspot.com – Chris and Trish Meyer have released After Effects Apprentice Video Tutorial #9 onto PVC.  This short video ‘provides a jump-start for using the vector-based Shape Layers that were introduced in After Effects CS3. It demonstrates how to create “parametric” and “path-based” shapes (using the Mask and Pen tools, respectively), setting the color for fill and stroke (including creating gradients), editing shapes, adding shape effects, and how multiple shape paths and groups interact within the same Shape Layer.  LINK HERE

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CC Time Blend FX was originally published as part of the Final Effects plug-in set, but is now included in After Effects as one of the Cycore (CC) plug-ins. In his recent Unplugged interview, Total Training founder and After Effects legend Brian Maffitt discusses the Total FE (Final Effects) training series and how he used Time Blend FX to make realistic smoke and plasma. LINK HERE

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In this Adobe After Effects: Effects A-Z tip, special guest presenter Topher Welsh gives a brief tour through the Auto Color, Auto Contrast and Auto Levels effects.  LINK HERE

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Aniquito.com is finally launched, which is a tutorial site dedicated to VFX and Dynamics!  This tutorial is to create lava, (Maya Blobby Classical Particles)  LINK HERE

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Learn how to make an animated extrude along a curvel in Maya.  LINK HERE

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Learn how to create table cloth using soft bodies in Maya.  LINK HERE

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CGSutra has 5 new tutorials on the new features of Fusion 6:  Introduction to Domain of Definition, Learn About DOD Tools, Introduction to Region of Interest, Learn About Stereo 3D Features, and Learn about the Anaglyph Tools and how its used in Stereo 3D.

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Oldie but a goodie:  Barbecue Design created an amazing commercial for Lexus Toyota Hybrid Drive using After Effects and Trapcode plugins. Ruediger was nice enough to put together a three part tutorial on how he did a lot of the effects in the commercial.  LINK HERE

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Intro to Physics and Dynamics in Mograph 2 – In today’s tutorial, Nick shows you how to set up the tags properly for Dynamics in Mograph 2 for a simple scene. He also goes though how to cache the cloners in the scene for render.  LINK HERE

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The Correct Way To Use Audio In After Effects – In this tutorial, Nick shows you the proper way to import and interact with audio in After Effects. He shows you how to convert your MP3s into AIFF files using Quicktime. He also, shows you the proper way to do fades and cross dissolves using Plugins.  LINK HERE

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Understanding 3D and 2D Layer Order in AE – In this GSG Cast, Nick tries to make sense of how layer order effects visibility in After Effects when using 2D and 3D layers. There is also a tip on how to force a 3D element into place by using 2D layers. Enjoy!  LINK HERE

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Nick also was one of the people creating a tutorial for the new Cinema 4D R11.5 launch, check out this hub for a ton of tutorials on exploring the new features of R11.5.  LINK HERE

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Compositing With Color: Matching Footage with Color Channels – By Chad Perkins.  In this tutorial, explore how to get a better composite by adjusting the individual color levels of elements so that they match the underlying footage.  LINK HERE

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Pull The Perfect Key – In this tutorial learn to use Primatte Keyer Pro 4.0 and Key Correct Pro to tackle the toughest keying challenges with confidence and in record time. Begin by using Key Correct Pro’s pre-key tools to prep your footage for keying in the powerful Primatte Keyer, then touch up your mattes in Key Correct Pro for pixel-perfect results within After Effects.  LINK HERE

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Learn to Make a Custon 3D Wall Text Reveal – By Roman Komurka -  Using basic AE tools and some expressions you will learn how to create this 3D wall made of custom shapes and a nice laser beam to reveal your text.

LINK HERE

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Integrating Cinema 4D into After Effects – by Eddie Bodganov -  The more you get into After Effects, the more you realize how cool it is to bring in stuff from outside the program. This tutorial shows how take a scene from Cinema 4D and bring it over into AE. After Effects is a compositing program and this is a perfect example of how to take a basic animation and add some “after effects“!

LINK HERE

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Animate Your Logo Into Characters – By Chaithanya Y -  In this tutorial, we will learn some of the cool new features introduced in Trapcode Particular v2.0. Inspiration for this tutorial is from the logo reveal of the Digital Domain Animation Company. It may not be as good as that (since it had been done completely using a 3d software), but I thought to give it a try in After Effects.

LINK HERE

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Put Together a Realistic District 9 Composite – By Youssef Sarhan – Adding outside elements into a scene can be a tedious endeavor. Today we’ll be shown a few different compositing tips as we superimpose the space ship from District 9 into our shot.

LINK HERE

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Model a Photorealistic Boss Tu-2 FX Pedal in Modo – Day 2 – By Matt Brealey – In this two-part tutorial (visit Day 1), you will learn how to model the Boss Tu-2 FX pedal using Luxology’s Modo 302. Taking advantage of Modo’s workflow enhancing toolset, the model will be highly detailed, and suitable for close up renders from any angle.

LINK HERE

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Sculpt a Lifelike High-Poly Rhinoceros in ZBrush – By Daniel Holden – In this tutorial you will learn the key theory behind how to set up your low poly mesh appropriately, and the best way to go around sculpting to get the desired level of detail. This tutorial covers the creation of a Rhino, but when you are finished, you should be ready to start sculpting any organic model you like.

LINK HERE
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How to Bake a Flawless Normal Map in 3ds Max – By Racer445 – In video games, resources are always on a tight budget. Normal mapping allows the artist to achieve the look of a highly detailed model, while still using a very low triangle count and relatively small texture sizes.

LINK HERE

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How To Create an Awesome Fire Effect Using Maya Fluids – By Alan Monroig – In this tutorial you will learn how to create a fire animation inside Maya, and adjust the settings for your own projects. We will create the fire from scratch using Maya Dynamics and Fluids. The fire animation we will create can be rendered using both Maya software and Mental Ray.

LINK HERE

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Create a Rocky Video Game Terrain in Blender – Day 1 – By Roberto Roch – In this series of tutorials you will learn how to create a finished environment for Blender’s Game Engine. The main focus of the series will be texturing and lighting, with the use of some custom 2d filters to enhance the result.

Day 1 LINK HERE Day 2 LINK HERE

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How to Export 3D Camera Data from C4D to AE – Day 2 – By Harrison Ambs – The key to good project management is workflow, and also to ensure that all your pieces and parts will all come together in the final assembly. Design is no different.  This tutorial deals with some more advanced compositing techniques, and hopefully after watching the first tutorial, you’ll have a good grasp of the basics and be ready to dive into this 3 video tutorial featuring advanced compositing using tags, multi-pass renders, and expressions in After Effects.  LINK HERE

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Using Splines to Add  Detail to Your High-Poly Model in 3ds Max – By Ben Bolton -  Splines are an often-overlooked aspect of 3ds max when it comes to game art. Most people know that you can use a spline for a wire – but you can also use it for things like grooves, whole objects like handles, and even text! In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at some of these advanced ways that splines can be used to save a lot of time on tasks that would otherwise have to be done by hand.  LINK HERE

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An Introduction to Fluid Simulation in RealFlow 4 – By Eric Schilling – This relaxed tutorial will teach users how to work seamlessly between RealFlow4 and a 3D package (3ds Max 2008). It will cover how to create fluid and rigid body simulations, import and export SD files, initial states, mesh filters, 3d modeling and much much more.  LINK HERE

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Create a praying mantis in Blender.  LINK HERE

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Using nCloth with character animation in Maya.  LINK HERE

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Create a rock shader in 3ds Max 2010.  LINK HERE

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Enhanced Reflections with HDR Images in Blender.  LINK HERE

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After Effects Glassy Strings BG From Noise Junkies:  Use CC Glass and other plugins to create a stunning looping bg, and learn some looping techniques with Form.  LINK HERE

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Maya Composite 101 (Based upon the Autodesk Toxik Software)This will familiarize you with the Toxik UI and workflow.

Part 1 LINK HERE Part 2 LINK HERE

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Scorpion Production Workflow

Kenichi Nishida describes how he meticulously created the basemesh before taking it into Mudbox for hires detailing, then preparing for the UVs and exposing how he generated all those tiny little hairs throughout the…  LINK HERE

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Mudbox Tecniques for Props #1 – Wood

A first video concerning sculpting techniques for your props. LINK HERE

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Mudbox Techniques for Props #2 – Stone

a second video concerning mudbox sculpting techniques..this one is about stones..and perhaps a bit too long   LINK HERE

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This tutorial from Everything FX demonstrates how to make objects melt in blender and use reactor particles to create rain and missile strike effects.  LINK HERE

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Double Rainbow Photoshop Screencast – Watch how this dude creates some awesome HDR Panoramas.  LINK HERE

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While I wasn’t buzzing around shooting things at 300fps on Beach day, I managed to take a few pictures a few minutes before we all packed up. One of my friends brought this AWESOME inflatable rainbow star. This is the best shot of the bunch, but the original photo needed some more punch to make it more interesting. So, I decided to screen-cast the entire 2-hour photoshop session, and speed it up into this 4:25 video.  LINK HERE

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Tip: Create Spinning Text with Specular Highlights–Pt.1

In this tutorial we use Cinema 4D and Mograph to create spinning text with specular highlights.  LINK HERE

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Tip: Creating a Wet Map in Realflow

In this tutorial we go over how to use the wet map feature in Realflow. Part 1 LINK HERE Part 2 LINK HERE

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Tip: Using a Proxy Object in RealFlow

In this tutorial we use go over how to use a proxy object in RealFlow to speed up workflow.  LINK HERE

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Tip: Using the Hinge Constraint to Open a Door In RealFlow

In this tutorial we go over how to use the hinge constraint to open a door in RealFlow.  LINK HERE

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Tip: Creating a Jelly-Like Substance in RealFlow

In this tutorial we go over how to use Realflow to make a jelly-like logo.  LINK HERE

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“Wounded Ork” by Dorian Bushi – As this is a making of article, I’m not gona cover every step of the creation process of this image. I assume you have some basic knowledge in 3D in general, and basic to intermediate level for all the 3ds max users.  LINK HERE

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Making of “Medkova” by Fabio M. Silva – Tutorial about making of Klara Medkova image, also published in Ballistic’s Publishing Exotique 4.  LINK HERE

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Making of “The Package They Carry” by John Strieder – Learn how John created this awesome peice of art in ZBrush.  LINK HERE
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Making of “Willpower” by John Streider – In his image a brave young girl who is in a situation she would never believe she’d come into, and then something unexpected happens that nobody would ever expect!  LINK HERE

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Episode 29: Form Text by Tim Clapham

In this Episode of Red Giant TV, Tim Clapham shows you how to use Trapcode Form to create some particle-based 3D text along with a cool transition on and off.  LINK HERE

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An Introduction to using Keylight with After Effects with Richard Harrington.  LINK HERE

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Create a Comic Book Effect – Learn to create an animated comic book effect – Requires Red Giant Toonit!  LINK HERE

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Energy Drink Part 2 – Eran Stern – Eran puts the final touches on this effect filled 3D spot using Photoshop Extended and Adobe After Effects.  LINK HERE

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Embryo Energy has finally arrived, I am very excited to show you techniques involved to make this effect. I think you are going to love the simplicity of this tutorial.  LINK HERE

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Learn how to animate joints with a Maya hair curve. Very nice rig with tons of control!! Use it creatively and you’ll find a lot of ways to use it… Plus its a LOT of fun!  LINK HERE

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Create a Retro Rainbow Waterfall Using 3ds Max and Particle Flow – This tutorial will show you how to use Particle Flow to create an outstanding 3D retro rainbow waterfall inside of 3DS Max! We will play with some basic objects and PFlow features to create some imaginative geometric shapes. So, let’s get started!

LINK HERE

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I’m going to show you how to make a 3D text shatter effect. This effect is made in two programs, Cinema 4D and Photoshop.If you haven’t heard of Cinema 4D before it is a relatively easy to use 3d application, it is quite similar to 3dsMax or Maya. I will go pretty in depth with the Cinema 4D part, for all the inexperienced users, so bare with me if I go too slow. Now enough chit chat, let’s jump in.  LINK HERE

From CarlWH123 on Youtube – Modelling an Axis bass drum pedal in 3DS Max.  LINK HERE

Damien Mathe – I presume that maybe someone already did this, but I recorded a tutorial explaining how to reproduce the soft shadows as seen in Andrew’s tutorial, but in Cinema4D. Of course I only translated the tutorial to C4D, all the credits go to the great Andrew Kramer.  LINK HERE

Damien Mathe – This video explains how to make a “blob” effect with Cinema 4D. This was recorded as an answer to a post on Videocopilot.net forums.   LINK HERE

Create Whispy Spirit-like Text by Adam Everett Miller – Adam keeps digging through the good ol’ built in CC plugins and continues to come up with very clever and visually awesome solutions. In this tutorial Adam uses CC Smear as the basis to create text that appears in as if a spirit whisped into it.  LINK HERE

In this tutorial, Nick go though the process of lighting a scene with the Daylight CS Tool for Cinema 4D.
Download the scene files at his blog: Greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/05/28/cinema-4d-cs-tools-daylight/
LINK HERE

After Effects has a bug fix and huge update out this week:

LINK HERE

In this tutorial I explain how to use my free After Effects script MochaImport which simplifies the usage of MochaAE with After Effects.  FREE DOWNLOAD of the script: aextensions.blogspot.com
Tutorial LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how to change the rotation axis of an object in Maya 2008+
LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how to create a sphere that works well in dynamic simulations. Uses Maya 2008+
LINK HERE

In this tutorial we will learn how to use the UV Texture Editor as a modeling tool in Maya 8+.
LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how the Trimming tool can be used to punch holes into NURBS meshes in XSI 4.2+.
LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn where XSI’s shelf is located and how to add commands to it.
LINK HERE

Noise Junkies- After Effects Abstract Color Transfiguration

Learn a very simple method to make footage into an abstract scene.  Use some common plugins to create a “melting-type” animation.  LINK HERE

Mystery Text in Adobe After Effects- Learn how to create this mystery text effect by animating layer styles on a text layer in After Effects.  LINK HERE

Mike Bauer shows us how to create a simple rig to explore the complexity of animating a ball in our latest 3dsmax video tutorial
LINK HERE

‘Irradiance Particles in Mental Ray and Hypershade for Maya 2009′ are the latest set of video tutorial by i3D Tutorials.  LINK HERE

*NEW* Cityscape Pt. 1 – Building True 3D objects -Learn how to make a 3D cityscape out of true 3D objects that you can arrange and then fly around with a 3D camera. Techniques featured are: Replicators, 3D cameras, shape tool.

LINK HERE

Solar Ring Motion Video Tutorial Part One LINK HERE

Volumetrix Light 3d Motion Tutorial LINK HERE

News at 8 Motion Tutorial LINK HERE

Moving onto the next phase, we give this critter some bones for animation… You will learn how to build a custom rig using bones and dummy objects… We also create some easy to use Eye Controls with simple constraints to help give our guy that all important emotion… LINK HERE

In part two of this series we’ll look at how to shatter the polygon object using Cinema 4D Explosion FX, add a glass material and image map to the face of the glass, and use an HDR image with the Sky object to create reflections.

Download Materials Watch LINK HERE

NEW 5 SECOND PROJECT!

This time, it’s all about constructive criticism. The theme for the week is “Something Good, Something Bad.” Submit a short project based on the theme. Then for the project you must comment on ATLEAST three other videos in the “Something Good, Something Bad.” Vimeo Channel. In the comments, say one thing that you like about their entry and one thing that could be better. Something Good and Something Bad.

After watching a piece, people have a tendency to say “Nice Work” (guilty) or “Wow, you animated that?” And, while it can be nice to hear encouraging words all day, it doesn’t do much to push you forward into better design and animation skills. Use these constructive comments to make your work better and better every time. Hopefully constructive criticism will continue though these Five Second Projects.

What is constructive criticism?
DON’T say “That Sucks.”
DO say “Great colors! The animation towards the end gets a little too fast. Try slowing it down.” Keep in mind, criticism can include ideas on how to make the piece better, not to insult their work. With that said, don’t be afraid to state your true opinion. Pulling punches isn’t helping.

What Are Five Second Projects?
We all want to make cool shit for our reel right? Sometimes you just need a theme to get you started. Use the theme “Something Good, Something Bad” to make a five second motion piece and link it in the comments of this blog post. “Shout Box” submissions will not be found and will not be added to the channel. Please be sure to post a link in this post’s comments to ensure Nick seeing it.

It’s really great to see so much participation. Tell a friend about the five second projects and get them involved too. Don’t forget to push yourself to try something new every week. What about a new piece of software or technique you have wanted to try?

DONT FORGET TO GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

Alright, I know I haven’t been the best about posting lately, but fact is, I have had a lot on my plate… which seems to be the same excuse I use every late post.  You can check out my new article at AETuts+ called “31 Mind Blowing VFX Breakdowns” where I showcase some of the best VFX breakdowns I could find, from shorts to feature length movies.

Color Grade and Enhance a Horror Shot
In this first part James will teach how to create 2 scenes. First how to take a shot of a mansion and give it an intense and scary look through sky replacement and colour correction. Second we will take a shot of a stone gargoyle face and create a subtle yet creepy effect in which it frowns evilly at an oncoming victim. Continue Reading

Nick has 2 new GSGCasts up for you to check out… Cinema 4D: CS Tools – Cluster
Download the CSTools Here
Watch all of the CS Tools Tutorials
How To Install the CSTools
and
After Effects Tutorial – Pixel-Perfect Camera Move Transitions

ModernMayhem.com – 3D Arrows Using Particle Instancer
You will need to load the scene provided too.  arrow_instancer.ma
(right click and save target. Maya 7.0 and up)
The scene just has some very basic modelling and textures. But you can simply replace the geometry when youre finished animating the particles.  LINK HERE

ModernMayhem.com Happy Feet Snowflakes -
To make life alot easier for control and tweaking the effect later on, we add some attributes to the particle shape node that is accessible outside the expression. With these controls we can animate snow flakes, rain and hail at slow, fast or turbulent speeds.  LINK HERE

Toolfarm :60 Ep.01: Automatic Duck

The first episode of the Toolfarm :60 is now available! We’ll be posting them at MyToolfarm and also they will be uploaded as a regular podcast to iTunes in the very near future.

LINK HERE

@aeportal.blogspot.com

Chris and Trish Meyer have posted another free movie from the Focal Press book After Effects Apprentice (2nd Edition). This one’s “A gentle introduction to expressions.”

LINK HERE

Create a “Bullet Time” Logo Shatter Effect
Wikipedia defines Bullet Time as a digitally enhanced simulation of variable speed (i.e. slow motion, time-lapse…) photography used in films, broadcast advertisements and computer games. It is characterized both by its extreme transformation of time (slow enough to show normally imperceptible and un-filmable events, such as flying bullets) and space (by way of the ability of the camera angle—the audience’s point-of-view—to move around the scene at a normal speed while events are slowed). The first movie credited with this effect is Blade, but it was the Matrix that really made it famous.  In this tutorial, Wes shows us how to use the built-in Shatter plugin to achieve “Bullet Time” with type or a logo.  Continue Reading

Dunk Your Logo in a Wave World Apr 27th in Motion Graphics by Adam Everett Miller
Adam brings back his charm in this tutorial that is all about the rarely used Wave World plugin. You will learn all the ins and outs about this plugin that can even do 3D!

Continue Reading

Create a Stormy, Electric Type Reveal Apr 29th in Motion Graphics by Markus Gustafsson

This tutorial gives a different twist on how to use the powerful form plugin. Learn how to use it to create a mysterious and electric type reveal.

Continue Reading

Give Your Type Some Ball Action May 4th in Motion Graphics by Adam Everett Miller

We get a lot of requests for tutorials that don’t require 3rd party plugins, and since we like to make our readers happy whenever possible, Adam is back breaking down the rarely used “CC Ball Action” built-in plugin to make some very cool type transitions.  Continue Reading

20 Short Films and Music Videos Made with After Effects May 2nd in Articles by Topher Welsh

After Effects is not just for commercials and network ID’s anymore. It’s being used more and more in films and music videos. Here’s a sampling.

Continue Reading

Attribute Editor VS. Property Editor
In this lesson we will learn how to access object parameters inside of XSI 5.0+  LINK HERE

Create a Glow Effect with UV Sets in Maya 6+
In this video we will learn how to create multiple UV sets and use them to create an interesting glow effect on a brick wall in Maya.  LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how to use a motion path to drive a sled’s animation in Maya 8+. Motion paths are a great way to speed up your animation workflow. Instead of keyframing the complex animation of a sled moving down a bumpy hill, we can create one curve and the Attach to Motion Path command does all the work for us!  LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how to round corners at render time in XSI.

Uses XSI 6.0+

LINK HERE

Removing Joints In Maya 2008+

In this lesson we will learn how to delete joints within a skeleton without having to detach the bound mesh.

LINK HERE

Groups VS. Transform Groups

In this lesson we will learn how groups in Maya are different from groups in XSI.

Uses XSI 5.0 + LINK HERE

John Dickinson’s Motionworks – Recently I was asked to come up with an idea for a show and as seems to be the case lately, had very little time to develop it. Click on the thumbnail and the first picture you’ll see are my initial ideas created in Illustrator. The second one is better than the first but simply making the T and A capitals in a script font (Scriptina) wasn’t working, it needed more style. So I turned to Cinema 4D and Mograph Spline Wrap feature. This was the first time to try Spline Wrap and I found it very easy to transform the T and A into flowing ribbons, using the Scriptina letters as a guide for the shape of the ribbons. Download the project file and take a look. Download C4D Project

Here are some helpful links to learn more about Spline Wrap, let me know if you have more:

• Cineversity (Ko Maruyama): Text on a path
• C4D Cafe: Spline Wrap Review

Peder Norrby on Trapcode Particular v2

Ko Maruyama shot some video at NAB of Peder explaining some features of the much anticipated Trapcode Particular v2.
LINK HERE

Blender Tip – Wire Render

This tutorial takes a look at how to set up a wire render in Blender.

LINK HERE

Blender Tip – Loop Cut Tool

This tutorial takes a look at the Loop cut tool in Blender.

LINK HERE

Noise Junkies – Energy Flow in AE
Learn how to create cool particle systems with Particular
Use Vector Blur and some intense color correction to achieve cool looks!
LINK HERE

Noise Junkies – Fringe Inspired Stylish Molecule

• Learn how to use Trapcode Form to create a “Fringe Like” blob
• Use very simple Cycore plugins to enhance the blob
  LINK HERE

Gnomonology – ZBrush

Sculpting a Zombie Face – Part 1 Quick Sculpting

Here is a 25 minute sculpt of a zombie head using the Demo Head as a base.

Sculpting a Zombie Face – Part 2 Detail Sculpting

This one shows you how I created and used the Zombie Brush attached

Sculpting a Zombie Face – Part 3 Zombie Teeth

how I sculpted his teeth using Alex Alvarez’s Teeth and Gum set from Gnomonology.

Creating Believable Eyes – Ch. 1
Photo Reference, Modeling, Initial Shaders

Creating Believable Eyes – Ch. 2
Texturing the Iris

Creating Believable Eyes – Ch. 3
Texturing the Eye Body and Cornea
Creating Believable Eyes – Ch. 4
Shaders, Lighting and Rendering

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a scene inspired by those gangster movies and of course the great depthCORE chapter NOIR. We will use Cinema 4D to create the scene and then in Photoshop we will add the gangster and other effects.
LINK HERE

Wayne Robson shows us how to go about getting your maps to and from Mudbox and Photoshop in the fifth video tutorial in his Mudbox 2009 ‘Quick Start’ series: LINK HERE

Go over and check out FXGuideTV for the NAB coverage of the new version 2.0 of Trapcode Particular!  There are tons of new features for you to look forward to in the summer release.

LINK HERE

Don’t mind the villian-esque picture of Mark Christiansen, it is a shot taken from part of Eric Escobar’s Plugins Won’t Save You speech on MacVideo.TV.

Go check it out LINK HERE

From Ko Maruyama at Ninja Crayon

This project file is from R9 days (2005)

… but it still works in the core package of R11
(even tho’ DIRT isn’t around anymore)
[Read More]

In this GSG Cast, Nick goes through how to use the Bloom tool from CSTools. The Bloom tool automates animation of objects “blooming” into the scene with rotation and scale.
Download the scene file and follow along
Download the CSTools Here
Watch all of the CS Tools Tutorials

Adjusting Pivot of Components
In this lesson we will learn how to move pivot points inside XSI 4+.
Pivot points are important for interacting with your objects they define the object’s center. Moving the pivot point is a useful modeling technique. Topics covered in this tutorial: Adjusting pivots of objects,  Accessing and adjusting pivots of components LINK HERE

Smooth Skin Weights Tool in Maya 2008+
In this lesson we will look into Maya’s Smooth Skin Weights tool to see how it can be used to quickly fix deformations on a bound mesh.

LINK HERE

Split Edge Ring Tool in Maya 7+
In this lesson we will learn about the Split Edge Ring Tool.

LINK HERE

Architectural Materials in XSI 6+
In this lesson we will learn about the mental ray architectural material in XSI.   The architectural material is great for simulating many different surface types. With the numerous parameters included in the architectural material, you have much more control over every aspect of the final result. This material even has built-in ambient occlusion.  LINK HERE

UVs in Maya and XSI
In this lesson we will learn the difference between UVs in Maya and XSI.   When a primitive object is created in Maya, it automatically gets assigned UVs. However, in XSI the UVs have to be created manually. UVs tell XSI where a texture should be applied to, so they are an important part of the texturing process.  LINK HERE

In this video tutorial, Creative COW contributing editor Carl Larsen shows you how to use the track a child expression to create an interesting title sequence in Adobe After Effects.

LINK HERE

From Abduzeedo.com  -   Hi, my name is Pascal Verstegen, aka Enkera from Noa Studios. In this tutorial i’m going to explain how easy it is for any photoshop users out there that create a lot of effects-added branding to transform their work into a great and simple animation using After Effects, presumably to spice up your client presentation or intro to your website.

LINK HERE

In this two part series, David Torno shows you how to track and composite a face onto another body using After Effects and Mocha AE. Learn some of the tricks and hurdles you may have to deal with when trying to produce this type of effect. A sad bit of news though, Bea Arthur died yesterday, April 25th, 2009. She will be missed R.I.P. Bea…  PART 1 PART 2

This is a series of tutorials on modeling the band Disturbed’s logo in 3Ds Max.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Maxon’s Cinema 4D now has a Youtube Channel!  Go and check it out and make sure that you SUBSCRIBE.

From IrvingLing.com – Tip of the day: From Adobe Illustrator to C4D
:::::C4D TIP: to transfer your path from Illustrator into C4D, save your work in Illustrator as a Illustrator 8 or lower file. Then just simply go into C4D and open the Illustrator file like how you would normally open a file.  Your path should show up as a spline and from there, you can work in altering the path points however you like::::: This is another piece I made a while back using C4D and added a few ink splashes at the back. I wanted to finish the series on my portfolio designs.
I drew the chinese character (which btw, means Ox) in Illustrator and imported it into C4D.

From IrvingLing.com – Freebie: 4 C4D Ribbon Render Pack 1 Welcome to my first freebie giveaway! Here I have 4 C4D Ribbon Renders available for download. There is no restriction for the files used and so you can use them for whatever you create. I made 4 renders for pack 1 but I can assure you that Pack 2 will have more renders in it.   Because C4D is an expensive program and not many people have them, here is the first of the many C4D render packs containing shapes, models, etc. If you want a certain shape in a 3D model, do leave a comment and I’ll try to add it into the next pack.

Metallic Text with After Effects

How to create a polished metal text effect using After Effects.

Continue Reading

This shows an easy to replicate way to capture the entire light rig of a scene and save it our as a high dynamic range image for use in Mudbox 2009. This enables you to get lighting that you never thought possible with a little thought and preparation.
LINK HERE

In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you tips and techniques for creating interesting fire and water-based effects. This free After Effects tutorial is a must see for anyone who’s interested in transition effects!!!!!  GET A FREE SMOKE VIDEO CLIP TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH AHARON FROM OUR BLOG Topics covered in this free video tutorial:  Nesting and Pre-composing, Displacement Maps, Luma and Alpha Mattes, Gradient & Linear Wipes, Transition Effects, Looping Footage, Adjustment Layers, Text Treatments
Launch tutorial

From Cinema4Dvids.blogspot.com

Heres a BRAND NEW video tutorial on modeling a replica light saber. This wont be a 1:1 copy and to some hardcore fans may not even be up to their standards. But lets face it people your here to learn just as much as I am so i hope you have fun and enjoy it.

LINK HERE

Irradiance Particles and HDRI Rendering

In this video taken from our “Rendering with SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.II: mental ray” training product, we will get to see how to use the new irradiance particles indirect illumination algorithm and combine it with image based lighting using HDRI rendering.

LINK HERE

Working with ICE

Get a free look into the inner workings of ICE and production workflow in this video from the “Mastering the Art of ICE Volume I: Breaking the ICE” series.

LINK HERE

Overview of the ViewCube

3dsMax 2009 saw the introduction of the “ViewCube”. This useful tool can be used to quickly and easily change your view angle with the click of a button. In this video, we will look at how to use the ViewCube.

LINK HERE

Select Actions from the Hotbox

Probably the greatest feature of the Maya interface, the Hotbox, allows artists to access every tool in Maya.

LINK HERE

Tony at VFXSchool.blogspot.com has a free template for tracking markers:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ngeyydy2dow

Tony at VFXschool.blogspot.com has a free Motion pro Toolkit for all of you aspiring motion graphic artists!

Download: http://www.filesavr.com/motionprotoolkit

Hollywood Camera Work – Visual Effects for Directors  is a new DVD series coming out, but they have 4 chapters online for you to check out: How to Place Tracking Markers I & II, Crowd Replication, How to Receive Shadows and Light, and Shooting for Planar Tracking.

LINK HERE

In this lesson we will learn how to utilize the time-saving IPR render with mental ray in Maya.
Topics covered in this tutorial: Setting up the Render View to use IPR rendering with mental ray,  learning the difference between mental ray IPR and Maya Software IP.

LINK HERE

This week’s Five Second Project theme is “Hero”. Need an excuse to make something cool this week? Well, now is your chance. Use this theme to make a short motion piece and link it in the comments of this blog post. “Shout Box” submissions will not be found and will not be added to the channel. Please be sure to post a link in this post’s comments to ensure Nick seeing it.

It’s really great to see so much participation. Tell a friend about the five second projects and get them involved too. Don’t forget to push yourself to try something new every week. What about a new piece of software or technique you have wanted to try?

Bottom line… MAKE COOL SHIT!

Need some more help getting started? Check out Nick’s After Effects and Cinema 4D tutorials.

I know that you all wait everyday with bated breath to see if I include a new post that day, but life just sometimes gets in the way.  I have been writing more and more at other sites, including my newest article which debuted at AEtuts+ on Friday, The Venti AE Tutorial Roundup.  Go over and check it out!  as for the rest, of those non AE tutorials, well here they are…

In this exciting 46 minute tutorial we will build a furious procedural disintegration using displacement maps, turbulent displacement and CC particle world. Be sure to stay tuned until the very end for a fun bonus video…

Watch Tutorial Watch Final Video

Fake Liquid in Cinema 4D – While there are other ways to create this same look, there aren’t any that are easier to comprehend for the novice C4D user.  In this movie tutorial, I’ll demonstrate a simple way to create some fake looking watery liquid stuff.  An object, a spline and Path Deformer Pro will get you on your way.

LINK HERE

Fake Liquid in Cinema 4D #2 Mograph Splines – While there are other ways to create this same look, there aren’t any that are easier to comprehend for the novice C4D user.  In this written tutorial, I’ll demonstrate a simple way to create some fake looking watery liquid stuff using MAXON’s new module called Mograph.  You don’t necessarily need Mograph to take advantage of the tutorial, but this illustrates the ease of use.
LINK HERE

Fake Liquid in Cinema 4D #3 Using Spline Animations -

If you really want liquid simulation, you’ll need more muscle power than the standard geometry and simple spline manipulation, but this week, I’ll offer another method which might provide you with an alternative solution.

LINK HERE

Mograph Splines – New Cinema 4D Module -

While there are several tutorials on the Mograph installation CD which begins shipping this week, I thought that I would produce a small project file with a few of the tools that you can easily reproduce.

LINK HERE

More Techniques for Better Light Wraps
By Aharon Rabinowitz

* Create Vector Based Sunburst Rays
* Import into After Effects for Motion Graphics

» WATCH TUTORIAL

Paint Effects – Get Settings from Stroke – Video Tutorial Overview – This video will walk you through Paint Effects Get the settings from a stroke in Maya.

LINK HERE

Paint Effects – Share One Brush

Video Tutorial Overview

This video will walk you through Paint Effects Sharing one Brush in Maya.
LINK HERE

Paint Effects – Flip Tube Direction
Video Tutorial Overview

This video will walk you through Paint Effects in Maya.

LINK HERE

Paint Effects – Template Brush Settings
Video Tutorial Overview

This video will walk you through Template Brush Settings with Paint Effects in Maya.
LINK HERE

By Richard Harrington

Article Focus:
In this Photoshop tutorial, Richard Harrington shows how to perform depth of field blurring techniques using the lens blur feature in Adobe Photoshop CS4.

LINK HERE

“Creating a Pinbox: Part 1 – Modelling” by Rodrigo Paulicchi – In this two part tutorial on creating a pinbox model, I will show you how to go about modeling the main item from the frame to the pins, then I will conclude with showing you all how to animate it in part two. So let’s get down to it….

120. Alien desert. For Vue 6 and 7
Creating dune world.
Tips and tricks with sun.
Steam punk flying ship from Peter Pohle. Get model here.
View Tutorial [english] | Mega Pack III.

Flaming Eyes -  2 Part Tutorial
Part 1 -  Learn the basics of motion tracking, and  learn how to use matte masks
Part 2 – Learn how to make a ring of fire using particle playground and learn how to use tracking data for multiple objects.

This tutorial and the one above it come from MurfInc.co.nr, or Minymurf  known on the VCP forums.

Here is a look at his first tutorial on creatinga  flying effect like in Heroes – LINK HERE

In this tutorial we will take an in depth look at many tools within 3D Studio Max. We will start by modeling a small container for our simulation, and then adding a very advanced shader to it. From there we will move to creating a dynamic and realistic animation utilizing Havoc’s Reactor. We will also take a look at lighting and basic scene setup for best results when dealing with FumeFX and PFlow. That will conclude part one of this tutorial. In part two (soon to come) we will look at the lock and bond operator from PFlow Tools Box 1, and the creativity extension for Max. We will also use PFlow to create a velocity based simulation within Fume. This is a good one so stay tuned. This tutorial like all of the others is best

viewed in its respective tutorial page.

Apr 6th in Motion Graphics by Markus Gustafsson

For this tutorial you’ll need to start out with a panoramic image. They’re not hard to create, you can get professional lenses and tripods to make some killer panoramics. I created this image using a digital camera on a tripod, taking a picture each time I rotate the camera a few degrees. I then used Photoshop’s Photomerge feature to create the image below out of 25 individual pictures.

Morphing with Optical Flow in Apple Motion

In this tutorial, I show you how to track the position of a parented layer using expressions in Adobe After Effects. Special thanks to Michael Natkin and Dan Ebberts for sharing their knowledge.  To track the position of a child layer, use this expression on the layer you want to effect.
L = thisComp.layer(”child_layer”);
P = L.toWorld(L.anchorPoint); where P[0] gives x, P[1] gives y,  and P[2] gives z

LINK HERE

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MaxAfter.com – 27. Knowing Earth

• Use bitmap and text layers to emit particles to achieve Knowing film effect
• Trapcode particular will read and emit particle text from the lava cracks
LINK HERE

Design an Awesome 80’s Inspired Title Animation

In this lesson we will learn how to use Rigid Bodies and Fluids together to create a dynamic popping cork.
Topics covered in this tutorial:
Setting up basic Rigid Body interactions
Changing the collision primitives
Learning how to use Fluids to move Rigid Bodies
LINK HERE

Tim Clapham was asked a question on www.fxphd.com on how to alternate between two colours on a set of stairs that someone had built.  He came up with three simple solutions that use the shader effector, the color shader and the multi shader.  Here is the file:

Hey everyone, it is Friday and you know what that means!  My new article over at AE.tutsplus.com debuted today – 15 Inspiring Particle-Based Tutorials from Around the Web!  Make sure you go over there and check it out.

Also I have been uploading a ton of footage to my account over at VideoHive.net.  Me and the family went to the zoo last Sunday and got some killer footage of the Polar Bears, Sumatran Tiger, and a ton of other animals.

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Ko Maruyama aka Ninja Crayon

@MacAnimationPro

In this QuickTip, Ko will show you how easy it is to navigate your scene with R11. Of course, you could create something similar in earlier version, but it was never this easy.

…Read More »
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Using Lower Thirds Behind Logos

Editor’s Toolbox – After Effects Training

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 26, 2009

When is a lower third not a lower third? Any time you choose to be creative. In this tutorial learn how to turn a lower third into a background element for an animated logo in After Effects.
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No Alpha? No Problem: Xtracting Mattes

Compositor’s Toolkit – Apple Motion Training

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 26, 2009
Not every animation in your project is going to come ready-made with an alpha channel. In this tutorial, learn how to quickly create a matte for animated falling snow in Apple Motion.
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How to Produce a Great Video Tutorial by Dirk Worring-Ramstoeck

By Dirk de Jong @ Creative Cow

In this video tutorial we show you how to employ the power of vertex shaders to warp, deform and even explode 3D extruded text using Adobe After Effects and the new 3D Objects from Boris Continuum Complete 6 After Effects.
LINK HERE

The tutorial uses Video Gogh, RE:Map and SmoothKit. Download a demo of all 3 RE:Vision Effects plug-ins here.
View the tutorial: Animated Impressionism in After Effects
Purchase Video Gogh, RE:Map or SmoothKit

This is a very common way of modeling a Car Rim so you may have already seen tutorials like this. I have chosen to record this using the program Camtasia Studio so that you can see me modeling this from from Start to End showing you some of my Techniques.  I converted the AVI Video to Flash to reduce the file size, so you will need to make sure you have Flash Player installed. The file sizes are still a little large so please be patient when clicking on the tutorial file.  Modeling in 3D Studio Max 7 but can be done in almost all versions of 3D Studio Max. Complete Tutorial is 52.44min  LINK HERE

This is an awesome website by a great motion graphics artist in Bulgaria.  Only problem is his tutorials are all explained in Russian.  If you can follow though, you can watch the techniques used in the videos and figure it out… He has some great examples of stuff he has done…

LINK HERE

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This is Umesh Patel.  He shoots a ton of footage, hosts it on rapidshare.com and lets everyone download it for free.  The footage he has is really useful for learning 3D tracking, wire removal, stabilization and green screen techniques.

LINK HERE

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Digital Tutors – Animated Sweep Ribbon
In this lesson we will learn how to use an Animated Sweep to make a ribbon-wrapping effect.  Animation Sweep is a powerful way to create many curves quickly. By using a short MEL script to deactivate and activate the curves, it looks like our present is getting wrapped. Try using this technique to create other interesting effects!
Uses Maya 7.0+  LINK HERE

Digital Tutors – Animation Snapshot Trail
In this lesson we will learn how to use the Animation Snapshot tool to create a trail of objects in Maya.   Using Animation Snapshot will create geometry based on an object’s animation. By raising an object and rotating it in a circle we quickly create a DNA helix. Controlling the Animated Snapshot with an expression makes a cool animated trail. Experiment with this tool to generate interesting designs!
Uses Maya 7.0+     LINK HERE

Digital Tutors – Building a Soft Body Antenna
In this lesson we will learn how to use a Soft Body and an IK spline together to build a dynamically animated antenna.   Adding a Soft Body to drive an IK spline creates the follow-through motion of the antenna automatically. This is a nifty time-saver, because the antenna will animate itself. Soft Bodies with Goals are good tools to animate organic motion quickly, because they will always try to conform to your original model.  Uses Maya 7.0+  LINK HERE

Digital Tutors – Physical Sky Shader in XSI
In this lesson we will learn how to use a Physical Sky to simulate outdoor lighting in XSI.   The complexity of lighting an outdoor scene can be daunting. XSI has a simple solution to this problem: Physical Sky. This will not only light your scene, but will also create the coloring of the sky. Try creating a Physical Sky next time you need to light an outdoor scene!  Uses XSI 6.0+  LINK HERE
Digital Tutors – Working With Clusters in XSI

Topics covered in this tutorial:
Basics of Clusters
Naming a cluster
Applying deformers and materials to a cluster

Uses XSI 6.0+  LINK HERE

GreyScaleGorilla.com has a new After Effects GSGcast up…
Guide To Keyframes in After Effects:
Today, I will be going over the difference between keyframe styles. I concentrate on showing all the different styles of animation that can be done with only two keyframes.  Download the After Effects Project File to follow allong.
Topics Covered: Linear Keyframes, Easy Ease, Bezier Keyframes, Spacial Keyframing, Temporal Keyframing, Graph Editor, & Custom Animation.
LINK HERE
This new video tutorial shows you the basics of using BCC Extruded Text in Adobe After Effects. BCC Extruded Text belongs to the 3D Objects category of filters which is new to Boris Continuum Complete 6. These stunning OpenGL-based filters use vertex and pixel shaders that enable the generation of animated 3D shatter, bulge, bend, taper, twist, ripple, and wave effects. You can also create reflection or texture maps for the generated 3D text – from any image or video clip in the AE timeline.

LINK HERE

Create a Breathtakingly Awesome Rain Scene – Day 1 by Alex Verlan