Explore the latest dedicated 3D features designed for your 3D workflows.
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A new high-quality, performance-oriented composition renderer - Advanced 3D, enables you to render beautiful 3D motion graphics with high-quality antialiasing and transparency. Advanced 3D has an underlying rendering engine shared with other Adobe and Substance products and uses Adobe Standard Material properties for physically-based rendering.
Advanced 3D allows rendering of:
- Imported 3D models in GLTF, GLB, OBJ, and FBX (currently in beta) format.
- Environment lights for realistic Image-Based Lighting and shadow using HDRI files.
- Other 3D layers, such as extruded text and shape layers, cameras, and lights.
- Physically-based rendering of 3D models and other 3D layers in a unified space.
- Materials for 3D layers such as text, shapes, and solids.
Learn how to work in 3D Design animation space and explore more about Advanced 3D renderer.
You can combine 3D assets such as 3D models or extruded text and shapes with 2D ones in your compositions. This increased flexibility in After Effects allows you to mix 2D and 3D elements to create more visually stunning and engaging animations within a single space.
Learn how to import 3D models and use them in your composition.
3D model import in After Effects allows you to import 3D model files in GLTF, GLB, and OBJ formats and render them in the same 3D space as native After Effects cameras, lights, and other 3D layers.
3D model files can be imported from your local disk or from Creative Cloud Libraries.
Import 3D model files in GLTF, GLB, and OBJ formats and add them to your composition.
When you import a 3D model into After Effects, only the main model file appears at the root level in the Project panel rather than displaying all the supporting files. This provides a cleaner view, making it easier to identify, manage, and work with files without visual clutter. Dependent and related files needed for the model—such as material files, model data, scene configurations, binary data, and texture files—are not displayed. This streamlined approach helps you focus on the main model without being distracted by the supporting files.
Decluttered 3D model import ensures all dependent and related files of an imported 3D file are no longer visible in the Project panel.
Learn more about how to import 3D model files in After Effects and use them in your composition.
When you import GLB and OBJ 3D models into the Project panel and select one, a thumbnail preview of the model appears above the list of project files in the same panel. This enables quick identification and differentiation of imported 3D models, which can contribute to a more efficient and organized workflow.
Learn more about importing and adding 3D models to your composition.
The Properties panel supports 3D model options, making it easy to adjust how a 3D model interacts with lights and shadows and select embedded animations. Compositing options like Cast Shadows, Accept Shadows, Accept Lights, and Shadow Color are available for all supported 3D model types. Animation options are accessible for GLB, GLTF, and FBX layers, enabling the use of embedded animations.
An example of how you can access animation controls for 3D Models in the Properties panel.
Learn more about how to use the Properties panel for your 3D compositions.
With Advanced 3D, any objects created internally within After Effects can be rendered with Adobe Standard Material. You can use the Material Options to adjust materials properties of synthetic 3D layers such as text, shapes, and solids to create a variety of materials that react realistically to light and reflections.
Learn about working with material options to create a wide variety of materials for 3D layers in your compositions.
You can now snap layers in 3D space while dragging the constrained X, Y, and Z position handles of the 3D Gizmo. This includes the XY, XZ, and YZ combo handles of the 3D position gizmo. You can use both constrained and non-constrained snapping while working with 3D model layers to align and position your 3D layers and objects with pixel-perfect accuracy.
Align and position your 3D layers and objects using constrained or non-constrained snapping.
After Effects allows you to import 3D model files with embedded animations directly into your composition and select the one you want to include. These embedded animations can be fully rigged character motions or other complex movements.
Import the 3D model with the embedded animations, expand the properties of the 3D model layer in the Timeline panel, and then use the dropdown menu under Animation Options to select the embedded animation you want to incorporate.
Learn to incorporate embedded animations in 3D model files into your composition.
Combine 2D and 3D workflows in one composition by using the “as rendered” frame of a 3D model layer as a source. This workflow enables you to apply 2D effects to portions of 3D scenes and create highly stylized renders using effects that reference another layer, such as Displacement Map, Vector Blur, Calculations, and more.
Explore a few ways to use the 3D Model-Driven effects.
Extract depth data from an Advanced 3D scene to understand the relative distances of objects in the scene. Use these depth maps to drive depth-aware effects for convincing realistic composites by simulating real-world camera settings.
The extracted depth data can be used in the following two ways in After Effects:
- Create a depth map via the 3D Channel Extract effect
- Apply one of the 3D Channel effects that can reference depth data directly
An example where the Colorama effect is applied to the depth map created using the 3D Channel Extract effect.
Learn more about 3D depth data extraction in After Effects.
Use 360-degree High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) files as a light source to realistically place 3D models into a scene with complementary lighting and shadows. Image-Based Lighting uses an image to produce realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows on 3D layers by surrounding the scene with an image-based environment map. Be it a subtle lighting effect or strong shadows, Image-Based Lighting enables you to ensure that your 3D objects appear as though they naturally belong to the environment your animation needs.
Use an image to create realistic reflections and ambient lighting in a 3D scene.
Learn about Image-Based Lighting and how to add environment light and shadows.
With the extended support for .exr image files combined with existing .hdr support, you can take full advantage of High Dynamic Range Image files for realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in 3D scenes.
To use .exr image files to drive lighting via environmental lights, import it into After Effects, add it to the composition, and specify it as an environment light source. The environment light will illuminate the scene with the lighting information stored in the .exr image file.
Learn more about working with Image-Based Lighting (IBL) in After Effects.
You can extract lights and cameras from GLB, GLTF, and OBJ models in a composition. When you import a 3D scene with light and camera data, After Effects automatically creates new light and camera layers. If the lights or cameras are animated, keyframes will be created, too.
Learn how to extract lights and cameras from an imported 3D model and animate them.
Use Compositing Options of a layer to configure 3D objects' ability to cast and receive shadows. These properties are valuable tools to define the relationships between 3D objects in your composition and how they interact with light and shadows.
- Casts Shadows: Turn it On to allow the 3D object in the layer to cast shadows. Set it to Only if you want the object to cast a shadow but not appear in the composition.
- Accepts Shadows: Turn it On to allow the 3D object in the layer to accept shadows.
Learn to use the Casts Shadows and Accepts Shadows options while working on a 3D workflow.
Shadow catchers are 3D layers specifically designed to capture shadows and allow you to create more realistic composites by accurately simulating shadows cast by 3D objects onto a 2D background. They are dedicated separate planes or surfaces otherwise transparent placed within a composition behind or below an object onto which other objects cast shadows.
When working on a composition, enable the shadow catcher by selecting Accepts Shadows to Only under the Material Options properties of the layer you want to use as a shadow catcher layer. This makes the layer itself invisible while still capturing shadows cast by objects in layers above it.
Learn how to effectively use shadow catchers to create realistic shadows and enhance the overall visual quality of your compositions.
You can now assign videos, still images, animated compositions, and other layers as sources for Environment Lights, in addition to HDR and EXR still-image files. This added flexibility when working with the Advanced 3D render engine provides greater creative control, enabling more dynamic and realistic lighting effects in your 3D projects. Animated Environment Lights allow 3D models to respond to variations in light brightness, color, and position from the video, resulting in natural and contextually accurate lighting and reflections.
An example of how animated Environment Lights can influence your 3D layers in your composition.
Learn how to light your 3D compositions using a composition, video, or image layer as an environment light source.
When you turn off Accepts Lights on a 3D layer in a 3D composition, the layer is no longer affected by any light sources in the scene. This ensures the layer maintains its original appearance without being influenced by lighting changes, shadows, or highlights from other light sources.
Turning the Accepts Lights option off can be particularly helpful when working with a 3D composition that includes self-illuminated 3D objects such as phone screens and neon lights.
Learn how to create realistic reflections and ambient lighting in a 3D scene in After Effects.
You can now perform three common 3D workflows- controlling light like a camera, applying 2D effects to 3D models, and viewing a 360º representation of Environment Lights within your composition, all with a new set of commands.
- Layer > Create > Create 3D Layer Instance allows you to apply 2D effects to 3D objects.
- Layer > Light > Control Light with Camera creates a moveable camera linked to a light.
- Layer > Light > Create Environment Light Background Layer visualizes the Environment light source.
Learn how to use new commands designed to simplify common 3D workflows with single-click actions.
