Create a project and add multiple 3D layers to your composition. These can include 3D text, solids, or other objects.
Last updated on
Nov 13, 2025
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Learn to select multiple 3D layers and control them together using a single gizmo to simplify managing complex scenes and reduce visual clutter in your workspace.
In After Effects, when you select multiple 3D layers at the same time, you can now manipulate them together using one unified 3D gizmo. Previously, each 3D layer has its own gizmo. And if you wanted to move, scale, and rotate multiple 3D layers, you’d have to group them under a null or adjust them individually.
For example, if you have six 3D text layers in your composition and all of them are selected, After Effects displays a single unified gizmo instead of separate ones for each layer. This lets you manipulate the group as if it were a single object. You can rotate them together, move them collectively along the X-axis, and perform other transformations in sync.
Before v25.6
From v25.6
Use a single 3D Gizmo control for multiple 3D layers
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To convert an existing layer into a 3D layer, toggle the 3D Layer switch in the Timeline panel.
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In the Timeline panel, hold Command or Ctrl and select multiple 3D layers.
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You’ll notice that After Effects now displays a single unified 3D gizmo in the Composition panel.
The last layer you select becomes the active layer and receives the 3D gizmo control.
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The unified gizmo allows you to perform actions such as:
- Move all selected layers together along X, Y, or Z axes.
- Rotate them collectively.
- Scale them uniformly or along specific axes.
Impact on After Effects performance
When multiple 3D objects are selected, each getting its own gizmo for manipulation, rendering, and managing several gizmos at once, especially if the rendering settings are set to high, can sometimes lead to noticeable slowdowns.
Using a single 3D gizmo to control multiple layers helps minimize performance issues that may occur when each 3D object is assigned its own gizmo.
