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Red Giant PlaneSpace
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Contents
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The Stats
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- Developer: Red Giant Software (formerly Digital Anarchy 3D Assistants)
- Version: 1.3 (Lite and Pro are merged)
- Platforms: Mac OS X 10.3.2 - 10.5.4, Windows XP SP1 32-bit and later, Windows Vista 32-bit
- Host Applications: Adobe After Effects CS3, 7, 6.5
- Compatibility with After Effects 7, Compatibility with After Effects CS3, Mac Universal Binary, Mac OSX Leopard Compatibility and Microsoft Vista Compatibility
Purchase Red Giant PlaneSpace
Download Demo
- Coming Soon.
Description
PlaneSpace eliminates the tedious task of managing the individual layers in multi-layer effects. The Creator tools automatically create layers that form cubic, cylindrical, and spheroid shapes or complex matrices, while the six Distribute tools arrange 3D layers throughout 3D space into the shape of your choice without requiring keyframes or complicated math.
Highlights
- No Keyframes Necessary - Unlike keyframe assistants such as The Wiggler, PlaneSpace does not need keyframes to be present in a layer. In fact, these tools weren't designed to set keyframes at all, but are designed to arrange layers in 3D space. Of course, you can still set keyframes to animate the position or orientation of your layers, to make truly sophisticated objects in 3D.
- Unlimited Number of Layers - The number of layers that PlaneSpace can manipulate is limited only by your computer’s processing power. PlaneSpace can even duplicate and distribute large groups of layers. 400 layers? No problem – PlaneSpace makes it possible, and easy.
- Powerful Controls - No matter what shape you choose for your layers, you customize settings for size, distribution, distance (how far apart the layers will be), and incremental distance. Set repeat values to save RAM by duplicating 10 layers instead of 100 individual ones.
Features
- Sophisticated Shape to Shape Animation - You can use multiple assistants to animate between two shapes. Want a cylynder to animate into a sphere, no problem, just keyframe with two different shape assistants. After Effects will take care of the animation for you.
- Built with After Effects Layers - With the PlaneSpace, you stay within After Effect’s 3D space so animation and other effects can be easily integrated with mutliple cameras and lights
- Creator Tools - The Creator Tools generate boxes, cylinders, a matrix or spheroid. The different tools have a host of options to set up the scale, number of layer, height, width, and controls to randomize the results.
- Distribution Tools - The Distribution Tools let you distribute layers around a sphere, cube, cylinder, line, plane or pyramid. Unlike the Creator tools, the distribution tools build off the base shape. For example, cylinder distribution can create planar arrangements that looks like fans, a corkscrew or a staircase with just a few clicks.
- Pro and Lite Options - The control palette are divided into two categories, Pro and Lite. The Lite tools let you quickly build a shape with minimum work, while the Pro version offers more control over placement and repetition.
Support
Red Giant Forum
- Red Giant Forum hosted by Toolfarm and moderated by Red Giant staff
F.A.Q.
I installed the PlaneSpace, but I can't find them in the After Effects menu.
PlaneSpace will NOT show up in After Effect's 'Effect' menu. Instead, it lives in the 'Window' menu.
This is because the PlaneSpace is not actually a plugin, but keyframe assistants. Once selected, the PlaneSpace will open up its own panel. You do not work inside the After Effects 'Effects' palette.
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?
Unfortunately... no. We can't undo the part of the installation that keeps you from installing the 3D Assistants demo twice on a computer. The PlaneSpace 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.
Every time I launch After Effects, I get a series of error messages telling me the PlaneSpace demo has expired. But I can't find the files in my After Effects 'Plugins' folder.
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 Support page for a detailed explanation of the very simple solution.
Does PlaneSpace work with text layers?
Yes, PlaneSpace will work with text layers as long as they are 3D-enabled. PlaneSpace does not work with Cameras or Lights.
Is there a limit to the number of layers I can use?
There is no limit to the number of layers that you can simultaneously apply PlaneSpace 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.
Can I determine the order in which layers will stack in 3D space?
PlaneSpace distributes 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.
My PlaneSpace installer doesn't install the 'EZ' set.
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@toolfarm.com. We will check for proof of purchase, then send you the installer and instructions.
I have the 'Lite' set. How is this different from the Pro set?
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.
Is there a way to control all of the arranged layers simultaneously without hand-animating each one?
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 star field with hundreds of layers and panning through it all by only moving the Null.
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.
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.
Is there an easy way to swap the position between two layers in a video wall after it's been created?
I've had times when I wanted to swap some stuff and the only process I know is a PITA.
Red Giant PlaneSpace Tutorials
- Coming Soon
- This page was last modified 18:48, 13 November 2008.
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