Extrudalizer

3D in 2D!

Extrudalizer allows you to extrude any 2D shape layer into virtual 3D space, control its depth, position, rotation, and scale. You can set up appearance, animation, and even manipulate the original 2D path with the Extrudalized shape repeating this manipulation. The script is 100% Lottie compatible for web use (bake expressions to keyframes for mobile app use) and can be exported using the Bodymovin plugin.

Bring Your 2D Shapes to Life in 3D!‍

he Extrudalizer’s innovative approach allows its users to continue using the 2D shape layers they know and love, while at the same time bringing the benefits of enhanced 3D manipulation. After Effects has far more first party tools and effects to manipulate 2D layers compared to the toolset available for 3D layers. Extrudalizer circumvents these limitations, computing the required 3D transformations and drawing them inside 2D path properties using Adobe Javascript Expression Engine.

Get Started with Extrudalizer

1. Create a 2D shape layer in After Effects
2. Launch the Extrudalizer script
3. Configure Pre-Extrudalize options
4. Adjust and animate appearance and 3D transformations
5. Map artwork to Extrudalized shape’s Front/Back faces
6. Export to Lottie

Extrudalizer Key features

• 3D in 2D shape layers
• Artwork wrapping to shape’s surfaces
• 2D path animation translates into 3D animation
• Optimized unused properties removal
• 100% Lottie compatible export for web sans baking
• Baking for Lottie on iOS and Android

Extrudalizer User Interface

Main Tab

The Main tab allows for creating and animating Extrudalized shapes. It has three sections:

• Pre-Extrudalization Options:
  • Choose appearance parameters for front/back faces and shading for sides
  • Control the number of sections for each curved segment
• Extrudalize
  • Press the ‘Extrudalize!’ button to extrudalize a shape
    A custom controller is added to the shape layer and a text layer is created for calculating the position of each vertex in 3D space
• Post-Extrudalization Options:
  • Optimize for Lottie export or Bake Animation
  • Add Sides Colors
  • Map Art to the front/back of the Extrudalized shape

Artwork Mapping Dialog

The Artwork Mapping Dialog enables you to map artwork to any face of the Extrudalized shape:

• Corner Pin Mapping: Creates a precomposition for each selected face and adds a Corner Pin effect to map artwork
  • Pros: Least resource intensive, works with Front/Back Scale
  • Cons: Not Lottie compatible
• Transform Effect Mapping: Creates a precomposition for each selected face and adds a Transform effect to map artwork
  • Pros: Lottie Compatible (Bodymovin 5.12+), use Raster assets for art mapping
  • Cons: Front/Back scale does not accurately distort mapped sides, skew angles limited to 70 degrees (after Lottie export, browser is not limited)
• Shape Layer Mapping: Creates artwork shape layer and then uses shape layer transform properties to map artwork
  • Pros: compatible with older version Lottie players
  • Cons: Currently limited to Front/Back mapping, limited to vector assets that must be contained inside one shape layer

Presets Tab

The Presets tab offers Primitives, Views, and Animation options for creating and modifying Extrudalized shapes.

• Primitives:
  • Demonstrates basic and more complicated Extrudalized shape creation, such as cube, cylinder, star, diamond etc.
• Views:
  • Applies a ‘look’ preset to Extrudalized layer, such as Translucency or Wireframe mode. Default returns the original look
• Animation:
  • Adds animated loops on the indicated orbit axis of Extrudalized shape. This can create spinning, rotating, or oscillating effects on the shape and adds an extra dimension to the animation

Extrudalizer Shape Layer Controller

3D Transform Section of the Controller

• Extrusion depth: controls the depth of the Extrudalized shape.
• Position: controls the distance of the Extrudalized shape’s origin from the anchor point.
• Scale: controls the scale the front and back of the Extrudalized shape from 1% to 200% of shape.
• Pitch: controls the rotation of the Extrudalized shape around its own center on the X, Y, and Z axis.
• Orbit Control: controls the rotation of the Extrudalized shape around the anchor point on the X, Y, and Z axis.

Appearance

• Hide anchor point: toggles the anchor point.
• Wireframe mode: toggles wireframe mode for the Extrudalized shape.
• Edge stroke: controls the color and width of the stroke outlining every edge of the Extrudalized shape.
• Translucency: controls the level of semi-transparency of the Extrudalized shape.
• Front and Back: controls the color, opacity, gradient opacity and direction, gradient start and end points of the Extrudalized shape’s front and back faces.
• Sides: controls the color, opacity, gradient opacity and direction, gradient length, fill shadow color and opacity of the Extrudalized shape’s sides.

For more information on how to use Extrudalizer, more demos, more in-depth tutorials and “under the hood” understanding of the tool, please head over to the Exrudalizer Help and Documentation site.