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Shuffle It Quick Tip 3D arrows in After Effects Part 2 By Stephen Schleicher

Last time we created the iPod Shuffle commercial arrows.  In this installment, we?ll expand upon the 2D effect and have these arrows move in 3D space.  It isn?t that hard and makes this exercise an After Effects Quick Tip.

If you haven?t already read the last exercise, click here to catch up .

In order to have the long arrows extend into Z-depth space, we need to make one modification to the Final Arrow composition we created in the last exercise.

Step 1:  In the Project Window, select the Final Arrow composition.  From the Composition menu, select Composition Settings.  Change the Width amount to 2000.  This is the same width as the Arrow Shaft layer we created in Part 1.

Step 2:  Open the Shuffle Comp you created last time, and in the Timeline, Parent one of the Final Arrow Comps to the other.  You can do this by dragging the Pickwhip from one layer to the other.

Step 3:  Change both of these layers into 3D layers by clicking the 3D layer icons in the Switches/Modes column of the Timeline.

Step 4:  From here you can open the Rotation Property for the Parent Arrow Layer. By changing Orientation and Rotation values, you can position these arrows in 3D space.

In the case of the iPod Shuffle commercial, you can align the arrow layers with the floor of your dancer to give the illusion of a stage with depth.

Finally, with a little imagination and some well placed masks, you can create the illusion that the arrows are turning corners.

Experiment and see what you can come up with.

If you are looking for even more After Effects tutorials, check out my website at www.mindspring.com/~schleicher which features over 90 exercises for AE alone.

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