After Effects CS6 brings about the introduction of a game changing new feature, the 3D Camera Tracker. Using the same technology previously introduced in the Warp Stabilizer, the 3D Camera Tracker will analyze your footage in the background and attempt to track 3D features to create a solved camera.
With the camera solved, you can easily place text, solids, footage, and nulls at various points in 3D space to realistically composite them into your scene. In this video we go over the features of the 3D Camera Tracker, from the basics, to the more advanced options.
One thing that wasn’t covered in this video, was the use of masks to exclude certain objects from your scene. By precomposing your footage, you can mask out moving objects like people, cars, and other objects that might distract from the actual solving of the camera. Then, when you apply the 3D Camera Tracker to your precomp, it will recognize these garbage mattes and exclude them from the analysis.
Overall, this feature is a welcome addition to After Effects CS6. While it may not replace high end 3D tracking software, it will certainly be excellent for most basic 3D tracking tasks.
Update:
For another awesome 3D Camera Tracker tutorial check out maltaannon‘s video here:
Credits: Thanks to John Gumaer for doing the intro sound design.
Comments
3 responses to “After Effects CS6 – 3D Camera Tracker”
Hi,
I’ve been thinking of buying The Foundry’s camera tracker for a while now, but after seeing this I’m thinking of just upgrading from CS5 to CS6 especially with all the new 3D extrusion added in. So I was just wondering about how the inbuilt camera tracker compares to The Foundry’s, or if they’re the same thing.
Thanks
Josh,I think you will find they are on a similar level. I’ve only played with the demo of The Foundry’s tracker, and that was a while ago. I think they have fairly similar type of results, but The Foundry’s may have a few more options. I would say to hold off until you get your hands on CS6, then try the demo of The Foundry’s along with the built in AE tracker and see which you like better.
[…] Weiss also covers the 3D Camera Tracking tool and how it relates to masks and […]