C4D to AE

GREEN = Simple

ORANGE = Intermediate/Advanced object isolation

Create Your Video Plane

1. Create a plane object
2. Width = 1920
3. Height = 1080 (or whatever your source footage is)
4. Width Segments = 10
5. Height Segments = 5 (You can use 1 for both if you have Enhances OGL turned on)
6. Orientation = -Z
7. Animate your plane if you want... (A simple method is to add a "Vibrate Tag" to your object)

Prep for Render

1. Select any objects (not lights/cameras) that you want to put video on in AE or whose 3D position you want to track.
2. Object Manager > Right Click > Cinema 4D Tags > External Compositing
3. Setup Object Buffers
   1. Object Manager > Right Click > Cinema 4D Tags > Compositing
   2. Attributes Manager > Object Buffer > Click on Enable next to an un-used buffer

Update your render settings

1. Save project with Assets
2. Render > Render Settings
   1. Output
      1. Preset Delta > Film/Video > NTSC D1 Widescreen Square Pixel (You can use a different preset depending on your output needs)
      2. Frame Range = All Frames
   2. Save
      1. File... = Scene's Name (e.g. 633_Day01_07_C4DtoAESimple)
      2. Format = Quicktime (Unless you anticipate this being a long render or need 16+bit images)
      3. Alpha Channel = On
      4. Straight Alpha = On (if you know you'll composite in AE)
      5. Compositing Project File
         1. Save = On
         2. Target Application = After Effects
         3. Relative = On
         4. Include Timeline Marker = On
         5. Include 3D Data = On
      6. Anti-Aliasing
         1. Anti-Aliasing = Best
         2. Filter = Gauss (Animation)
   3. Setup Object Buffers
      1. Multipass Button > Object Buffer
      2. If you have multiple object buffers
         1. Multipass Button > Object Buffer
         2. Increment the Group ID (2, 3, 4, 5, ...)
         3. Repeat for as many buffers as you have on your objects.
   4. Activate Multipass Rendering
      1. Turn on the checkmark next to the Multi-Pass Tab
      2. Save Tab
         1. Copy the File... name from "Regular Image" to "Multi-Pass Image"
      3. Multi-Pass Image
         1. Format = Quicktime
         2. Straight Alpha = On
3. Save your scene (File > Save)

Render

1. Render > Render to Picture Viewer

Open in AE

Note: If you haven't yet, install the C4D to AE plugin.

1. Open After Effects
2. Save AE project in the same location as C4D
3. Import the ProjectName.aec file into the project bin
4. Drag the Solids & Special Passes folder(s) into the ProjectName folder
5. Open the ProjectName Comp

Replace the Plane with a Solid

1. Create a new solid
   1. Layer > New > Solid
   2. Width = 1920, Height = 1080
   3. Color can be whatever you want.
   4. Choose ok.
2. Make it a 3D Layer (Click on the cube icon to the right of the solid in the layers manager, if you don't see it click on Toggle Switches/Modes
3. Child the Solid to the Null object that was imported from C4D (probably named plane)
   1. Hold down shift and drag the pick whip (looks like a seashell) from the solid to the plane.
      1. NOTE: Holding down shift moves the plane to the parent.
4. You may have to tweak X/Y position to match the plane.
5. Save your project.

Punch Out the Plane's Object Buffer

Map Footage onto the Plane

1. Copy a 1920x1080 image into your project folder
2. Import the footage into AE
3. Click to select the solid in the layers palette
4. Click to select the footage in the project bin
5. Hold-down option/alt and click drag the Footage onto the solid

Exercises

1. Create a plane in C4D, bring it into AE, and replace the plane with a piece of footage