How I dove into 3D animation
There are fascinating 3D case studies all around us that still maintain a sense of flat design.
Visuals oriented in 3D are becoming an industry-standard — especially for social marketing, where being eye-catching is a must. However, I didn’t have the ability to create it. I was already familiar with Adobe After Effects and knew the application had a 3D design plugin called Cinema 4D Lite, but since I’d only worked in 2D before, diving into 3D was (literally) a completely new dimension. I even had a bit of phobia of the 3D application, with its interface so complex and so unlike typical Adobe products! What I needed was a good tutorial.
Without the right instruction, you’ll get lost in that complex interface maze.
I explored skill-sharing tutorial channels on YouTube, but they weren’t really right for me. What I needed was a beginner’s tour through the interface and its stylish showcases. Then I found 3D for Designers. (This is not a commercial blog, by the way. lol) The course offers free beginner tutorials, so if you have After Effects and you’re interested, go ahead and try it. The tutorials offered just what I needed — an intro to creating stylish and clean visuals, as opposed to complex 3D modeling.
Good results are the carrot dangling in front of you.
We all want to create cool visuals. Keep in mind that Cinema 4D has tons of controls, and you don’t need everything, to begin with. I had a couple of “aha” moments when I discovered just the thing I needed to know. To create a clean, stylish, flat type of animation, here are the top three features that I recommend beginners get to know:
1. Materials. Use Color and Luminance wisely.
You can create “materials” (textures) in the Material Field with a double click. When you double-click a material, the Material Editor opens. In the Material Editor, there are lots of customizable attributes, but try to use only Color and Luminance first. Luminance can actually be used for creating a shadow. If you want a totally flat visual, try turning Color off.
2. Add a Floor (or Plane object) and Infinite Light to create a cast shadow.
Just as in the real world, you need a light to create a shadow. The key to creating a crisp shadow is to use Infinite Light / Shadow / Raytraced (hard). The light’s position can be moved by the blue, red, and green arrows on the light. Also, don’t forget to apply a material to the Floor. (Simply drag and drop on it.)
3. Keep in mind: The camera control interface is different from After Effects.
You can activate the camera by clicking on the tiny broken square next to the Camera name section. The camera’s position can be controlled via the “Coord. (Coordinate)” attribute.
Venturing into social marketing
I’m an editorial team member of TypeThursday, an organization for letterform fans, and I used my 3D animation skills to create Instagram and Twitter posts for the group — very eye-catching!
Now I see the steps ahead.
Getting started with 3D animation is basically the same as learning to swim or ride a bike. Once you get the right instruction, you’re on your way. As technologies like AR, VR, and 5G networks continue to advance, it’s easier than ever to make complex, data-driven information accessible. It will still be the designer’s work to coordinate these interfaces to make new and appealing visuals possible.
A very special thanks to Devon Ko and the course.
