Hi, i work in a small prodution company and we are trying to integrate Blender in our pipeline.
Well we normally do 2d graphics using AE but we would like to use blender as well.
The problem is that i cant export my AE camera into Blender.
Thus anyone knows how can i import AE camera into Blender?
I can export from AE a Maya, lighwave and 3ds files (.ma, LWS, ms), but there is no importer for blender.
Can ayone help me?
Syst.
Mac Pro 4x3Ghz
8 gb Ram
Mac os 10.5.6
I remember there was an export script for Blender that would use .ma (Maya Ascii) for exporting the Blender camera to AE. It probably could work in reverse, you would have to contact the author of the script. Do a search and you will find it.
Just out of curiosity, why do you want to export the AE camera TO Blender. It seems like a strange workflow.
I work the other way around. I export my Blender camera to MA format, then import that into After Effects. It would be nice to go the other way, especially if you already have a complex camera move authored in After Effects.
I have uploaded the two python scripts I have used before.
You can find them here:
http://www.sharecg.com/v/32324/Script/Blender-To-After-Effects-Camera
Atom,
do these scripts work fine?
I’m using the script by osxrules, you may find it here:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showpost.php?p=1018882&postcount=13
Just wondering if the scripts you’re using work fine. If I’m right one of them need a camera tracked to an empty…
first of all thanks for your post.
well as i wrote before we do a lot of 2d grafics for corporate movies, and we have done an animation in AE where the camera moves around some 2d objects.
but our boss, asked us to insert some letters in 3d and some other elements.
My problem is, if i do my 3d on blender and i exported it to AE i have no problem, but the 3d rendering of AE is not what i want, in blender i can tweak the shader until i have a what i like.
So i thought that maybe if i export my camera and my video from AE import it to blender, i could finish the work there.
In AE i used a scripts called AE3D_Export.jsx, to try to export to blender but it does all the formats that Blender can not import.
thanks…
you could do the camera in Blender, export it to maya.
then in Blender render out the letters the way you like them, and composite the whole thing together.
if you export the camera movement from blender it should all match up nicely.
that way there is no problem my true problem is the other way around, i have a composition made in AE with AE camera motion and i would like to export that data to blender to use the camera information.
something like the icaurus script where i track something and then import the camera into blender.
videocopilot.net came out with this tutorial DVD on creating a “Matrix” like effect of a 3d bullet exiting a gun in slow motion using Blender and AE. In the workflow, I think it explains how to do this. I would investigate further. I’m not sure about this one, it still may be the way blaize is talking about.
It has been a while since I used those scripts, so I can’t gaurantee either of them, but I did manage it one time.
@pdavim, you probably are already aware of this, but there is a great forum, for After Effects here http://www.aenhancers.com/ , particularly scripting. They might be able to help you as well.
tnks… i m gonna take a look…anyway…i am trying to do a script to run on blender to import the camera ma data into blender.
I am curious how do you generate your MA file?
I just opened up After Efects and created a 3D scene. There is no export to MA or SaveAs MA from After Effects.
When I select the camera point of interest and position key frames I can copy them to the clipboard.
They look like this:
Adobe After Effects 8.0 Keyframe Data
Units Per Second 30
Source Width 720
Source Height 480
Source Pixel Aspect Ratio 1
Comp Pixel Aspect Ratio 0.9
Transform Point of Interest
Frame X pixels Y pixels Z pixels
0 -116.542 212.01 102.264
450 912.672 174.064 -88.2515
Transform Position
Frame X pixels Y pixels Z pixels
0 -341.416 235.569 -774.368
450 1294.83 221.166 -918.604
End of Keyframe Data
there is a plug in that exports ma files and lws files it s a ae script.
i dont have the name hee with me but i m gonna try to find out.
Is it the Urban Scpaceman’s script?
http://www.aenhancers.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=991&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=export+camera
I think this might be the one I used…
yes it is!!
A script to import the .ma in Blender would be really useful indeed.
pdavim, please keep us updated if you manage to develop the script.
right now im trying to create a routine that reades the camera data from m file and write a blender file.
I ve understood the camera data in the ma file, just have to understand how to read the line and write it down.
I m not a developer guy so any help is apreciatted!!!
Thanks
I took the other approach. I grabbed the Urban Spacemans .JSX file and wrote export code that generates a .py file.
You can try it out here:
http://www.sharecg.com/v/32616/Script/Export-After-Effects-Camera-To-Blender
Open up your After Effects project.
Select the camera you want to export.
File-Run-Script and browse to the .JSX file you can downoad from the above link.
Select BLENDER as the output type and click export.
After Effects will generate a python file for you.
Open up Blender and browse to the generated python file from a text window.
Once the python file is loaded into a Blender text window, press ALT-P to execute the script.
If all goes well you will have a new camera that matches the location and rotation of your camera in After Effects.
NOTE: This script is version 0.1 and has been tested on a single After Effects project with a keyframed camera. I’m not sure if it will work if you have expression driving your camera location.
Give it a try and report back!
Nice approach Atom!
Anyhow as the AEtoC4D script it lacks the camera/parent features.
Also presently id doesn’t export other layers besides the camera.
But it’s a good start indeed!
Hope you may find a way to export cameras parented to a null and to export other layers as well.
It would be the last step needed to cover the Blender->AE work flow.
I have updated the script to export lights as lamp objects, footage and solids as empties, the camera as camera, and text objects come in as fully extruded 3D font objects. (no other importer does this!)
As far as the NULL parented to a camera issue, you can simply re-establish the parent link in Blender after you import the scene. Simply rewind to frame #1, parent the camera to the empty and clear location on the camera.
I guess I’ll wait for some feedback on this, and hope someone tries it out. I don’t need another dud release like Blendgraph where no one even tried it out.
Atom, the update rocks!
I’ve done a quick test, all seem to work like a charme.
The only thing I’ve not got to work properly is the rotation properties of the Null object that controls the camera:
http://phoenixart.com/temp/Blender3D/Atom-AE-Script/