Another great tutorial from VFXBro

Get Your After Effects CS6 Raytrace Swag on.

More free AE CS6 Training on http://adobeaftereffectscs6.com/

Download This Project File and Practice Footage
http://adobeaftereffectscs6.com/after-effects-cs6-tutorial-ray-tracing/

Enjoy 🙂

More about the New After Effects CS6 Features (3D extrudes, bending videos, and the Ray Tracing Engine)

In CS6 Adobe totally reworked the 3D environment. Vector, Text, and shape layers can be extruded now with beveled edges.
Footage, images, solids and even precomps can be bent in 3D. All 3D objects can interact with each other and can cast shadows, reflections, etc. The Ray traced render engine can enhance the 3D objects with a more hyper realistic look than any previous versions, it contains the feature of environment maps, and light refraction through transparency, talk about a major overhaul!

With this major overhaul, its still obvious that Adobe isn’t trying to compete with the major players in the 3D league, for complete realism you’ll still need a major 3D Package, for features like Bump or Normal mapping you’ll probably have to get Element 3D or Zaxworks, although, Element 3D is better than any other solution IMHO.

The possibility of importing real 3D models is still non-existing, nor is importing from Photoshop’s Live 3D feature, seems like you’ll have to use Video Copilot’s element for that option, Adobe will have to create some major changes in CS7 otherwise people will stay with their current versions as the 3D is just “almost there”

The ray-tracer replaces the older scanline-based Classic 3D renderer, which supports refined rendering of soft shadows, light falloff, DOF, motion blur, and project through lights. The specular highlights can be intensified and focused on any object, and reflections can display focus and blur for added realism.