Text Effect Question

[drummerboy678]

This is a pretty simple question, which I know can be done in AE, I'm just not exactly sure how.

I'm going to have text appear over video, behind a guys shoulder. As he says each word (in the text), I want it to crumble and fall, but kind of interact with the video, bouncing off his shoulders and off the table... The camera probably wont be moving, but should I create a matte around the video, and make the text interact?

Whats the best way to do this.

Thanks in advance

[Matt Grunau]

Break up the text and use dynamics in a 3D program. Trapcode particular can swap out Photoshop objects for its particles, but they wouldn't be 3D, which is what it sounds liks you are wanting.

[surf]

I am not sure whether you can do this or not. I would use expressions, and the way I would write the script sounds a bit complicated, so I am not going to write it down here, but try to track the shoulder, and then handle the text pos. as a function which has a minimum at the tracked value

[32rider32]

For the part that you want the text to crumble and fall, give this tutorial a lookover:
http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_page_wrapper.cgi?forumid=1&page=http://www.creativecow.net/articles/unguren_ben/shatter/index.html
if you like how the text falls away in the example, give it a whirl.

[Matt Grunau]

you are not going to get bouncing with Shatter. That is a AE 5.5 ANCIENT plugin. You are wanting the worder to interact with the people/objects in the video. That's not going to happen with Shatter, or with ANY filter for AE, not in the way you are describing. You are describing hard body dynamics, with full 3D pieces bouncin, rotating, and acting like broken bits.

That isn't gonna happen in AE. Not with any depth to the pieces.

[oneinfiniteloop]

Here's a link to a Trapcode Particular tutorial on how to make text bounce off 3d layers in AE. With Particular you create custom particles, which can be your letters and you set up to make it look like they're falling around the person using 3d nulls/adjustment solids. I would make your words first, then when you want them to fall, change their opacity to 0% and let Particular step in.

Link:
http://trapcode.com/in_action/particular_bounce.html

Oh yeah, obviously you have to have Particular to do this, but it's only 100 bucks, and Peter Norby makes some great cheap plugs for AE, so you should support him by picking up a copy.

[drummerboy678]

Thanks for all the advice...

oneinfiniteloop - I think this is what I'll try first... I already own the trapcode plug-ins, but havn't messed much with particular. I'll give that a try, and try to fake a 3d look to it.

Rapier_100a - I use Maya for 3d animation, but I'm not going to be able to spend that much time on just this 10 second effect. I'm hoping I can pull off a 3d look in AE, if not I'll just have them crumble and fall, but not on the table.

32rider32 - I've done this tutorial before, I like the look of the crumble. I may try to combine this with particular.

surf - I appreciate the advice, but I'm horrible at script writing. I'd have no idea how to start.

[oneinfiniteloop]

Thanks for all the advice...

oneinfiniteloop - I think this is what I'll try first... I already own the trapcode plug-ins, but havn't messed much with particular. I'll give that a try, and try to fake a 3d look to it.

Rapier_100a - I use Maya for 3d animation, but I'm not going to be able to spend that much time on just this 10 second effect. I'm hoping I can pull off a 3d look in AE, if not I'll just have them crumble and fall, but not on the table.

32rider32 - I've done this tutorial before, I like the look of the crumble. I may try to combine this with particular.

surf - I appreciate the advice, but I'm horrible at script writing. I'd have no idea how to start.

2 things...the Trapcode solution would require a lot of work, but you'll benefit from staying inside AE the whole time. Doing in this Maya would probably require less work to set up and animate than it would in AE, and the render should be pretty easy. You would need a decent of understanding how to use particles and animate them to pull it off, but the result would be impressive.

One more thing...learn scripting with expressions in AE. Hands down, probably one of the most powerful tools in the programs and it will save you so much time and effort, as well as open up a huge window of possibilities.