Exercise 9 · Track & Integrate 3D

Project 4 · Mixed-Media VFX Spot + Template · Week 13 · Match-Moving & Mixed Media · ~60 min

Practice goal: Solve a 3D camera track and lock a 3D mesh/graphic into a live plate, grounded with shadow and light.

Set up: New project. A handheld clip with parallax and a 3D mesh / extruded graphic to insert.

Steps

1. New comp Main from the handheld clip; apply Effect ▸ Perspective ▸ 3D Camera Tracker; let it solve.
2. Pick a ground plane from the solved points; right-click ▸ Create Solid/Text and Camera.
3. Bring in a 3D mesh or extruded graphic (Advanced 3D) and parent it into the tracked scene.
4. Position / scale / orient it so it sits on the tracked surface.
5. Scrub the whole clip — the element should lock with no slip.
6. Add a light matched to the plate's direction; add a shadow-catcher plane.
7. Set the shadow-catcher to accept shadows only so the CG shadow falls on the footage.
8. Add a set-extension touch (a graphic/element that extends the environment).
9. Grade the CG to match the plate; add grain / DOF to marry it.
10. Check edges and occlusion; refine.
11. Save & render.

Free tutorials & references

• How to Use Camera Tracker — School of Motion
• Tracking 3D Camera Movement (official) — Adobe Help
• 3D Camera Tracker Guide — Boris FX

Done when

A solved 3D track carries a 3D mesh/graphic locked to the plate, grounded with a matched light and a shadow-catcher, graded to sit in the shot.

Files

Pittman_Ex09_TrackIntegrate3D.aep → render Pittman_Ex09_TrackIntegrate3D.mov · versions Pittman_Ex09_TrackIntegrate3D_001.aep

This drill is your in-class activity for the week (worth 2 points) and ladders directly into the project.