Exercise 7 · Depth & Light

Project 4 · Tracked 3D Title · Week 11 · 3D Layers · ~45 min

Practice goal: Push layers into Z with a null-driven camera for parallax, then light the scene with real shadows.

Set up: New project. 3–4 solids/photos/shape layers as “cards.”

Steps

  1. New composition, 1920×1080, 30 fps, 6 s; name it Main; add 3–4 “card” layers.
  2. Confirm the renderer (Classic 3D is fine); enable the 3D switch on each card and give each a different Z Position.
  3. Add a Camera (Layer ▸ New ▸ Camera); choose Two-Node; use the Orbit / Track tools to see parallax.
  4. Add a Null, make it 3D, parent the camera to it, and animate the null over ~3 s (a cleaner rig); Easy Ease.
  5. Exaggerate a card's Z to strengthen the parallax during the move.
  6. Now light it: add a Light (Layer ▸ New ▸ Light); choose Spot and turn on Casts Shadows.
  7. On each 3D layer open Material Options; set Casts Shadows = On and tune Accepts Lights / Shadows.
  8. Position the light to throw visible shadows between the depth-separated cards.
  9. Add an Ambient light to lift the shadows so they aren't pure black; adjust Specular/Shininess for a subtle highlight.
  10. Optional (Advanced 3D renderer): enable the camera's Depth of Field for a soft background.
  11. Tune light intensity and color for mood; preview, then save & render.

Free tutorials & references

Done when

Layers sit at different Z depths with a null-rigged parallax camera move, and lights cast real shadows across the depth-separated scene.

Files

Pittman_Ex07_DepthAndLight.aep → render Pittman_Ex07_DepthAndLight.mov · versions Pittman_Ex07_DepthAndLight_001.aep

This drill is your in-class activity for the week; it ladders directly into the project.