Tomorrow morning at 10:30 am (pacific time), I'll be presenting at the Maxon booth to talk about cinema 4D integration with Element and if you are around LA, you should stop by. It's free! I'll try to hang around afterwards for a little while and I would love to meet everyone personally.

Visit the Siggraph page to register using the Code: C4D2012

The presentation will also be streamed LIVE at c4dlive.com to see all the exciting action! Follow me on twitter to stay up to date with the day. @videocopilot

Here is another fun example using Element 3D in space! I'll try to post a project file for the Earth later this week. Plus Element comes with a dead planet and high-resolution rock models that can be used as Meteors too. Time to finish that epic space adventure film!

Watch in HD on Youtube

Plug-in UPDATE: The Element 1.0.345 update is now available to new and existing customers.
Log-in & Download now! (Please contact support if you need help. We're standing by)

Includes: Super-Sampling, Extrusion improvements: new "Fix Holes" option & more!

IN OTHER NEWS: I'll be presenting at Siggraph in LA on Wednesday morning at 10:30 at the Maxon Cinema 4D booth! Come say hi, I'll be talking about integrating Element with Cinema 4D.
Use registration Code: C4D2012 for free exhibit pass!

New update for Element 3D is here and free to all current and new customers. We added a few new features and many bug fixes and improvements. Log-in to your VC account and download right now!

The big news is improved anti-aliasing (cleaner edges and less flickering) using Super Sampling, more info here. There is also several bevel improvements for text that get's rid of strange artifacts and a higher path resolution option called "Extreme" for smoother outlines.

Visit Update Page!

PLEASE NOTE: Previous Customers can download the Patch Installer that contains just the new plug-in ( only 4 MBs). New Customers should download the full installer that contains all the 3D models and images.

Improvements:

• Added Super Sampling option.
• Improved extrusion engine.
• New Path Resolution mode "Extreme"
• Several stability improvements.
• Fixed fading custom textures.
• Fixed crashed with multiprocessor rendering.
• Fixed licensing issues.
• Fixed scale normalization and anchor point issue.
• Fixed missing texture preview.
• Fixed 3D Pack models now work as Replicator Shape

As always we will continue to add information and tutorials to the Element 3D help page and we still recommend that you visit your GPU manufacture website and download the latest drivers. (auto-updates don't always have the newest version)

In this tutorial I'll take you through some lesser known tips and tricks for controlling 3D backgrounds inside Element 3D. These may not be exciting features but once you see how easy it is to setup a custom environment the possibilities explode! One of the main advantages of creating a physical environment map is that it moves more accurately with the camera and scene.

Watch in HD on Youtube

Watch on Vimeo

Big tutorial Tuesday! I know we have been doing a lot of Element stuff lately we are very excited to bring a new dimension to the After Effects world but this new tutorial has it all! Yes we take a look at using Element but the tutorial is really about setting up your 3D tracking data so that you can composite anything into 3D space. This includes, 3D Layers, other plug-ins and even stock footage. You can even use AE CS6 text extrusion if you don't have Element 3D.

Watch Tutorial Now

In this tutorial we will cover:

• Using built-in 3D Camera tracking in AE CS6 and The Foundry Camera Tracker
• Setup and align the ground plane and adjust 3D coordinates
• Composite 3D object with Element 3D
• Build Matte Shadow object inside Element 3D to "catch" soft shading (ambient occlusion)
• Generate a realistic hard shadow from 3D objects using a simple trick
• Match AE lighting and color correct Truck to match the scene environment
• Breakdown compositing footage from Action Essentials 2 and making 3D debris