• Uninstalling Plug-ins: 
  
  To uninstall plug-ins you just need to delete the actual plug-in file from your Adobe After Effects Plug-ins folder.
   
• Re-installing Plug-ins:
  
  To reinstall plug-ins on a new machine you just need to follow the same install procedure that you did initially. Check the specific product support pages to find the correct install guides.

Visit the Element 3D Help Section

Click to View Element Tutorials



LICENSE PROBLEMS:
 

• “Invalid License Error” and other license errors - Troubleshooting Steps Below:

Windows Users:

Delete the following folder:

C:/ProgramData/VideoCopilot

C:/ProgramData is an hidden folder so you might need to type it in the Windows Explorer address bar.

After deleting the folder, run the full Element 3D installer (not the patch) and license as normal by entering your download account email and password. Or, if necessary the manual license method.

***If you do the manual license method, you can't use any old license or license request files that were created before deleting the above folder***

If the Video Copilot folder is not present then install the full Element 3D installer.

Mac Users:

Delete the following folder:

Library/Application Support/VideoCopilot

Library is a hidden folder so you might need to go to Finder menu 'Go' and use 'Go to Folder...' and type the path in. (click screenshot below to see full path)

After deleting the folder, run the full Element 3D installer (not the patch) and license as normal by entering your download account email and password. Or, if necessary the manual license method.

***If you do the manual license method, you can't use any old license or license request files that were created before deleting the above folder***

If the Video Copilot folder is not present then install the full Element 3D installer.

• “License Limit Reached”

This happens when the default amount of license attempts have been used up. We understand that computer problems happen which require re-installation. No problem. Send an email to support@videocopilot.net and include your Video Copilot download account email or your order number and we can help.


MODEL BROWSER EMPTY:
 

• Model Browser Empty/Missing - Even the starter pack content is missing!

This happens if the Element 3D assets get de-linked from the Element plug-in. The solution is to run the full Element 3D installer again to link the assets back to Element.

Make sure to choose the original location that you had the assets installed so that your 3rd party models will also link up.  



 

1. Compatibility Requirements - Check to see if your machine is compatible with Element. (the link goes to current Element page).
   Check this link for Supported GPUs.
   
   Windows 7 Users - Update to Service Pack 1 which is required for Element V2. Then download and install this Windows Update.
   
    
2. Update Element: The latest version is available in your Video Copilot download account.
   
    
3. Update Graphics Card Driver:
   -If using Windows then you can update your drivers using the links below: 
   
   Nvidia Drivers
   
   AMD Drivers
   
   ***The Windows update feature is sometimes unreliable and we recommend updating your graphics drivers directly from Nvidia or AMD using links above.***
   -If using Mac, the latest drivers are included with the OS X updates.
   
    
4. Re-Install Element: For a complete re-install, see the steps below:
   
   Windows Users:
   
   Delete the following folder:
   C:/ProgramData/VideoCopilot
   
   C:/ProgramData is an hidden folder so you might need to type it in the Windows
   Explorer address bar.
   
   After deleting the folder, run the full Element 3D installer (not the patch) and license as normal by entering your download account email and password. Or, if necessary the manual license method.
   
   
   Mac Users:
   
   Delete the following folder:
   Library/Application Support/VideoCopilot
   
   Library is a hidden folder so you might need to go to Finder menu 'Go' and use 'Go to
   Folder...' and type the path in.
   
   After deleting the folder, run the full Element 3D installer (not the patch) and license as normal by entering your download account email and password. Or, if necessary the manual license method.
   
    
5. If steps above don’t solve the problem: Send email to support@videocopilot.net

RENDER PROBLEMS:
 

- Nvidia Error Code: 6 - This means you are maxing out your graphics card’s VRAM. Steps to lower the GPU requirements of the Element layer:

• Lower Multisampling in the Element Output controls. You can turn it down as much as 0 depending on the project.

• Try lowering Element’s Render Settings for settings such as Ambient Occlusion, Motion Blur, Depth of Field, etc.

• Lower Particle Count in the Group settings.
   

- Render Problem - AE shutting down or Element error during render - Steps to try:

• Lower Multisampling in the Element Output controls. You can turn it down as much as 0 depending on the project.

• Try lowering Element’s Render Settings for settings such as Ambient Occlusion, Motion Blur, Depth of Field, etc.

• Lower Particle Count in the Group settings.

• Disable Multiprocessor Rendering inside of After Effects. To find this option in After Effects, go to Edit--Preferences--Memory & Multiprocessing--Uncheck “Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously”
   

- Comps Larger than 1080p - This is somewhat normal for GPU's. Comps using Element that are larger than 1080p may cause problems if the GPU runs out of memory.  One possible solution to lower memory requirements is to set the Element render settings before you start working. To do this you could do the following:

1. Turn on the Caps Lock to avoid rendering

2. Add Element to a layer

3. Turn Multi-Sampling down to 2-4 which will lower the memory requirements

4. To improve Anti-Aliasing (But slow render) turn on Super-Sampling

• “Error code: 54”; “Error code: 1000”; “Err: 51”; “Error code: 109”; “Error code: 64” or Other Installer Error - See Possible Solutions Below - Each is its own separate solution.

1st Solution: Close Adobe After Effects before running Element 3D installer. You may need to reboot your computer in case Adobe After Effects is still running in the background processes. Try to run the installer again.

2nd Solution: Make sure you have Administrator privileges when installing the pack. The folders for the Element 3D assets and the After Effects Plug-ins folder should have full admin privileges also. Then run the installer again to see if it works. *** Tip: On Windows you can right click the installer and choose “Run as Administrator” ***

3rd Solution: Run full Element 3D installer again (not the patch) and choose a local location for the Element 3D assets that’s on the same hard-drive that you’re using to run the installer. Then try to complete the installation.

4th Solution: Run full Element 3D installer and choose a custom location for the Element 3D assets. For testing purposes we recommend the Desktop.

If error continues even after choosing a custom location for the 3D assets, then it may be a problem with the AE Plug-ins location.

To solve this, run the full Element 3D installer again and choose a custom location for both the Element 3D assets and where the plug-in is installed.

To choose a custom location for the plug-in, uncheck all versions of After Effects that may be selected. Check custom option (choose 64bit or 32bit depending on your After Effects version), then browse your Desktop as the location.

Finish the Element 3D installation. Go to your Desktop and manually drag the Element 3D plug-in (not the Element 3D Assets) into your After Effects Plug-ins folder.

Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CS6\Support Files\Plug-ins

Mac: Applications\Adobe After Effects CS6\Plug-ins

***Choose your version of Adobe After Effects if you’re not using CS6.***

UNABLE TO FIND SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM?
 

Send Email to support@videocopilot.net

***PLEASE INCLUDE THIS INFO IN YOUR EMAIL***

• Order number or the exact email address used for the purchase

• Send your "System Info" from within the Element plug-in. See screenshot. If the crash happens before you can access it, like a crash as soon as you apply Element or after licensing, please turn Caps Lock on before applying Element. That should allow you to proceed without crashes to get the System Info.
  (Click image below for how to get to the System Info)
  

• A brief description of the problem and any screenshots or small video clips that show the problem.

• Installation Guide
   
• Problem Opening Plug-in: 
  
    1st Step - Check Compatibility Below:
  
    After Effects CS5, CS6, CC+
    PC (Windows Vista and later)
    Mac (OS X 10.7+)
   

      2nd Step - Download Latest Version (V1.0.6)

• Problem Opening Plug-in For The First Time or Right After Licensing - First check compatibility requirements. 
  
  If your operating system and version of After Effects are supported and the problem happened after licensing then try the following:
  
  
  MAC USERS:
  
  Delete the following file: Library/Application Support/VideoCopilot/heat_license
  
  Library is a hidden folder so you may need to go to Finder menu 'Go' and use 'Go to Folder...' and type the path in.
  
  After that, run the Heat Distortion installer again. Then open After Effects and try to open the plug-in.
  
  
  WINDOWS USERS:
  
  Delete the following file: C:/ProgramData/VideoCopilot/heat_license
  
  C:/ProgramData is an hidden folder so you might need to type it in the Windows Explorer address bar.
  
  After that run the Heat Distortion installer again. Then open After Effects and try to open the plug-in.
  
  
  ***If you do the manual license method then don’t use any old license files or license request files that were created before deleting the heat_license file***
  
   
• If the error continues after doing these steps, please email us at support@videocopilot.net

• Optical Flares Tutorials
  
   
• Open Optical Flares Interface - To open the interface click on the Optical Flares “Options” button in the plug-in control area.
   
  

• Optical Flares Won’t Open - Update to latest version of plug-in (1.3.3) - It is also available in your Video Copilot account.
  
  If downloading from the link above: Just replace your current plugin file (just the Optical Flares plug-in file in your Optical Flares folder) and replace it with the one from the link. After you do this, restart After Effects and open the plug-in.
  
  - If update does not solve your problem:
  
     Apply Optical Flares to a solid and click the “About” button. Then click the “More Info” button to bring up the More Info specs.
  (click screenshot below for how to do this)
  
  
     Send the More Info details to support@videocopilot.net and include a brief description of the problem you are having. 
   

• Interface Running Slow or Not Working - Your GPU may not be supported. You will still be able to use the plug-in though. Here is the work-around: 
  
  1) In the Optical Flares controls, uncheck “Use GPU”.
  
  
  
  
  2) After that, open the plug-in interface and check the “Disable GPU Rendering” option. To get to this option in the interface, go File—Preferences. (click image to enlarge)
  
  
  
  
   
• Pro Presets Not Appearing In Preset Browser - Installation Guide: Mac & Windows 
  
  Make sure the “Pro Presets” or “Pro Presets 2” folder installed directly into the Lens Flares folder.
  
  You can find the correct paths in these install guides:
  Mac Install Guide  -  Windows Install Guide
  
  If the installation looks correct, check the permissions settings. We recommend installing as Administrator rather than a user-account to avoid permissions issues.
  
  
  Optical Flares Permissions Settings For Mac - For User-Accounts:  All of the Adobe folders and all of the Optical Flares files/folders should have read and preg_replace('/\s+/s', '', 'write').' 'permissions enabled. The Optical Flares folder may need the permissions settings changed if the user-accounts don't have full Admin permissions enabled. 
  
  Here is a walkthrough for how to do this - Click the image below to expand it in order to follow along with the Numbered Steps that are directly below the image.

     1) Right click the "Optical Flares" folder and choose "Get Info"

     2) Go down to the lock box at the bottom to unlock - you'll need admin log-in details for this

     3) Then click the + button to add the account that you want to give access to - change to read/preg_replace('/\s+/s', '', 'write').'<'/span>

     4) At the very bottom there is an options button. Click that and choose "Apply to enclosed items"

 

- Installation & licensing Info  - Mac Install Guide
 

- FAQ & Troubleshooting (License problems, environment variables, etc.)
 

- Difference between Nuke & After Effects version
 

- Plug-in Specs (Link to bottom of Nuke Optical Flares product page)
 

- Optical Flares Nuke Plug-in User-Guide
 

- Purchase Render Node Licenses - https://www.videocopilot.net/ofnukerendernode/

New MacOS Catalina Support
Install latest version of Mac plug-in!
 

• Mac Install Guide - Windows Install Guide

• Twitch Watermark / Red X on my comp:
  
  This indicates a problem with installation. The Twitch plug-in file and the key file (twitch_ae.key) need to be placed directly inside of your After Effects Plug-ins folder and not in a subfolder. **Refer to the install guide above.**
  
   

• “2 or more frames for playback” or Other Render Problem:
  
  Install latest version of Twitch:

   

  Mac - After Effects CS6 or Later - Download This Version
  Windows 32bit and 64bit - Latest Versions
   

• Don’t See Twitch Presets:
  
  Make sure the __-Twitch-__ presets folder is directly inside of your After Effects Presets folder. Then try and search them in After Effects.
  
   

• Don’t See Twitch Preset Drop Down Bar:
  
  Turn on the “Show Animation Presets” option inside of After Effects. See screenshot for where you can find this option.
  
  
   

• Presets Not Showing Up In The Twitch Drop Down Bar?
  
  First, search them in the Effects & Presets search menu inside of After Effects. Collapse and expand as shown in the image below (click image to expand it).
  
  Then restart After Effects and try to view them in the Twitch drop down bar again. They should now appear as shown in this screenshot:
  
   

• Mac Install Guide  -  Windows Install Guide
  
  **Pro Presets require the Optical Flares Plug-in and will not work as standalone presets. **