Using VRay-3DS Max EXR in After Effects

Via VizWorld is a short tip on using 3DS Max-VRay EXRs in After Effects from Vray exr workflow at cgpov.com. Author Chad Ashley says:

"here is a quick tip on how to get Vray to render out mutli-channel exrs and how to get After Effects to read them. If you dont have Vray, you can download the exr used in this tutorial here."


Vray EXR Tip from chad smashley on Vimeo.
Note: Background on the EXR format can be found at fnord software in ProEXR ships with After Effects CS4, in the Lutz Albrecht article on Adobe Developer Connection, Integrating 3D applications with After Effects – Part 2: Working with mattes and channels, and in the AE Help doc About 3D Channel effect.

Update: Ruff's Stuff posted Vray Elements in After Effects in January 2011.

Update: (December 2011) there's more on 3D workflow with Max & AE at Steve Forde at Adobe.

Max2AE plugin

If you're interested in Autodesk 3D Studio, you might want to check out Alan Shisko's post -- and video tutorial -- about the 2.0 version of Boomerlabs' Max2AE plugin that integrates 3dsMax cameras, lights and layers with AE.

AE with 3D Studio Max

Pierre Jasmin of RE:Vision Effects recently posted some advice on working with 3D Studio Max; here's a rewrite:

Some AE users AE has limted support of Discreet's RPF channels in 3D Studio Max renders. AE only supports 8 bits/channel extraction with the provided plug-in set, and supports only RLA (11 of the 16 RPF channels). 3DMax has a Combustion workspace export and RPF support is much better in Combustion 4 than previous versions. But there is another option if you want to stay with AE: the Max2AE plugin from Boomer Labs.

MAX2AE bridges the gap between MAX and After Effects, matching all aspects and parameters of Max cameras, lights, and objects. More from Boomer Labs: "MAX2AE also incorporates the ability to create 'helper planes' in MAX which represent your AE layer or comp. These 'helpers' provide a highly accurate way to envision the AE layer relevant to your MAX scene. These 'helpers' can be animated just like any other MAX object, then used to output keyframe data to AE layers for a perfect match! Even allowing them to be rendered from MAX for the purpose of generating track mattes for object/AE layer occlusion!"

More advice working with 3D apps can be found in Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects, Volume 2, by Trish and Chris Meyer (3rd edition released in June 2005).
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