Overview

The After Effects Professional Edition provides tools to integrate 3D scenes into 2D composites, and to make changes to those 3D scenes. You can import 3D channel image files saved in RLA, RPF, Softimage PIC/ZPIC, and Electric Image EI/EIZ formats. For PIC and EI files, the 3D channel information is in the ZPIC or EIZ files, respectively. You don't actually import ZPIC and EIZ files, but as long as they're stored in the same folder with the PIC and EI files, you have access to their 3D channels using the 3D Channel effects. The 3D Channel effects don't affect other types of files.

3D Channel effects read and manipulate the additional channels of information, including z-depth, surface normals, object ID, texture coordinates, background color, unclamped RGB, and material ID. You can layer 3D elements along a z axis, insert other elements in a 3D scene, blur areas in a 3D scene, isolate 3D elements, apply a foggy effect with depth, and extract 3D channel information for use as parameters in other effects.

Note: Apply 3D Channel effects to 2D layers that have the auxiliary information. If you convert a layer to 3D and view it from anywhere else but the front and center, it doesn't appear as expected.