Hi guys, we recently created this script to help our production pipeline, because we often use After Effects to add an element such as smoke, fire, or else…and with this script, we can export a object and camera movement from MAX into After Effects and automatically as a 3d layer (it tracks 3 dimentional movement). I’d like to share this script, and hopefully it’s gonna be useful.
How to use is pretty simple, simply select the object you wanted to track the motion, and select the camera each under node and camera button, then browse for the output files, and press export, it will generate a jsx (after effects script) file, and simply run the script inside after effects (create a composition first)
Caution: never use aperture other than 36.0 , because AE use that aperture, and different aperture can cause inaccurate tracks. make sure the pixel aspect and the resolution between 3dsmax render settings, and AE composition settings the same.
EDIT:I’ve reupload to Script, and change it’s name, but haven’t implement rotation yet, still trying to figure the best way to convert quaternion into AE
Wow, this is really surreal. I was thinking of writing a script like this only this week!
Now I don’t have to. I’ll check it out.
Can’t wait to try it out. Cheers!
thanks mate for testing…
well any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
You may need to rename your script… there’s a commercial MAX2AE, that’s been around for sometime… Cool little script you’ve got there…
http://www.boomerlabs.com/cart/product.php?productid=8&cat=3&page=1
You know AE CS3 takes a -s command line option, so if AE was open ( it’ll open if it’s not ) you can command line it and it’ll run the script…
Keep up the good work!
The script works great, many thanks! My only problem is I’m not using Trapcode plugins, and the CC particle systems ( or most of the AE effects that are not separated out into x,y,z) are having problems assigning the position data to the emitters.
Now, my only request for this script, or something similar is to go the opposite direction- I would love to get some AE tracks into Max. especially tracking objects and using that to drive animation in Max.
PS, I second the name change… Max2AE has been around a while, don’t want to step on toes with a script that essentially does the same thing for free…
I really need to finish my Max2Comp script which I have used to create CWS files from Max. Though I plan to expand it to more apps. I may get in contact with you daft-crut about how you are working with *.jsx format.
-Eric
Hey Romi, does it handle rotation values? The camera position works great, but I rotated the node and it didn’t reflect in the AE script. Looking at the data it seems to only set position.
Great script though, nice and simple and does the job.
Have you considered perhaps only setting the values at the keys to reduce time/data?
tbh I think it’d be a bad idea since a key on each frame is the only way to lock trajectories – there’s no guarantee that after effects tangents will be the same length and slope as max – no point in taking the chance.
Also, Key to key conversion would only work with EulerXYZ, plus you would also have to take into account all parenting, etc. On the other hand if you export World Position and Rotation values every frame, then everything should carry over without trying to recreate the scene hierarchy and controllers inside of AE.
-Eric