When it comes to motion graphics, exporting camera data from a 3D program to a 2D compositing program is one of the most important techniques you could know. In this tutorial, you will learn the basics behind getting Cinema 4D and After Effects to talk to one another, including using exporting tags, using the camera data in After Effects within 3D layers and effects, and how to set up and tweak your render for the best results.

Before you dive in, I'd like to stress a few points:

-I'm using AfterEffects CS3 and Cinema 4D R11. Even though things may look different, the basic idea and functions are the same (but I'm not sure if you can do this prior to Cinema 4D R10 cuz it's been a while).

-You can put any questions you may have in the comments, and I promise to read them more often and provide whatever help I can. If there's some details you missed in this, I'll try to put it into a future screen cast, sort of a "in case you were confused" type of thing.

-This was my first screencast, and I was really just testing out the process. I promise more of a storyboard atmosphere and better structure in the future, and I'll have some graphics put in as well to help you understand what's going on. I'll try to get something that tracks my keystrokes too, but I think that might end up cluttering the screen, so I'll wait to hear what you guys have to say. And yes, that includes improving the horrific audio. Since I was using the microphone in my webcam, it made me sound like I was 10 years old, and inside a plastic drum.

Final Effect Preview

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Note: click the 'Monitor' icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.