3D Masking sticky wicket

[Jkoseattle]

I created my scene of a bunch of layers, all line drawings. I set the layers up in 3D, adjusting both Z axis and XY rotation in a few cases, to create a nice 3D camera track across my scene. Looks awesome.

Then I added mask layers to everything and reveal the line drawings with Stroke Exposure. Looks even awesomer.

Last step, add in the actual camera tracking. Now, things are not so awesome. The Stroke exposure is all spotty and weird looking. I quickly realized that I have XY&Z changes to the drawing layers, but the Stroke Exposing masks do not, so sometimes they mask and sometimes they don't. I quickly verified this problem by looking at the scene with the Orbit tool. Ugh!!!

So how can I fix this so that my masks will stroke expose correctly in this 3D space? Should I match the Position and rotation coordinates for each mask to match that of the layer it's exposing? That's a ton of copy-pasting numbers and I don't want to embark on the exercise unless I know it's going to work.

[hayasidist]

Should I match the Position and rotation coordinates for each mask to match that of the layer it's exposing?

yes! usually easiest done in a group layer - the object to position in 3d space is the group and within that group are whatever it takes to make the final (animated) image - such as mask and "base" drawing.

IOW - It's the group that I'd shift around - with all the layers inside it at default position / rotation etc unless I have very good reason not to.

[Jkoseattle]

I already have all my layers in their own groups which includes the masking layers too. But I did all my positioning and rotating of base layers before I put them into groups. So are you saying I should copy paste all the positioning and rotation coordinates from the base layer into its group? Then I need to reset those coordinates at the base layer, right? Is there an easier way to do it rather than copy pasting numbers one at a time? Also, I'm seeing 7 coordinates in the Transform Layer tool, and 2 more in the Rotate Layer tool. Are those all I need? I can try this out, of course, but I won't get to it till this evening and if someone just knows in the meantime maybe I can save myself some effort before I even embark on this big fix.

[hayasidist]

... copy paste all the positioning and rotation coordinates from the base layer into its group? Then I need to reset those coordinates at the base layer, right?

more or less -- yep - that's it... but you can copy/paste animation keys instead of numbers:

if you've made the transformations on frame 0 (not generally a good idea) then add keys for the layer transforms at frame 1 (use "reset" on frame 1 to get the frame 0 value - or right click and add keyframe if you've got animations of these later in the timeline) then go back to frame 0 and reset again to get the defaults.

if you've made the transforms on frame 1 and onwards you just need the frame 0 reset.

Now cut/paste the all the keys, including the frame 0 ones, from base to group.

and, sorry, I don't know of a script to do it.

===

e.g. you have changed layer position and scale on frame 0; you've animated scale (e.g. key on frame 10) and you have a key for rotation on frame 1

cursor on frame 1.
activate the transform layer tool
press the reset button for position: keys the frame 0 values at frame 1
on the scale channel right click and add key

cursor on frame 0
press the reset buttons for position scale and rotation: resets to {0,0,0}, {1,1,1} and 0 at frame 0

select all keys
cut/paste from base to group

[Jkoseattle]

At first glance I thought "Oh, that's too complicated - I'm starting over". Then my big boy brain decided if I really went through your instructions slowly I'd be able to get it. I'm glad I did, because I got it, and it worked. Whew. Actually, following your instructions initially made my mask exactly perpendicular to the base, and about half the size, though all the numbers seemed the same. So I made a new mask layer. But conceptually I get it, and still have to go through this for the other half dozen layers left in the scene. Live and learn, man.

Thank you!

[jahnocli]

Just out of interest, is "sticky wicket" a term often used by Americans? I always thought it was pretty much restricted to, you know, the commonwealth (where cricket is actually played!)

[Jkoseattle]

No it is not commonly used by Americans, but we've all heard it enough times that we know what it means. I'm not sure where it came from in my post. Hmmmm, that was odd come to think of it.....

[synthsin75]

We don't use it much, but between Monty Python and maybe Douglas Adams, many of us are familiar with the phrase.

[Jkoseattle]

It's due for a comeback, I say.