Magic 3D FX

General Info

Filmstrip 3D is a FxPlug plugin that creates up to four 3D filmstrips. You can move the camera around it, twist and turn each filmstrip and split each side into smaller tiles. Each filmstrip can be given a different content. And you can also change the design of the border.

Configuration

Filmstrip 3D is compatible with Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, 5.1.3, 5.1.4 and 6 (and higher) and Motion 2 & 3 (and higher). All screenshots of the controls in this manual are taken from Motion 2. The controls in Final Cut Pro are the same.

At first you have to drag and drop the plugin Filmstrip 3D from effects menu to the timeline. The canvas will show a plain cube with colored sides. Now it's up to you to animate the filmstrip.

Camera Rotate X
Camera Rotate Y
Camera Rotate Z

Here you can rotate the camera around it's three axis. Only the camera rotates. The filmstrips stay where they are within the 3D space.

Move Horizontal
Move Vertical

Use these three controls to move the camera within the 3D space. Move Horizontal move the camera to the left and right, Move Vertical moves the camera up and down.

Distance

Distance controls the distance between the camera and the filmstrips.

Perspective Angle

Perspective Angle controls the focal length of the cameras lens. This parameter behaves just like the zoom of a regular lens on a camera.

Perspective Angle = 30	Perspective Angle = 100

Enable Light and Specular

Here you can switch on or off the light method for the cube. If this control is switched off, you will see that the filmstrip appears much brighter. This might be confusing. So you have to understand that this control does not "switch on a global light" that illuminates the cube. This control selects between a flat lightning model, which makes the cube shine with full brightness, and a light model with a light source that creates specular reflections with an angle dependant method to illuminate the surfaces.

Light Brightness

If Enable Light and Specular is enabled, the color you select with this control is use as an ambient light source that illuminates the filmstrip from all directions.

Specular Brightness
Specular Size

Adjust the size and brightness of the specular reflection. This control only has an effect if Enable Light and Specular is enabled.

Light model switched off	Light model switched on Small specular light	Light model switched on Large specular light

Anti-Aliasing

Switch on/off the anti-aliasing feature. Note that this features slows down render times a bit, but gives you much nicer results. CHV suggests that you turn off this option for your animation creation process, if your computer is not fast enough to be able to run this plugin in realtime.

Color

This color will be used for the filmstrip borders as well as for the content of the filmstrip, if you have selected Use Color at the below popup menus for the texturing method.

Border Mode
Border Texture

Select the texture of the border.

If the popup menu is set to Use Color you will see the above defined color. Set the popup to Use Texture to see the texture you have applied to the image well Border Texture. If no texture is applied you will see a predefined image.

If you like to create your own border, you have to know that only the left and right border of the applied image will be used for the border of the filmstrip. Everything in between will be unused.

Film Mode

Select the texture of the filmstrip. If the popup menu is set to Use Color you will see the above defined color. Set the popup to Use Texture to see the texture you have applied to the image well of the respective filmstrip. If no texture is applied you will see a predefined image on the filmstrip.

Filmstrip configuration

Up to four independent filmstrips can be animated. This is why you can find this section four times within the parameter list. Each section is used to setup the look and behavior of one of the four filmstrips.

Clip/Image

Apply the desired clip or image onto this image well. You will see an image of a swan if no clip has been applied.

Crop Border

Unwanted black border can be cut with this function.

Length

This defines the length of the filmstrip. In order to speed up render time, you might want to keep the filmstrips shorter if you only look at a portion of the strip.

Move Left/Right
Move Forward/Backward

Here you can define the position of the filmstrip.

Twist Twirl With this parameter you can twist and twirl the filmstrip. Each filmstrip can be modified individually.
	Twist	Twirl

Explosion

Here you can rip the filmstrip into pieces. With this slider the filmstrip will be cut into small fragments which then will fly around in the 3D space.

Remark

If you like create an animation starting directly from an image of a filmstrip, you have to move the filmstrip and the camera into the correct position to each other. Use these settings:

Also fade Light Brightness to a bright white or switch Enable Light and Specular off.