Import a 3D model and add it to the composition.
Last updated on
Feb. 7, 2024
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Learn about the Advanced 3D composition renderer and how to render imported 3D model files, realistic image-based lighting, and more natively in Adobe After Effects.
Advanced 3D is a high-quality, GPU-based, and performance-oriented composition renderer. It's an additional rendering option to Classic 3D and Cinema 4D in After Effects. This composition renderer's underlying rendering engine is shared with other Adobe products and uses Adobe Standard Material properties for physically-based rendering. Any solids, precomps, text, and shape layers with the 3D switch activated in After Effects are now textured and rendered with Adobe Standard Material for more accurate and photographic looks.
Faster previewing of 3D compositions
Turn on Draft 3D to access a ground plane and extended viewer – great for setting up a 3D scene and significantly speeds up the previewing of 3D changes in your compositions, even ones with complex scenes with multiple 3D elements.
Improved workflow
Improve your workflow by allowing you to preview and iterate on your 3D changes more quickly. Smooth scrubbing through the timeline of imported and rendered 3D models, even at high resolution.
Advanced 3D enables rendering of:
- Imported 3D models in GLTF, GLB, and OBJ formats
- Environment lights for realistic image-based lighting and shadows using HDRI files
- Other 3D layers, such as extruded text and shape layers, cameras, and lights
- Physically-based rendering of 3D models and other 3D layers in a unified space
- Materials for 3D layers such as text, shapes, and solids
Note:
The Advanced 3D renderer is currently the only native renderer capable of rendering 3D models in After Effects.
While After Effects 24.0 and later require standard system requirements, the Advanced 3D renderer needs specific upgrades. The following cards and their newer versions are supported by Advanced 3D.
macOS
Supported Intel x86 CPUs on Macs
MacBook Pro 15-inch
- 2016 with Radeon Pro 460
- 2017 with Radeon Pro 560
- 2018 with Radeon Pro 555X or 560X
- 2018 with Radeon Pro Vega 16 or 20
- 2019 with Radeon Pro 555X or 560X
- 2019 with Radeon Pro Vega 16 or 20
MacBook Pro 16-inch
- 2019 with Radeon Pro 5300M or 5600M
iMac 21.5-inch
- 2017 Retina 4K with Radeon Pro 560
- 2019 Retina 4K with Radeon Pro 560X
iMac 27-inch
- Late 2015 Retina 5K with Radeon R9 M395X
- 2017 Retina 5K
- 2019 Retina 5K
- 2020 Retina 5K
iMac Pro
- 2017
Mac Pro
- 2019
Supported Apple ARM CPUs on Macs
All Macs with at least 16 GB of system RAM.
- macOS must at least be version 12.0
- Hardware must support Metal
- On Intel Macs, a discrete GPU with at least 4GB VRAM
- On ARM Macs, at least 16GB of system RAM
Tip:
Choose the Apple menu > About This Mac > Graphics to view which graphics card is in use.
Note:
Intel Macs with integrated GPUs are not supported by Advanced 3D.
Windows with NVIDIA GPU
Supported NVIDIA GPUs on Windows devices
Maxwell
- GeForce GTX 970, 980, 980 Ti, Titan X
- Quadro M2000, M4000, M5000, M6000
Pascal
- GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 1060, 1070, 1070 Ti, 1080, 1080 Ti, Titan Xp
- Quadro P1000, P2000, P4000, P5000, P6000
Turing
- GeForce GTX 1650, 1650 Super, 1660, 1660 Super, 1660 Ti
- GeForce RTX 2060, 2060 Super, 2070, 2070 Super, 2080, 2080 Super, 2080 Ti, Titan RTX
- T600, T1000
- Quadro RTX 4000, 5000, 6000, 8000
Ampere
- GeForce RTX 3050, 3060, 3060 Ti, 3070, 3070 Ti, 3080, 3080 Ti, 3090, 3090 Ti
- RTX A500, A2000, A4000, A4500, A5000, A5500
Ada Lovelace
- GeForce RTX 4050, 4060, 4060 Ti, 4070, 4070 Ti, 4080, 4090
- RTX 4000, 45000, 5000, 6000
- CUDA minimum driver version 11.8
- CUDA minimum compute capability 5.0
- GPU must be of the Maxwell generation or newer
- Discrete GPU with at least 4GB VRAM
Windows with AMD or Intel GPU
Supported AMD GPUs on Windows devices
GCN 3.0
- FirePro W7100
GCN 4.0
- Radeon Pro WX3100, WX4100, WX5100, WX7100
GCN 5.0
- Radeon Pro WX8100, WX9100, WX8200
GCN 5.1
- Radeon Pro VII
RDNA 1.0
- Radeon Pro W5500, W5700
RDNA 2.0
- Radeon Pro W6400, W6600, W6800
RDNA 3.0
- Radeon Pro W7500, W7600, W7700, W7800, W7900
Supported Intel GPUs on Windows devices
Alchemist
- Arc A310, A350, A380, A580, A750, A770
- Arc Pro A40, A50, A60
- OpenCL minimum driver version 1.0
- OpenCL minimum device capability 1.0
- Discrete GPU with at least 4GB VRAM
Tip:
On a Windows device, right-click the Start button > Device Manage > Display adapters to view the name and model of your graphics card.
Set Advanced 3D as the composition renderer
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Advanced 3D gets automatically selected when you add a 3D model to the composition.
Advanced 3D gets automatically selected when you add a 3D model to the composition.
Advanced 3D gets automatically selected when you add a 3D model to the composition. -
After Effects uses the Advanced 3D renderer to show you the real-time changes or updates you make to your 3D space. The Draft 3D option gets enabled and lets you turn the fast 3D preview On or Off.
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3D Ground Plane
A ground plane is a horizontal plane of projection that gives you a sense of perspective and space within your 3D scene.
Extended Viewer
The Extended Viewer lets you view the 3D content outside the composition frame boundaries.
Use the Draft 3D option to view your 3D composition in 3D Ground Plane or Extended Viewer view.
Use the Draft 3D option to view your 3D composition in 3D Ground Plane or Extended Viewer view. -
Use camera controls such as dolly, orbit, and pan to instantly view your designs as you compose.
Rendering options for Advanced 3D renderer
When using the Advanced 3D renderer, you can customize and fine-tune your interactive performance, like the rendering process and final output quality. You can also specify the setup of scene shadows.
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Select the 3D Renderer option in the Composition panel toolbar to launch the dropdown menu.
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Select Rendering Options from the dropdown menu to launch the Advance 3D Render Option dialog.
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Use the Advanced 3D Render Option dialog to specify the following settings:
Use the Advanced 3D Render Options to specify the render settings.
Use the Advanced 3D Render Options to specify the render settings. Render Quality
Use the slider to change the Render Quality to adjust a trade-off between interactive and final output quality.
Shadows
Use the options under the Shadow section to specify different attributes for the shadow for the previews.
- Resolution: Choose from Half (2 MB), Full (16 MB), and Double (128 MB).
- Smoothness: Smoothness changes with the set Render Quality. However, for maximum smoothness, you can use the slide bar to specify smoothness quality from 1 to 32. Note that a high value for Smoothness can slow down rendering.
- Casting Box Size: Adjust and set the size of the cast shadow box to cast or source shadows onto other objects in the scene. Only objects in this specified area will cast shadows.
- Casting Box Center: Set the point in space around which the Casting Box Size is centered.
- Fit to Scene: Set the Casting Box to include all visible layers in the composition that can cast shadows. It sizes the box based on the current frame.
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Select OK.
Tip:
Adaptive Resolution now supports 3D rendering, offering much-improved interactivity when enabled. To enable this, select the Fast Previews icon in the Composition panel and select Adaptive Resolution.