Live link to Adobe After Effects

Creating a live link between Maya and Adobe® After Effects® allows you to view a scene in both softwares simultaneously, as well as perform changes in Maya and see them update in After Effects in realtime.

Compatible elements include:

• Cameras (including Transforms, Focal Length / Aperture, Zoom)
• Spot, Point, and Ambient Lights (including Transforms, Intensity, Color, Cone)
• Groups (converted to Nulls)
• Locators (including Transforms)
• Planes (to adjust size, scale a 1x1 plane. Do not use Width / Height).
• Meshes (converted to Solids)

And the data exported includes:

• Position
• Rotation
• Scale
• Intensity, Cone Angle, and Color (for lights)

To install the Live Link plug-in

1. Make sure you have administrator permissions to the system you are installing to.
2. Download the Maya Live Link plug-in from Adobe Exchange.
   Adobe Exchange automatically extracts and then copies files to the directory located in:

   • Windows: ..\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions
   • Mac: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions

To set up a link

1. Open both Maya and Adobe® After Effects® .
2. In After Effects, go to Window > Extensions > Autodesk Maya Live Link.
3. In Maya, go to File > Adobe® After Effects® Live Link.
4. Click Link All to link all compatible scene elements to After Effects, or middle-drag specific elements from the Outliner into the Specific objects field and then click Link Specified.

   After Effects loads the Maya scene into its current composition. Further changes to the Maya scene will automatically update in After Effects unless the link is broken.

Related Topics

• AE Live Link window