Action is a multilayer compositing tool for creating complex visual effects. Use Action to animate clips in 3D and add camera, lighting, and shadow effects.
You create effects and animations by manipulating objects in the scene. Objects you work with include surfaces, light sources, axes, particles, shadows, and the camera.
Action Concepts
The following concepts are used throughout the Action topics to describe the workflow and user interface.
- Scene
- The scene is Action's representation of 3D world space. It is where objects are placed and animated. World space has three directions: X (left/right), Y (up/down), and Z (in/out).
- Object
- An object is any element in a scene. An axis, a camera, a surface, a light, or a model can also be referred to as an object.
- Media
- Media consists of a front and matte clip only.
- Surface
- A surface is a special type of 3D geometry onto which media is mapped.
- Geometric Object (Models)
- A 3D geometric object can be something as simple as a cube, sphere, or cone, or as complex as a character. Although some basic geometric objects are included with Flame, most geometry is imported from a 3D application such as Maya or 3ds Max. A model is another way to refer to a geometric object.
- 3D Models and Text
- You can import 3ds Max files, FBX format files, Alembic format files, Wavefront files, Inventor files, and Paint geometry into Action. Also, you can create 3D text with custom beveling.
- Camera
- The camera represents the 'eye' you are using to see the scene. The camera is used to “record” the scene in Action. By default, the camera consists of two objects: the camera eye and the point of interest (the coordinates the camera is 'looking' at).
- Axis
- An axis is the element of an object or media that can be manipulated to determine the object's 2D or 3D space, position, and movement.
- Schematic
- The Action schematic is an icon representation of the scene. It shows all the objects in the scene and their relationship with each other. The Action schematic is different from the Batch or Batch FX schematic (which is more of a process tree view).
- Particles
- Action contains a particle system that can simulate environmental effects such as rain, snow, and many other user-defined effects.