Action 3D Geometry

A powerful feature of Action is its ability to import 3D models created in other applications and combine them with existing clips. Compositing 3D models and characters with other media or a background can be done quickly and with a finite level of control.

3D geometric objects are manipulated like an image or a clip: you can animate their position and shape, apply textures and media, and light objects to produce a variety of effects.

You can import 3D polygon objects such as 3ds Max files, FBX files, Alembic files, Wavefront files, Inventor files, SVG files, garbage masks, and Paint geometry. 3ds Max files contain object data, specifically, texture and materials. The FBX format acts as the intermediary between different file types. Files can be exported from another product to the FBX or ABC format and then imported into Flame.

Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) files are open-standard 2D graphics. Once imported, an .svg file appears in the Action schematic as a Group node; once ungrouped, the graphic is converted to a number of geometry elements: 3D Shape nodes (with accompanying GMasks and Axes).

Note: To preserve colour information in .svg files from Adobe Illustrator, make sure that Presentation Attributes is enabled when exporting from Illustrator. Other vector graphics programs may have similar settings.

Paint geometry files are created by the Flame Paint tool. If you want to work with polygon geometry in Action, import Paint geometry. Action ignores its animation and attributes, such as its colour, outline, and gradient. For example, in Paint, if you create a blue polygon, animate its scale, and save it as geometry, it is imported in Action as a white polygon with no animation.

Note: Sample 3ds Max and FBX model files are located in the /opt/Autodesk/presets/<product_home>/models/(FBX or 3DS) libraries. All models are textured with an identical image. The library consists mostly of geometric primitives such as cubes, cylinders, and spheres.