Create A Highly Detailed Digital Terrain Scan

Create A Highly Detailed Digital Terrain Scan

on Mar 21st 2012 with 17 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Requirements: After Effects and FreeForm v2
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Run Time: 18:15 min

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Download Source Files

In this tutorial we are going to create a 3D futuristic terrain scanner. Step-by-step, we will create monochromatic displacement maps and use them to extrude the 3D mountain like shapes. We will explore the difference between the old version of FreeForm (the DigiEffects version, bundled with AE CS5) and the new FreeForm v2, which is considerably faster after having some excellent optimizations to the source code.

Tutorial

Download Tutorial .mp4

File size: 133 MB

 
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Ran Ben Avraham is post production artist working mainly in the fields of motion design and visual effects. He is a freelancer from Israel, and also runs http://ran-mograph.blogspot.co.il/, an AE templates website, designated for the visual effects industry.  

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  • Andrak

    Great tutorial. Can see this being used for many different applications.

    • Ran Ben Avraham
      Author

      Andrak,

      Defiantly so! i would love to see how you combine this technique in your work, so share it with us.

  • http://youtube.com/argarsad Argarsad

    Awesome. i always wanted to do this effect!

    • Ran Ben Avraham
      Author

      Argarsad -

      I’m glad i can be of service :)

  • Alexa

    Excellent tutorial Ran. Very clever use of FreeForm and I love Hypno’s cameo appearance in the preview – so cute :-)

    Some questions, will FreeForm V2 be bundled with CS6?

    Please let me know if I got this right, FreeForm V2 has the same features as the bundled version but is much, much faster, correct?

    Is this available for Mac + Windows?

    The price for this is great is that special pricing?

    Peace
    Alexa

    • http://www.mettle.com/Products/ShapeShifter-AE.php Chris

      @ Alexa

      Thanks for the kind words glad you enjoyed Ran’s tutorial as much as I did.

      Regarding a bundle with CS6. No… FreeForm V2, FreeForm Pro and ShapeShifter AE will NOT be bundled with CS6

      Regarding the feature set. Yes, FreeForm V2 has the same features as the bundled version just much faster than the bundled version (Digieffects FreeForm). You can run older projects created with Digieffects FreeForm in FreeForm V2 but not in FreeForm Pro. You cannot run the bundled version at the same time as FreeForm V2. But you can run FreeForm Pro with either one – no problem.

      Regarding availability of FreeForm V2. Yes it is available now on Mac + Windows.

      Regarding a price increase. $99.00 was to be introductory pricing. We had planned to bring up the price around NAB (mid April).

      Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Cheers,
      Chris

  • http://www.creativedojo.net VinhSon Nguyen

    Great work, really enjoyed it! :)

    • Ran Ben Avraham
      Author

      VinhSon Nguyen -

      Thank you, i enjoy your work creativedojo.net as well.

  • don c

    Wow!…thank you for sharing this…have an underwater application that this would work great on.

    • Strut

      @ Don c

      Underwater…. sounds really neat. Please post a link when you are done with your clip. Would love to see it.

      Strut

  • http://www.web-mate.gr webmate

    nice tutorial:)

  • chad

    What a fantastic tutorial. This is the kinda stuff that I come to AEtuts for. Thanks again.

  • http://www.adamblumert.pl Adam

    Absolutely amazing tutorial Ran. The funniest thing is that this tutorial is kind of advanced and free. Thanks

  • Strut

    Ran you did it again :-)

    How do you manage to do it? I mean come up with all of these neat ideas? You always find a way to present cool things in an easy way to follow. It is a pleasure watching your tuts. Please keep them coming.

    Strut

    • Ran Ben Avraham
      Author

      Strut -

      Well thank you, i do my best and aim to please.
      and heads up i got some very cool stuff coming your way…

  • Bilal

    Opacity flickering preset? I don’t seem to have it O_o

  • http://praveenvisaul.blogspot.com vfxpraveen

    great wrk boss…keep it up