Unfold A Magical Pop Up Book Simulation – Day 1

Unfold A Magical Pop Up Book Simulation – Day 1

on Nov 16th 2010 with 48 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Requirements: Just After Effects... enjoy!
  • Difficulty: Advanced
  • Run Time: 56 min
Download Source Files

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Download Source Files

Every child loves the magical Pop Up book with every page turn bringing a new 3d scene to life. In this two part tutorial we’re gonna bust out some serious math to pull off this interaction between layers. Enjoy the tutorial… and if something pops out to you, let me know :)

Tutorial

Download Tutorial .mp4

File size 184.3MB

 
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I'm a freelance director and motion graphic artist living in Auckland, New Zealand. I lived in Paris for 6 years before going Down Under. I'm very much in love with camera work, After Effects and most recently matchmoving and Cinema 4D.  

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  • Colin Maxwell

    I have wanted to do something like this for ages. Thank you.

  • Ashcat

    This is pretty impressive, the cam movement is a bit disorientating but I really like the principles behind the unfolding elements ∑:-3

  • http://vimeo.com/ezils Adam

    Very nice, I like that. Camera needs some work but everyone can change it ;)

  • vishal vijay

    VERY NICE …THANK X LOT

  • FireKDragon

    A very useful technique,and the final result looks good,thought the camera movement did confused me:P

    Thanks for sharing,it’s really hard to find such a good tutorial.

  • http://www.youtube.com/ianhpiratao IANH – BR

    Great Stuff! Really good.. keep doing this excelent job! :)

  • http://altafk.com Altaf

    I always like to do something like this. thanks dude…….

  • forcy

    cazz! che figata! èdatrecentoannicheaspettountutorialcosi!
    translate:thats amazing! it’s 3 hundred years wait this tut!
    tks,tks thanks!

  • http://vimeo.com/rafaelbraga Rafael Braga

    Very impressive! Thanks.. I´ll try it for sure.

  • http://www.nicolasplaire.com Nicolas
    Author

    Well thanks everyone….

    I know the preview is a bit confusing… I did render an alternative version of it with a less disctracting camera move, but forgot to upload it on YouTube. It should be live quite soon. For those who can’t wait here it is:
    http://www.vimeo.com/15520856

    And for those who are coming in late and wonder why this wonderful preview could ever be considered problematic, that’s because we where talking about this one:
    http://www.vimeo.com/14877998

    See the issue now?

    Anyway, thanks to all of you. I really hope you won’t be too lost in this tutorial because it was probably as hard to teach it as to figure out how to make it work.

  • DJ

    Less is more! Was this about popups or animated flying? No need to make all the 360′s – ONE would have been much more effective and showcased your popups. As it was, the viewer spend the one shot that he would give you dealing with nystagmus from the the multiple fly-arounds. (Unless, that’s what you were trying to achieve due to some awkwardness in the popups.)

  • Fernando Sucre

    very useful tutorial … thanks …
    check out my text transformation with tharusi plugin….TRANSFORMERS 3
    http://vimeo.com/16564497

    • M.Puvan

      hey it was a cool effect…i wonder what software u used to do it. And wat is tis tharusi plug-in?? is it a plug- in for cinema 4D or adobe AE?? i hope u can make a tut on it….(p.s. I`m still learning graphic designing based on my interest…so my questions might nt look a bit dumb…i hope u can help me though… :)

      • Fernando Sucre

        hello again my friend.so glad you like it go.the C4D plugin.mikeudin.net to take a look at.his c4d plugin Thrausi.tried to effect a self Transformers.Waiting for a comment from vimeo.

        very successful tutorial,Thank you also for expression

  • BonzoDog

    Disappointed to find that I cannot open the source files in my version of After Effects (CS4 .. AE vers9)

  • JoséP

    Very cool tuto!!!.

  • http://www.nicolasplaire.com Nicolas
    Author

    Ok, well fair enough… I’ll try to downgrade the project for CS4 this weekend. Otherwise it’s quite unfair to people who haven’t upgraded to CS5.

  • M.Puvan

    This was awesome tut..thx dude :)

  • http://www.dedpnda.com morgan

    Nicolas, This might be a stupid question. But you said “I will downgrade the project for CS4″ Can this be automated or does one have to rebuild it? is there a way to downgrade an after effects project ? sorry for the dumb question.

    Also this is an awesome tutorial. I really like the part about offsetting the pages as the book opens. This I would never think of doing but it really brings out the details in realistic. Awesome work.

    Cant wait for the rest of the tutorial.

    • http://www.nicolasplaire.com Nicolas
      Author

      No, not a dumb question at all… No worries.

      I will rebuild it from scratch, with the project in CS5 open. Unfortunately, you can’t automatically convert a project from CS5 to CS4. But since I know that project quite well, it shouldn’t take me too much time.

      Thanks for the comment!

      • Nagesh

        you are an awesome guy, lots of talent and u actually know a lot about expressions and scripts.,….
        let these types of awesome tutorials coming…………hoping to see the more and more from you…….

        THANK YOU.

  • Billy

    I haven’t done the tutorial yet….but it is easy to see just from the preview that this is BY FAR the best, most unique technique that has been featured on this site for a very, very, very long time. Excellent work. Can’t wait to dig into this one!

  • Stefan

    Amazing tutorial! Really well explained! Great work! :)

  • Frank

    What if you want to turn more than 1 page (currently, the way it looks to me is that you only open to pages 4-5 in the book). I am wanting to open to different pages so that I can show more than 1 thing. Thanks so much for your help. By the way, I love the tut, but am trying to take it a step further & am having troubles. Also, a CS4 version would be great (figured while I was asking, I would ask for the kitchen sink as well, ha ha ha).

  • Robby

    I don’t understand how he just rotates the camera like that. his camera seems to work like a 3D software camera, while my camera doesn’t. Am I missing something?

    EX: His camera seems to orient around the book and it makes it easy for him to see the book. My camera orients around it’s self I think so if I try and look around the book like he does, I just spin around my self and can’t see behind the book. I have had to parent the camera to a Null to look around the book. But He doesn’t. I don’t get it, and I hate it when tuts don’t explain basic crucial things like that.

    • Klaske

      It should work the same if you open the Camera View in Custom View!

  • MrDistortion

    I just bought this tutorial and I can’t open it in AE CS4… Can someone put a warning that it ONLY works in CS5? OR can someone port it to CS4?

  • AE Listener

    Hi Everybody
    I wanna ask something..
    could you tell me what is the name of plugins/effect we use for this project.
    the clue : it has many parameters like page angle, edge width, edge distance.

    I forgot the name of that plugins.
    could you tell me please.
    thanks before.

    • Marta

      Me too! i don’t now create a Global Controls effects, and why show this div (Global C.) a white paper i don’t know!

      THANKS!

  • Marta

    How can i do the Global controls.. i know is javascript but where i put this code! THANKS SO MUCH I NEED THIS PROJECT!

  • Jonathan

    Same question.

  • Jonathan

    ok I find the solution.

    As I’m french I had to translate the expressions.. but no very big deal.

    Concerning Marta’s problem, I build slider and angle by clicking “effect menu” and then in french I choose “options pour expression”

    Sorry for my English.. I hope it will unblock you.

    Anyway, massiv bigop to the Autor.. Amazing tuto ! I’ve learn a lot..

    =)

  • AE Geeks

    thank you jonathan.

  • billy

    Finally got around to doing this tutorial. Great effect….but HORRIFIC teaching ability. ZERO explainations of the object and global control set ups….which is the heart of this effect. You REALLY have to do more here. Complete epic failure in this area.

    • Billy

      Oh….and CS4 allows for seperating the dimensions…..regardless of what the author says about this being a “new” feature in CS5. Ahh….it was a new feature in CS4. Learn your new features.

      • http://nicolasplaire.blogspot.com Nicolas
        Author

        Learn to be polite an respectful if you want to be helped…

        In the introduction I said it was a tutorial for people who already knew After Effects very well and that I was NOT going to go through basic stuff, this was included in the basic stuff. If you’re not advanced enough in After Effects to understand what I was doing you probably shouldn’t have followed the tutorial in the first place.

        And yeah I realized that this feature already existed in CS4, big deal!

  • Jorge

    Hi! I really wonder to make a pop-up book. I’m making the tutorial but i don’t understand how you introduce the layer Global Controls and Object Controls at the begining…what type of layer they are? Solid, adjust? :S

    Thanks for the answer and sorry for my english ^^

  • Matheus

    Anyone can say to me how can i make the Global Controls and Objetc Controls, etc?

    I REALLE NEED IT! :(

  • Fragu3L

    Ok, the Global Controls and the other things are Adjustements Layers, you can make them with Effet> Expression Control > Angle control et Slider control and after you must rename the effets

  • Vinoth

    Hi… nice tute… But where will i get the expressions??

  • Barry

    Nicolas, Now who is being RUDE!! Others on this site may not be as experienced as you are but would it have somehow hurt you to explain the Global Controls Layer or point us to the lesson that would teach us more. Most us of us are simply eager to learn and that is why we turned to your tutorial.

    A little help would go a long way.
    Thanks

    • Mel

      Considering how rude Billy was in the first place his remark isn’t unjustified.

      This guy has made a tutorial for free and shared it with you all. You don’t have to watch it. And yes he might not have covered some stuff but rather then being so negative it is much better to give constructive feedback such as ‘If you were to do another tutorial it would be great if you could include ….’

      In terms of Global Controls yes it would be good if he did another separate tutorial explaining this, but he isn’t obliged to. Also you can type in ‘Global Controls After Effects Tutorial’ in google for some results. There’s also a good book on expressions available that may help more in understanding (http://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Effects-Expressions-Marcus-Geduld/dp/024080936X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320233028&sr=8-1)

      If people are so eager to learn and “NEED THIS” then I’m sure you won’t mind spending a bit of time investigating rather then shouting at this guy, who is probably fed up with people being so harsh seeing as how he spent so much time making the tutorial in the first place.

  • Ju

    Great tutorial!

  • mati

    where is the second part?

  • Kashir Usman

    Hi Nicolas,

    First of all let me praise you on the most effective method of creating popup books in after effect. Its just superb!

    I need to know just one question of how I can create another page flip with pop ups. i.e… its single page opening with popup but if I try to do it with other page expression are not working. Just stuck there and need you guidance.

    Kind Regards,
    Usman

  • Christov

    Awesome tut!! Just one question.. What are the Global and Object Controls? You’re linking layers to them and i don’t know what they are or do..

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