Guidelines for working with 3D objects in Motion

To get the best results when working with 3D objects, keep the following in mind:

• Only 3D files in the USDZ format are supported in Motion.

• A USDZ file is read-only and its inherent attributes (such as vertices, faces, and textures) cannot be edited in Motion. You can, however, adjust an object’s orientation or size in Motion.

• Motion’s cameras and lights interact with 3D objects, but shadows, drop shadows, and reflections are not available for 3D objects. Additionally, camera depth-of-field settings have no effect on 3D objects (but do affect other layers in a 3D project that contains 3D objects).

• If you download and import 3D objects from sources other than the Motion Library (even in the USDZ file format), you may see unexpected results due to issues with the 3D file, such as missing textures. Objects that appear problematic in Motion also appear incorrect when viewed in the Finder or in Xcode.

  For more information on using Xcode with imported 3D objects, see Working with imported 3D objects.

• When imported into a Motion project, a 3D object may be positioned beyond edge the canvas and may not be visible in the canvas. You may need to adjust the unit size of the 3D object, reposition the anchor point of the 3D object, or zoom out of the canvas to see and reposition the 3D object.

• Any camera data associated with an imported 3D object (or scene) is ignored when added to a Motion project. You can add Motion camera objects to your 3D projects.

• Any audio associated with an imported USDZ file is disregarded when added to a Motion project.

• You can’t apply a mask to a 3D object, but you can apply a mask to the object’s parent group. When you apply a mask to the group, the group must be a 2D group or a flattened 3D group. See Add a mask to a 3D group.

• A 3D object used as a source layer confers its 3D attributes to the source layer. For example, if you use a 3D object as the source for a particle emitter, the 3D checkbox is turned on in the Emitter Inspector. To use a flattened 3D object as a 2D source for a particle emitter, place the 3D object into a 2D group, then use the 2D group as the emitter source.