Video Copilot Element 3D

About this release

Element 3D is a plugin that puts a fast GPU renderer inside a motion graphics host, so 3D text, logos, imported models and replicated particles can be built and animated on the timeline without a round trip to a separate 3D application. Its whole reason to exist is speed, it renders on the graphics card in near real time, so a designer iterates on a 3D shot at the pace of a normal composite rather than waiting on frames.

The typical job is broadcast style 3D graphics. Extrude a piece of text or a logo, give it a bevel and a material, light it, and animate it flying through the frame, all inside the host you are already compositing in. The particle replicator scatters an object across a surface or through space and animates the whole array from a handful of controls, which is how the swirling logo builds and abstract backgrounds get made.

It ships with a material system and a starter library of models and textures, and it imports standard 3D formats so models built elsewhere drop straight in. The physically based shading, the ambient occlusion and the reflection handling are all computed on the card. This release is the full plugin with its bundled packs unlocked from first launch.

What it does

• GPU accelerated 3D rendering inside a motion graphics host
• Text and logo extrusion with bevels, materials and lighting
• Import of standard 3D model formats built elsewhere
• Particle replicator for scattering and animating object arrays
• Physically based material system with reflections and occlusion
• Near real time preview so shots iterate at compositing speed
• Bundled starter library of models, materials and textures
• Multiple object groups animated independently in one scene
• Motion blur and depth of field computed on the card
• Auto animation presets for fast group movement

Changes in this version

• Improved performance on current generation graphics cards
• Better handling of high polygon imported models
• Reworked material editor with clearer preview
• Faster particle replicator on large counts
• Expanded bundled model and texture library

What the package contains

• Video Copilot Element 3D plugin installer
• Bundled model, material and texture library
• Starter scene presets
• Readme with the plugin install steps
• Notes on pointing the installer at the host folder

Installation notes

Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.

1. Disconnect from the network before you begin.
2. Pause real time protection for the duration.
3. Close the motion graphics host if it is open.
4. Run the installer as administrator and point it at the host's plugin folder.
5. Apply the included unlock step before launching the host.
6. Open the host, load the plugin once, then reconnect.

System requirements

Things worth knowing

• Performance lives and dies by the graphics card, a weak GPU turns the near real time preview into a slideshow.
• The plugin must be pointed at the correct host folder during install or the host will not load it.
• Very high polygon imported models fill VRAM fast, decimate them before bringing them in.

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Listing information

This entry is catalogued under Video & Motion and carries the tags below. Language coverage is English, and the supported platform list is Windows 10, Windows 11. Version 2.2.3.2192 is the current catalogued build, last checked 5 days ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 2 years ago.