I added a video to a @YouTube playlist https://t.co/uE0MaXKuC6 Space Logo Reveal Made with Element 3D, Orb, and Optical Flares
— Vicky Schroeder (@vickey_video) October 16, 2018
Element 3D is a third-party After Effects plugin created by Video Copilot. It is a 64-bit plugin that runs in both Windows and MacOS. It is used for importing/creating 3d items and for particle making. It is mostly used for movement style and visual effects. Element is capable of stimulating and rendering. It uses OpenGL to produce images more rapidly than CPU rendering is currently capable of. The plugin includes physically based shaders, texture mapping, lighting, stimulating and 3D compositing tools. There are restrictions to rendering in OpenGL compared to raytraced making, lots of workarounds are possible to assist yield highly photorealistic results, particularly if the workstation is equipped with a high end video card. Element 3d is more restricted in its capability to produce scenes from scratch than a complete highlighted 3d program such as Cinema 4d. Nevertheless, professional website results, particularly with easy scenes such as logo design fly-ins and animated typography can be attained in a comparatively short time. Just like any 3d program, Element 3d has a discovering curve. While easy principles are simple to attain, photorealism requires patience, practice, experimentation, and a compatible OpenGL video card with at least 2 GB of VRAM.
The plugin includes physically based shaders, texture mapping, lighting, stimulating and 3D compositing tools. Element 3d is more restricted in its capability to produce scenes from scratch than a full featured 3d program such as Cinema 4d. As with any 3d program, Element 3d has a learning curve.