Deee-LUX: Show Me the Light
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When I mentioned that LUX acts similarly to an Adjustment Layer, it may have sounded confusing. The reason it acts like an Adjustment layer, rather than an effect on a light, is because you can't add an effect to a light. Instead, LUX uses the dimensions of the layer it's applied to, in order to render the visible light of the AE lights in the scene. Because LUX's layer is not a 3D layer, it obeys the rules of regular, non-advanced 3D compositing. If a solid or source layer exists above LUX in the comp, it obscures the LUX layer in front of a light. Therefore LUX will not render the visible rays of that light. So, nesting LUX layers in conjunction with name activation, you can make visible Point Lights appear to duck behind layers within your 3D scene, and light the surfaces as well. An added bonus to creating the LUX effect on a layer is the ability to utilize transfer modes and opacity of the layer to effect the treatment of LUX.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]In the General parameters of LUX, there is also a controller for "Look." In addition to the various light models that Spot Light and Point Light may adopt, the Look control allows you to edit the Gamma correction of the effect. There are a few presets as well as two options that give the user keyframable Gamma control.
Because LUX also generates an alpha channel for the effect it creates (without the assistance of Unmult or XMult), you can use it in precomps, or as a track matte. In this rough quicktime, I used the LUX layer as an luma matte for fractal noise. This project took less than 25 minutes to set up, without a working knowledge of LUX. There is a detailed .PDF file that is available with LUX, describing each of the values within the plugin, but does not provide any tutorial for editing those parameters.
Like 3D Stroke, whose control seemed innocent enough, until artists started pushing amazing designs out the door with simple animated mask shapes, LUX will soon turn on a light for many AE designers and animators. Unlike Shine and 3D Stroke, which you should have as part of your After Effects toolkit at all times, LUX is a more case-specific effect. Animators familiar with lights and 3D camera setups will be more inclined to use this than beginner After Effects compositors. Be sure to check out Trapcode site for sample movies, two online tutorials, as well as a working demo of the plugin for Mac and Windows. For other Trapcode tutorials, including some by Stephen Schleicher and "Light Sweep" by Mason Yi, check DMN Tutorials on CreativeMac.
Ko Maruyama is freelance animator and CreativeMac contributor who can be found hanging about in the After Effects forum, and lurking in the Cinema4D forum.
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