Speedy 3D Text

No, I'm not insane. At least not about this.

Among the features shared by Boris FX, Boris Graffiti and Boris RED is 3D Text. It's treated as one of several shapes to which media, including live video, can be mapped, including spheres, page turns and the infamous cube. (3D Line Art is a RED-only shape. The others are in FX and Graffiti as well.)

It's also among the features that many video editors find most vexing for very good reason: it forces you to move at the speed of 3D, rather than at the speed of video.

The biggest difficulties aren't in rendering, which are not out of line with other 3D applications. I also think most video editors understand that rendering 3D shapes is a different beast than rendering a two-layer transition or single-layer filter.

Boris has also done a number of things to speed rendering, including supporting multiple processors on both PC and Mac since 1997, with improved enhancements such as Altivec support coming in the next generation of products.

The difficulties come with setting the effects up, where redraw times can grind work to a halt. The good news is that there are some very simple things to do that will dramatically speed the setup of 3D text effects, including a number that no other application offers.

And because 3D Text is a standard shape for Boris products, these same tips can be used for working with other shapes as well.

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