… for Apple Motion

Tip #154: 3D Transform Tool Adds Perspective

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

On-screen controls allow faster element manipulation.

There are two ways to add perspective to any element in Motion: The Inspector and the 3D Transform tool. To enable the 3D Transform tool, click the icon to the immediate right of the Arrow tool that looks like a wire globe.

When you select an element in the Layers panel, a white wireframe box appears around it. Inside are three circles and three color arrows. The secret code is R – G – B.

• R (Red) – Makes adjustments on the horizontal axis
• G (Green) – Makes adjustments on the vertical axis
• B (Blue) – Makes adjustments to and from the viewer (camera); the Z-axis.

For example, dragging the green arrow slides the shape vertically.

But, the real secret is in the three white circles. These create rotation.

• Left circle. Rotates on the vertical axis. (It displays a green line.)
• Top circle. Rotates on the Z-axis. (It displays a blue line.)
• Right circle. Rotates on the horizontal axis. (It displays a red line.)

By selecting the 3D Transform tool and dragging these six controls, you can quickly and intuitively adjust the position and rotation of any selected element.