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Table of Contents

Welcome
What’s new
- What is Motion?
- Motion workflow
- Motion interface
- Basic components of Motion
- Using input devices
- Intro to creating projects
- Create a new project
- Open an existing project
- Search for projects from the Finder
- Bypass the Project Browser
- Create and modify project presets
- Save, autosave, and revert projects
- Intro to adding and managing content
- Intro to project playback
- Define the play range
- Project playback performance
- Intro to basic compositing
- - Modify layer opacity
- Intro to 3D compositing
- - Intro to 3D coordinates
  - Relative coordinates
- Transform layers in 3D space
- - Create 3D intersection
  - 2D and 3D group properties
- Intro to the Timeline
- Display or resize the Timing pane
- Navigate in the Timeline
- Show and modify keyframes in the Timeline
- - Intro to the Timeline ruler
  - Edit a range of frames in the Timeline
- Edit in the mini-Timeline
- Intro to behaviors
- Behaviors versus keyframes
- - Browse for behaviors
- - Intro to adjusting behaviors
  - Adjust behaviors
- Intro to keyframing
- Add keyframes
- - Add an animation path in the canvas
  - Modify animation paths
- Animate from the HUD
- - Apply keyframes to behaviors
  - Combining keyframes and behaviors
- Use the mini-curve editor
- Animate on the fly
- Simplify a keyframe curve
- Intro to Final Cut Pro templates
- - Template workflow
  - Placeholders vs. drop zones
- - Convert a Motion project to a template
  - Convert a template to another type
- Use placeholder images in templates
- Set template resolution
- Add multiple aspect ratios to templates
- Override the Final Cut Pro color space
- Create templates that conform to the Final Cut Pro color space
- Where are templates saved?
- Using masks in templates
- - General template guidelines
  - Tips for color processing in templates
- Intro to rigging
- How does rigging work?
- Build a simple rig
- Work with widgets
- Control rigs from Animation menus
- Publish rigs to Final Cut Pro
- Intro to Particles
- - Add a particle system
  - Anatomy of a particle emitter
- Create 3D particles
- Particle system timing
- Using graphics in particle systems
- Using filters and masks with particles
- Save custom particle effects
- Intro to replicators
- Replicators vs. particle systems
- - Add a replicator
  - Anatomy of a replicator
- Work with 3D replicators
- Replicator timing
- Using filters and masks with replicators
- Save custom replicators
- Intro to basic text
- Select and modify text in the canvas
- Preview and apply fonts
- Use preset text styles
- - Intro to editing text
  - Display the Text Inspector or HUD
- Convert standard text to 3D text
- Check spelling
- Find and replace text
- Using filters with text
- Intro to 3D text
- 3D text workflow
- - Add 3D text
  - Convert 2D text to 3D text
- Apply a preset 3D text style
- Move and rotate 3D text
- Add a glow or drop shadow to 3D text
- 3D text intersection
- Intro to animated text
- Apply a text behavior
- - Use the Scroll Text behavior
  - Scroll Text controls
- - Use the Text Tracking behavior
  - Text Tracking controls
- - Use the Type On behavior
  - Type On controls
- Animate individual text glyphs
- Animating 2D text in 3D space
- When to use keyframes to animate text
- Adding nontext behaviors to text
- Save a modified text behavior
- Intro to shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- - Intro to complex shapes and masks
  - Draw complex shapes and masks
- Edit fill, outline, and feathering
- Keyframe shape control points
- Convert between shapes and masks
- Using filters and masks with shapes
- Copy shape styles
- Save custom shapes and shape styles
- Intro to using generators
- Add a generator
- - Modify or animate a generator
  - Controls common to all generators
- Save a modified generator
- Intro to filters
- Browse and preview filters
- Apply or remove filters
- - Animate filter parameters with keyframes
  - Animate filters using behaviors
- About filters and color processing
- Publish filter controls to Final Cut Pro
- Using filters on alpha channels
- Filter performance
- Save custom filters
- Intro to color keying
- - Intro to the Luma Keyer filter
  - Luma Keyer filter controls
- Intro to 3D objects
- Add a 3D object
- Move and rotate a 3D object
- Reposition a 3D object’s anchor point
- Exchange a 3D object file
- 3D object intersection and layer order
- - Intro to 3D object timing
  - Modify 3D object timing in Motion
- Using cameras and lights with 3D objects
- Save custom 3D objects
- Guidelines for working with 3D objects
- Working with imported 3D objects
- Intro to 360-degree video
- 360-degree projects
- Create 360-degree projects
- Add 360-degree video to a project
- - View 360-degree projects
  - View 360-degree video in a VR headset
- - Intro to graphics in 360-degree projects
  - Use graphics in 360-degree projects
- Create a tiny planet effect
- Reorient 360-degree media
- Creating 360-degree templates for Final Cut Pro
- 360-degree-aware filters and generators
- Export and share 360-degree projects
- Guidelines for better 360-degree projects
- Intro to tracking
- How does motion tracking work?
- Analyze and record motion in a clip
- Track shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- Track the position of a filter or object
- Adjust onscreen trackers
- Load existing tracking data
- Use a range of frames for analysis
- Save tracks to the Library
- Intro to audio
- View audio files
- Add audio files
- Play audio files
- Intro to exporting projects
- Export a QuickTime movie
- Export audio only
- Export a still image
- Export an image sequence
- Export to Apple devices
- Export to email
- Export using Compressor
- Create share destinations
- Render settings
- View the status of shared items
- Share notifications
- About color space
- Intro to color management
- Set the color processing method
- Manage automatic color processing
- View HDR media
- Adjust HDR media
- Choose HDR colors
- Display luminance values
- Tips for color management
- Intro to Cinematic mode video
- Move Cinematic clips to your Mac
- Enable Cinematic mode video adjustments
- Adjust focus points in Cinematic mode video clips in Motion
- Adjust depth of field in Cinematic mode video clips
- Intro to settings and shortcuts
- Touch Bar shortcuts
- Move assets to another computer
- Work with GPUs
Glossary
Copyright

Create 3D intersection in Motion

By default in Motion, the order of layers in the Layers list determines the stacking order of layers in the canvas. In other words, layers higher up in the Layers list appear in the canvas on top of layers that are lower in the Layers list. This hierarchy of layer organization is called layer order. Even when you move a layer forward in Z space using 3D transform handles, that layer does not pass through or move in front of layers that are higher in the Layers list. Layer order prevents intersection and interaction of layers.

Important: 3D objects intersect only with like objects. In other words, 3D text objects intersect only with other 3D text objects, and 3D objects intersect only with other 3D objects. Additionally, 3D text and 3D objects use layer order: For 3D text or 3D objects to appear above other non-3D text or non-3D object layers, the 3D text or 3D object must be positioned above the other layers in the Layers list; the text’s or object’s Z position in the canvas has no effect. See 3D text intersection.

In the image below, groups “Orange A” and “Yellow B” are positioned at the same point in 3D space. But because they are layer-ordered, “Orange A” does not intersect with “Yellow B.”

Layers list and canvas showing groups sorted in layer order

To have objects intersect in the canvas, you must convert groups in your project to depth order. You do this by converting 2D groups to 3D groups.

In the image below, because the parent group has been converted to 3D, groups “Orange A” and “Yellow B” now intersect.

Layers list and canvas showing groups sorted in depth order

To summarize:

Groups and layers nested in 2D groups are composited in layer order.
Groups and layers nested in 3D groups are composited in depth order.

A Motion project can contain both 2D and 3D groups, and both groups can be parents or nested children of one another. And you can convert a group from 2D to 3D, and vice versa, at any time.

Convert a group from 2D to 3D to enable intersection

In the Layers list in Motion, select a 2D group, then do one of the following:
- Click the 2D icon to the right of the group in the Layers list.
- Choose Object > 3D Group (or press Control-D).
- In the Group Inspector, click the Type pop-up menu, then choose 3D.

The 2D group icon is replaced by a 3D group icon, and layers and groups nested in the parent group are converted to depth order, allowing intersection with other depth-ordered layers and groups. To change a group from 3D to 2D, use the same method described above.

Important: Some operations, as well as the application of some filters or a mask, cause a group to be rasterized. When a group is rasterized, it’s converted into a bitmap image. Rasterization affects 2D and 3D groups in different ways, sometimes preventing 3D intersection. See Intro to rasterization.

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