Thursday, August 3rd, 2017 Posted by Jim Thacker

Red Giant releases Trapcode Suite 14 for After Effects


Red Giant has released Trapcode Suite 14, its updated motion graphics and VFX plugins for After Effects.

The release includes two major plugin updates, Trapcode Particular 3.0 and Trapcode Form 3.0, both of which can now use models in OBJ format as particle sources. Particular is also now GPU-accelerated.

In addition, Trapcode Suite 14 includes a free 2.1 update to Trapcode Tao, adding DoF effects.



New in Trapcode Particular 3.0: GPU acceleration, support for multiple particle systems
Particle effects tool Trapcode Particular is now GPU-accelerated – via OpenGL, so it should work on any manufacturer’s graphics cards – and now supports multiple interacting particle systems.

Red Giant’s news release has a good summary of the new features, reproduced in part below:

  • GPU Acceleration
    Get fast feedback with Trapcode Particular’s new GPU Acceleration through OpenGL. Depending on system and setup, users can see speed boosts of up to 4X or more over previous versions.
  • Updates to Designer
    New in Particular 3, the Designer respects the AE comp size, bringing in the composition and camera info. Preview your particle layout with camera and emitter position controls.
  • Multiple Systems
    Create beautiful, complex effects through the interaction of different systems, all within one instance of Particular. Emitters in multi-system setups can share parameter settings, and can be saved as a single preset.
  • OBJs as Emitters
    3D models and animated OBJ sequences can be used as particle emitters. Use your own 3D models or choose from Particular’s library of over 60 OBJs which can be loaded directly within After Effects or in the Designer via the new OBJ Loading Panel.
  • Sprites and Polygons
    Use any composition image as a particle by assigning it to a 2D sprite or textured polygon – still and animated sprite images can be loaded directly within After Effects or in the Designer via the new Sprite Loading Panel.
  • Updates to Aux System
    Spawn new child particles through Particular’s Aux system. Particular 3’s updated Aux system now includes the ability to add custom particles for even more variation, as well as keyframeable parameters for more control.
  • 300+ Presets
    Particular 3 includes over 210 new presets that show off powerful features like multiple systems, OBJ emitters and more – create fire, spaceflight, fireworks, muzzle flashes, explosions, smoke and more. Save presets and share them across your facility.



New in Trapcode Form 3.0: new Designer system, support for OBJ models as particle grids
Trapcode Form 3.0, used to create 3D particle grids, now features the same Designer system as Particular, used to provide instant visual feedback on effects; and the option to use OBJ models as particle grids.

Again, Red Giant’s news release has a good summary of the changes, reproduced in part below:

  • Updates to Designer
    Create particle grids visually in an intuitive environment. Add adjustable blocks with preset settings and styles for emitters, particles and more. Or add complete, customizable particle effects with a single click.
  • 3D Models
    3D models and animated OBJ sequences can be used as particle emitters. Use your own 3D models or choose from Form’s library of over 60 OBJs which can be loaded directly within After Effects or in the Designer via the new OBJ Loading Panel.
  • Sprites and Polygons
    Use any composition image as a particle by assigning it to a 2D sprite or textured polygon – still and animated sprite images can be loaded directly within After Effects or in the Designer via the new Sprite Loading Panel.
  • More Control
    Animate controls over time for the color, size, opacity, and dispersion of your particles, as well as their fractal and audio reactivity with the newly updated keyframeable graphing system.
  • 70+ Presets
    Form 3 has over 70 new customizable Designer presets for creating backgrounds and motion design elements.

Other changes: support for depth of field in Trapcode Tao 1.2
The release also includes Trapcode Tao 1.2, a free update to the new tool introduced in Trapcode Suite 13 for creating procedural 3D geometry along a path, adding a new depth of field effect.

According to Red Giant, the effect creates “camera-realistic blurs” for Tao objects according to their distance from After Effects’ 3D camera.

The other eight plugins in the suite don’t seem to have received updates this time round, but you can find a full run-down of their current capabilities via the link below.

Pricing and availability
Trapcode Suite 14 is available for After Effects on Windows and Mac OS X. You can find the versions of After Effects supported by each individual plugin on this page on Red Giant’s website.

New licences of Trapcode Suite cost $999; individual plugins cost from $99 to $399.

Read more about the new features in Trapcode Suite 14 on Red Giant’s website