Hollywood Illusion releases Magic Nodes 2 for After Effects
Hollywood Illusion has released Magic Nodes 2, the new version of the After Effects extension that brings node-based workflows to Adobe’s layer-based compositing software.
The update adds support for After Effects’ 3D layers and cameras, making it possible to create multi-graphs and node groups, and GPU-accelerates the extension.
Build up After Effects compositions by wiring nodes together
Released earlier this year, Magic Nodes lets artists build up a composite by wiring together nodes in a graph which the extension then translates into standard After Effects layers.
As well as providing the flexibility of native node-based compositing tools when it comes to modifying composites, the extension removes the need to create precomps, improving performance on complex shots.
Magic Nodes 2: support for 3D layers, cameras, multi-graphs and node groups
Whereas the initial release was focused on compositing rendered elements into video, Magic Nodes 2 adds support for 3D layers and cameras, opening up a wider range of use cases.
The update also adds the option to create multiple node graphs within a single After Effects project, and to keep more complex graphs organized by grouping nodes.
In addition, the plugin is now GPU-accelerated – via OpenGL, so it should be hardware-agnostic – and supports After Effects’ Multi-Frame Rendering system.
Price and system requirements
Magic Nodes 2 is compatible with After Effects 2017+ on Windows and macOS.
A Basic perpetual licence costs $89, and is limited to five graphs per project file; a Premium plan costs $149, and includes access to sample projects and one year’s maintenance.
Read more about Magic Nodes on Hollywood Illusion’s website
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