Make Everything 3D

1. Create a new composition and immediately go to the 3D Renderer tab inside Composition Settings (Ctrl+K). This is the key to unlocking real 3D extrusion in After Effects.

• Renderer Change from Classic 3D → Cinema 4D
• Resolution 1920 × 1080, 24 fps or your preference

2. Click OK. With the Cinema 4D renderer active, shape layers gain a Geometry Options group with an Extrusion Depth property — this is everything you need to make objects truly 3D.

Cinema 4D highlighted in the renderer dropdown — selecting it unlocks true 3D extrusion

3. Press Q to select the Ellipse Tool, then hold Shift and draw a perfect circle in the center of the Composition. In the Shape layer properties:

• Fill None
• Stroke Enable, set width to a visible thickness (e.g. 20–30 px)
• Color White or light gray to interact well with colored lights

4. Make sure the shape is perfectly centered — select the layer, press A twice to reveal Anchor Point, and use Align panel to center both the layer and its anchor point. This is critical for clean 3D rotation.

Circle shape layer — stroke only, no fill, centered in the composition

5. Click the 3D Layer cube icon next to the shape layer in the Timeline (press F4 to reveal the Switches column). With 3D enabled, expand the layer and open Contents → Ellipse 1 → Geometry Options.

• Extrusion Depth Increase to see 3D depth (start with ~100–200)
• Bevel Style Convex — smooths and rounds the extrusion edges
• Bevel Depth 6–10 for a subtle polished edge

6. To better see the 3D effect, select the layer and press R to reveal Rotation, then drag the X Rotation value. You will immediately see the depth of the extrusion.

Extrusion Depth applied — Geometry Options visible in layer contents with bevel settings

7. Without lights, the 3D extrusion looks flat. Go to Layer › New › Light (or right-click the Timeline and choose New › Light). You will create three lights for a professional cinematic setup:

• Key Light Point light — main light source, full intensity, warm color
• Fill Light Point light — reduced intensity (~40–60%), lifts shadows
• Back Light Point light — placed behind the object, creates rim highlight

8. Open a Top View (right-click Composition panel → New Viewer, set dropdown to Top) to position your lights precisely. The key light should be upper-left of the object, fill light upper-right at a lower intensity, and the back light directly behind.

Three-point lighting — front view and side view showing light positions around the 3D ring

9. Go to Layer › New › Camera. In the Camera Settings dialog, choose a focal length. For this type of object showcase, a slightly telephoto lens works well:

• 50 mm Natural human field of view — balanced
• 60–80 mm Slightly telephoto — flattens and emphasizes the object

10. Click OK. Press C to activate the Camera Orbit Tool and orbit around your shape to find an interesting angle. The extrusion depth and lighting will look dramatically different from various angles.

Layer › New › Camera — adding a camera to the composition from the right-click menu

11. You can animate either the object or the camera. For a clean object rotation, select the shape layer and press R to reveal Rotation. Click the stopwatch on Y Rotation (or X/Z) to set a keyframe at frame 0, then move to the end of the Timeline and change the rotation value.

• Y Rotation 0° → 360° Full rotation reveal — satisfying loop
• X + Y combined Tumbling effect — more dynamic

12. Select all keyframes, press F9 for Easy Ease, then open the Graph Editor and drag the handles inward to create a slow-in / slow-out feel. For a seamless loop, make sure the first and last keyframe values are identical.

3D ring rendered from camera angle — the smooth rotation animation plays through this view

13. This same technique works with any logo. Import your .ai (Illustrator) file into After Effects, then:

• Step 1 Drag the .ai layer into your composition
• Step 2 Right-click the layer → Create → Create Shapes from Vector Layer
• Step 3 Enable the new shape layer as a 3D layer
• Step 4 Open Geometry Options and increase Extrusion Depth

14. The shape layer created from your logo can now be extruded, lit, and animated exactly like any other shape. If you don't have a vector file, use Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator to convert a raster logo to vectors first.

Right-click › Create › Create Shapes from Vector Layer — converts the .ai file into an editable shape layer

After Effects logo extruded in 3D — custom view and camera view showing the final lit and animated result