It is amazing to me how HitFilm has some really great ideas and workflows behind it. It’s and editor, it’s a compositor, it has effects that are built for work, it has one of the most impressive particle systems, and it has a true 3D environment. This gives you a great 3D workflow while compositing. All of this, for the price of what a single seat of Trapcode Particular costs for After Effects. Seriously.
To make sure that your 3D models look realistic, you should follow these simple lighting steps
3D, Unified
If you were curios as to what a true 3D environment can do for a compositor, there is no need to look any further than this example in HitFilm. HitFilm can open and use 3D models out of the box. You can choose between popular 3D formats, such as OBJ, 3DS, LWO, and ABC. If you are an After Effects user and not familiar with ABC, you are not to blame. ABC is the Alembic file format. Yes you can use Alembic files right in HitFilm. This gives users the power to bring in pre-animated sequences from high-end 3D applications. again, Amazing.
Here, Simon Jones offers a look into the 3D workflow available in HitFilm, and how to create accurate lighting for 3D models. This is a good walkthrough of the 3D workflow that Hitfilm is capable of. Using scene lighting information as an IBL, tracking the shot with Mocha (which comes bundled BTW), and applying realistic materials to the 3D model.
