Make Viral 3D CGI Ads – Advanced After Effects Tutorial (No Plugins)
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how I transformed simple walking footage into a CGI commercial using only After Effects — no external 3D software, no plugins.
You'll learn:
✅ Camera tracking
✅ HDRI lighting + realistic shadows
✅ Animating 3D objects
✅ Adding 3D logos to walls and arrows on the ground
✅ Color grading and export tips
...all with beginner-friendly steps!
📁 Get the Project File
📦 Download here on Patreon (with other exclusive files & assets):
👉 / iphone-14-pro-ad-128880344
🎥 Assets Used in This Video:
📹 Footage (Pexels)
https://www.pexels.com/video/person-w...
📦 3D Model (Sketchfab by Mr. Dude)
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/iphon...
🌇 HDRI (Poly Haven)
https://polyhaven.com/a/modern_buildi...
🍎 Apple Logo PNG (Freepik)
https://www.freepik.com/icon/apple_73...
➡️ Arrow PNG (Freepik)
https://www.freepik.com/free-psd/grad...
🔗 Follow Me for More:
📸 Instagram: / robel_ob
🎵 TikTok: / robel_ob
🎨 Patreon: patreon.com/Robel_ob
💬 Drop your questions in the comments and let me know what you want to see next!
If you found this helpful, a like and sub would mean the world 🙏
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Intro + What You’ll Learn
00:46 – Footage & Assets Overview
01:56 – Timeline Setup & Trimming
02:24 – Camera Tracking in After Effects
03:08 – Setting Track Points + Adding Solid & Camera
03:54 – Importing 3D iPhone Model
04:32 – Attaching Model to Tracked Layer
05:20 – Adjusting Position, Scale & Rotation
06:00 – Building the Shadow Wall
07:12 – Setting Up HDRI Environment Light
08:19 – Tuning Shadow Placement & Intensity
09:41 – Making Solid Invisible (Shadow Only)
11:07 – Animating the 3D Object (Drop from Sky + Bounce)
13:05 – Easy Ease & Graph Editor Smoothing
13:54 – Adding 3D Assets to Walls & Ground
14:57 – Mask Animation for Arrow
15:44 – Color Grading & Final Touches
16:04 – Outro