3D Gallery Carousel in After Effects | Full Rig Setup Tutorial
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a clean, reusable 3D carousel rig in After Effects — without any plugins. Perfect for creating cinematic showcases, client portfolios, and dynamic UI animations.
▶️ What you'll learn:
– 3D layout using nulls
– Clean parent structure
– Adding depth & lighting
– Carousel controller setup
🛠 Tools: Adobe After Effects (no plugins)
🎥 Rendered in native AE 3D space
Expression:
// === Carousel Settings ===
radius = 1500; // Radius of the circle (side view)
depth = 1200; // Z offset curve amount
total = 6; // Total items in carousel
rotationCtrl = thisComp.layer("Controller").effect("Carousel Rotation")("Slider");
// === Relative Layer Index (make sure the first one is base layer) ===
myIndex = index - thisComp.layer("Media 01").index;
angleDeg = (360 / total) * myIndex + rotationCtrl;
angleRad = degreesToRadians(angleDeg);
// === Position Calculation (TOP VIEW with depth curve) ===
x = thisComp.width / 2 + radius * Math.cos(angleRad);
y = thisComp.height / 2;
z = depth * Math.sin(angleRad); // gives a curve in Z-space
[x, y, z]
💼 Freelance Availability
I'm currently open for freelance projects! If you're looking for high-end motion design or 3D animation that grabs attention and delivers results, feel free to reach out through the platforms below:
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rezi-chemia-07919b124
🎯 Fiverr: fiverr.com/s/P25REaG
Discord : / discord
Let’s create something epic.
Let me know if you want a shorter or more casual version too.