Rob de Winter presenting at Adobe MAX in Los Angeles

S558 - Creating an Animated and Interactive Infographic

Thank you for attending my Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Animate and Adobe Aero Interactive Infographic session at the online Adobe MAX 2021! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

On this mini-website you can find some additional information about the session, because 25 minutes was a bit too short to show you everything. In the video below you'll learn how to create the animated front objects from the infographic. Below that you'll find some extra information about about creating the text 3D object.

Let me know what you thought about this session in the comments below :-)

Click on the button below to visit the session web page on the Adobe MAX website and copy the exercise files.

watch the session on max.adobe.com

And psst... if you liked this session you might also want to take a look at my Adobe MAX Photoshop lab session. You can watch the session here: Photoshop Design Magic: Working from Anywhere

How to animate the front objects

In this video you'll learn how to animate the front objects in Adobe Animate. An arrow moves along a custom made Motion Path.

Create the 3D model

The text Windmills in the Netherlands 'hangs' in the air as a 3D object. I created the 3D object in Adobe Illustrator and added the textures in Adobe Dimension. I've added some screenshots to show you how I created this asset in Illustrator 2022 using the new 3D features. Then I exported it as an .OBJ file. You can import this .OBJ file directly into Adobe Aero, but then it won't have textures and color. If you want to, you can add those textures in 3D software. Basic steps:

  1. Select the objects you want to transform into a 3D object and go to Effect > 3D and Materials > Extrude & Bevel.
  2. Select the Extrude button in the 3D and Materials panel.
  3. Then export the selection by going to File > Export Selection.
  4. Choose .OBJ in the Formats section of the Export for Screens panel.
  5. Click Export Asset. The asset is exported now. You can now copy it to your Creative Cloud Files and import it into Adobe Aero.
  6. If you know how to work with software like Adobe Dimension or Adobe Substance Painter, you can add textures there and export the file as an .OBJ object. If you added textures, make sure to compress the folder containing the OBJ file and texture files as a ZIP file. Then import it into Adobe Aero. Otherwise, the textures won't be displayed.

Exporting Files From Aero

You can export Adobe Aero files in a number of ways. I think the best way to share a file with someone else is to share a link or generate a QR code. To view all the interactive features, people need to download the Adobe Aero app. They don't need to have a Creative Cloud subscription. The app will simply behave like an Aero 'reader'. If you go to the Share button (see screenshots), you have several options to share the file:

  1. Record a video: just record a video of the AR experience and send it to someone.
  2. Share a link: share a link or share a QR code. People with the link will be redirected to the Adobe Aero app. If the app isn't installed, you will be prompted to do so.
  3. Behance project: you can also share this project on Behance.
  4. Export as: editable Aero files can be exported with a .REAL extension. You can share a REAL file with your collaborating team members so that they can edit your document in Aero. After they edit, they can share the .REAL file back with you and you can import the file into Aero.

    The other option is to export as a Universal Scene Description (.usdz). Unfortunately not all features are available then. Interactivity won't work, for example.

Let's Connect!

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robdewinter
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DWM Trainingen, my creative training company: dwmtrainingen.nl

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