FreeForm V2 for CS6: Fast, Flexible and Ferocious!
May 25, 2012 Tags: 3D in After Effetcs, After Effects, CS5, CS6, Displacement mapping, FreeForm V2, Mettle, Plug-in
Category: After Effects, FreeForm V2, Mettle 8 Comments 
As you may have noticed, FreeForm is no longer bundled in CS6. Luckily, a much faster version, FreeForm V2, is available for CS5 and CS6, at mettle.com.
Of course, all projects created with the version of FreeForm that came bundled with CS5 can be opened with FreeForm V2.
FreeForm V2 is a must-have 3D mesh-warp plug-in for After Effects. FreeForm V2 still offers waaay more functionality than the built-in bendable layer in CS6. Howz that you ask?
1) Waaay more control of the layer that you want to bend, twist and distort.
FreeForm V2 displays up to 20 x 20 control points along each edge of your plane = 400 tangent control points! Kinda like AE’s Mesh Warp, but in 3D. Sick…
All control points and tangents are displayed in the AE comp window, and can be manipulated and animated in 3D. Woohoo!
2) 3D Displacement Mapping:
Use a layer’s luminance values to push in or pull out a 3D image on the z-axis! Animate it over time… Yowza!
About the Author: 
If I buy the Mac version do I get access to the Windows version as well? I’m running a mac laptop and PC desktop.
Hi Jason,
You have to buy each version separately. However, we offer a special price to customers who buy both versions. The 2nd version costs only 35%, or $34.50. Please contact me directly if you are interested: nancy@mettle.com
Thanks! Nancy
Hi Nancy, I am attending Adobe After Effects CS6 class and I want to learn more deeper to change my career. I want to master MOTION GRAPHIC DESIGN. What books can you recommend. I have Creating MOTION GRAPHICS with After Effects -Trish & Chris Meyer . And I want more books to read I appreciate very much any help you can give me.
@Guillermo,
Nancy
If you want to learn more about After Effects, there is a lot of info online that is constantly being updated. It tends to stay more current than books. There are some paid online courses which are quite good:
video2brain.com with Todd Kopriva and Angie Taylor
totaltraining.com with Brian Maffit
Lynda.com does a good series too
Free info online for After Effects:
http://ae.tutsplus.com – http://maltaannon.com – http://sternfx.com – http://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva – http://myleniumstuff.com – http://www.mamoworld.com – http://www.creativedojo.net – http://philbearman.co.uk – http://lesterbanks.com/after-effects-tutorials – http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/ryoung
If you want to develop your design sensibility, I recommend that you look at books and magazines on many areas of design: graphic design, typography, interior design, industrial design, fashion, architecture, etc. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask me more questions, if there are specific areas of motion design which you are interested in.
Glad to see that FreeForm V2 works with CS6. The faster render times are welcome.
@graphix676
You’re welcome!