Question regarding Tutorial 5.8 3D scenes

[Toontoonz]

I wonder if others have experienced this in constructing an animation as described in Tutorial 5.8 "3D scenes".

I set it up everything works fine....almost.
Here is an example:
In the animation I have a green background for the grass and a bunch of flowers. The grass background is rotated on the X axis to -90. No problems so far.
Each of the flowers is on a separate, bone layer. Altogether 10 different flower levels (but it could be more or less).
Using the Tanslate layer I move the flowers around on the grass background.

In the Translate layer the placement of Flower Layer 5 is at Z coordinate -3.
In the Translate layer the placement of Flower Layer 2 is at Z coordinate -5.
Layer 5 is closer to the camera than Layer 2.

When I will reset to the camera view I will see both Flower layer 2 and 5, even though some distance away from each other, they will overlap - just as I set it up.
However, when looking through the camera view the further away Flower Layer 2 renders in front of Flower layer 5.
Why?
I found out why. Even though from the coordinates and top-down, bird´s eye view show that Flower layer 2 is further away than Flower layer 5 to the camera, IN the placement of the layers in the Layer´s window, Flower Layer 2 is above Flower Layer 5.
Those layers on top always render on top of those layers below, no matter what the Z coordinate.
So to make sure that Flower layer 5 is in front of Flower layer 2 in the rendering of this type animation, one has to re-adjust the layers in the Layer Window to make sure the Layer 5 is above Layer 2. (Or conversely, make sure the Layers are placed furthest away according their place in the Layer´s menu. Those higher up must be closest to the camera.)

(This is probably real confusing.)

But is this what others have experienced? That one must pay attention to the Z coordinates AND where the Layer in placed in the Layer´s menu? Those layers on top always render on top of those layers below, no matter what the Z coordinate. Placement of the Layer window trumps placement by Z coordinate.


(Or am I doing something wrong? - which is very possible.)

[stephen]

I have never done what you are doing, but I did have some trouble with my butterfly animation, to get the wings to render in the right order.
So does this work? :
put all the flower layers into a group layer
Go to the group layer properties and select the Depth Sort tab.
There you can check "sort layers by depth" and maybe also "sort layers by true distance"

See if that works.

Stephen

[janimatic]

hey!
did you try
"project settings>sort layers by depth"
??

[jorgy]

Yeah, what janimatic said. I think you need to put those into a group layer, and on the "depth sort" properties tab, turn on "sort layers by depth". Then, it doesn't matter what the order is in the layers dialog.

[Toontoonz]

Thanks! That should solve the situation in the future.

[Lost Marble]

Yep, depth sorting is the key here. Also take a look at Tutorial 5.4 for a simple example of depth sorting.

[Toontoonz]

Is there a difference in selecting in the Bone´s Layer > Layer Settings > Depth Sorting > Sort layers by Depth
AND in the Project Settings > Sort layers by Depth?

Does Project Setting "Sort layers by Depth" just pertain to the only the top level layers; Bones, Switches, Image, Group, etc and not what is within each layer folder?

If I set the Project Settings > Sort layers by Depth on, does that make every layer within every folder also Sort by Depth or does one have to also turn on Sort layers by Depth for each Bone layer, Group layer, etc?

[Lost Marble]

Sorting by depth in Project Settings applies to the top-level layers only. Sorting by depth in a group or bone layer applies to just the top-level children of that particular group.