After Effects 26 Drops + The Motion Designer DNA Test | Motion Mondays

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After Effects 26.0 brings native 3D to motion designers, some major 2026 predictions that may completely change your career outlook, and some wild new workflows that blend AI with traditional animation tools! This week, After Effects 26.0 dropped with some game-changing updates including native 3D tools, new material support, and other features motion designers have been asking for. We're also diving into three articles that connect in a surprising way—Michelle Higa Fox on the generalist mindset, Buck's 2026 predictions, and Vucko's fascinating Motion DNA Test where they asked: can you recognize a brand purely from its motion? The results might surprise you. Plus, Frame studio just posted a stunning luxury brand ad that has everyone talking, Adobe's Project Neo is evolving in an interesting direction, and some free tools for After Effects and Blender that you won’t want to miss. We’re also looking at an artist integrating AI with traditional tools in ways you might not expect, highlighting some incredible work, and cheering on our Student of the Week who absolutely crushed the Cinema 4D Basecamp final project. 👉 CHAPTERS 👈 Coming Up 00:00:00 Motion Designer Reacts - Breaking Down Title Sequences 00:35 Free Black Hole Plugin - After Effects Gets Cosmic 01:21 Quad Adder for Blender - Free Mesh Flow Helper 02:02 School of Motion News - Portfolio Reviews and All Access 02:41 Three Articles You Should Read - The Generalist's Advantage 03:20 Artist Highlights - Distinctive Motion in Action 05:09 Project Neo Gets Motion - Adobe's 3D Tool Evolves 06:59 AI Meets Traditional Tools - New Hybrid Workflows 07:55 Student Spotlight - Gavin Feiritéar's 3D Journey 09:15 Making Midwest Motion - One-Day Conference in Columbus 09:51 After Effects 26.0 Drops - Big Updates Finally Here 10:30 That's A Wrap! 12:00 🎓 SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES MENTIONED School of Motion All-Access: School of Motion Team Training: Cinema 4D basecamp: NEW: UX Animation Essentials: Courses & workshops coming soon: 🗒️ SHOW NOTES A motion Designer Reacts: Free Black Hole Plugin for After Effects: Free Quad Adder for Blender: The future belongs to the creative generalists - Michelle Higa Fox: Buck’s 2026 Predictions for Motion Design: Vucko’s Motion DNA Test: Project Neo: Latte Art Stop Motion (AE + Weavy): Unreal with AI Motion Transfer: Making Midwest Motion Conference: Major motion design upgrades in After Effects: Eran Stern - After Effects Just Leveled Up: 🎨 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Sam Mularczyk - Reel: 3D Evolution of Paris: Frame- VERPAN's Wire Portable Lamp launch: SOM Student of the Week - Gavin Feiritear: Gavin Feiritear‘s Portfolio: