Novus Visualizers
Working with 3D and 4D engines
The 3D and 4D engine variants add depth, camera movement, and dimensional motion that flat 2D engines can’t. How to use tunnels, terrains, vortexes, and kaleidoscopes — and the camera and depth controls that make them sing.
Every one of the 111 engine families comes in 2D, 3D, 4D, and Advanced variants. The 3D and 4D versions add real depth and dimensional motion — a tunnel you fly through, a terrain that scrolls beneath you, a vortex that pulls inward. This guide covers getting the most out of them.
- 1
1. Understand what 3D/4D adds
A 2D engine renders on a flat plane; a 3D engine renders in space, so the motion has depth — things move toward and away from you, not just across the frame. The 4D and Advanced variants push that further with more complex, evolving motion. Engines like tunnels, terrains, vortexes, comets, kaleidoscopes, glitch, and crystal really come alive in their 3D/4D forms.
- 2D = flat plane · 3D = depth · 4D/ADV = complex evolving motion.
- 2
2. Use the depth and camera controls
The 3D engines expose camera and depth parameters — including origin X/Y position and overall scale — so you can frame the scene the way you want. Pull the camera back for a wide, immersive feel or push in for intensity. Small camera adjustments change a scene’s whole character, so it is worth experimenting before you settle.
- Camera/depth controls: origin X/Y, scale, framing.
- 3
3. Match the engine to the energy
Dimensional engines pair especially well with electronic, cinematic, and bass-driven music where the sense of motion through space amplifies the track. A tunnel rushing on the beat or a vortex tightening through a build adds drama a flat spectrum cannot. For calmer tracks, a slow 3D terrain or aurora gives depth without intensity.
- 3D motion amplifies energy — great for EDM/cinematic/bass.
- 4
4. Layer 2D over 3D for the best of both
A reliable combination is a 3D engine for the immersive background and a crisp 2D element (spectrum, text) on a layer in front, so you get depth and a clear focal point. The 3D base provides the atmosphere; the 2D foreground keeps the frame legible and on-brand.
Keep the 3D motion smooth and the 2D foreground sharp, and the two read as a designed scene rather than two competing engines.
Camera is half the look
With 3D and 4D engines, the camera framing matters as much as the engine choice — the same tunnel feels completely different pulled wide vs pushed in. Experiment with the origin and scale before committing, and consider a sharp 2D layer in front so the depth has a clear focal point to anchor it.