Pro Shaders are a collection of material presets that you can use with Element 3D, a plug-in for After Effects that allows you to create and animate 3D objects. Pro Shaders come in two volumes, each with 200 shaders that cover different categories such as metal, wood, concrete, glass, and more. In this article, we will show you how to use Pro Shaders to create realistic textures for your 3D scenes.

If you have purchased Pro Shaders, you can download and install them from your VC Store Account. You will need to have Element 3D installed and activated on your computer before you can use Pro Shaders. To install Pro Shaders, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your VC Store Account and go to the Downloads section.
2. Find the Pro Shaders product and click on the Download button.
3. Extract the zip file and run the installer.
4. Select the folder where you have installed Element 3D and click Next.
5. Wait for the installation to finish and click Finish.

To use Pro Shaders on your 3D objects, you need to import them into Element 3D and apply them as materials. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Create a new composition in After Effects and add a solid layer.
2. Apply Element 3D to the solid layer and open the Scene Setup window.
3. Import your 3D model or use one of the presets from the Model Browser.
4. Select your 3D object and go to the Materials tab.
5. Click on the Presets button and choose Pro Shaders from the drop-down menu.
6. Browse through the categories and select a shader that suits your object.
7. Click on Apply to Selected or Apply to All to apply the shader to your object.
8. You can adjust the settings of the shader in the Material Settings panel, such as diffuse color, specular intensity, reflection amount, etc.
9. Click OK to close the Scene Setup window and preview your scene in After Effects.

To make your scene more realistic, you can use environment textures to create reflections and lighting effects on your objects. Environment textures are images that wrap around your scene and simulate different environments such as studio, outdoor, indoor, etc. To use environment textures, follow these steps:

1. In After Effects, select your solid layer with Element 3D applied and go to the Effect Controls panel.
2. Expand the Render Settings section and click on Environment.
3. Click on Show: Texture and choose an environment texture from the drop-down menu. You can use one of the presets from Element 3D or import your own image.
4. Adjust the settings of the environment texture, such as rotation, scale, blur, etc.
5. You can also change the mode of the environment texture from Spherical to Cubic or Planar depending on your scene.
6. You can also use multiple environment textures for different objects by using groups and masks in Element 3D.