It's hard to get the same effect. And teaching oneself After Effects? I'd rather go with the 3D model in the game
Having said that, Snipe's point that there are alternatives is absolutely right. The result may vary, but Neo had a bitch of a time getting that pre-intro right. But if you wanted a basic (VERY basic) rundown of the steps taken, here it is:
1. Create the text in 3DSMax or Sketchup (or whatever modeling program)
2. Convert the model to DFF format using a script (Kam's script for 3DSMax)
3. Put the model in the game as an object (how this is done, I'm not sure - maybe someone else could direct you on how that's done)
4. Code the object into the game
0107: ##?? = create_object #OBJECTNAME at X! Y! Z!(where ## is the id you give the object, OBJECTNAME is what you call it in the ide, and X Y Z are where you want it)
5. Move the object with this code
01BC: put_object ##?? at X! Y! Z!Now that's just an assumption based on the little I do know about objects. I'm guessing Neo used an offset co-ord:
0400: create_coordinate DD?? EE?? FF?? from_object ##?? offset A! B! C!(where DD, EE and FF are references, ## is the id of your object, and A B C are the co-ords you want to set as offsets A is X axis (in front and behind of the object), B is Y axis (to the left and right of the object) and C is Z axis (above or below))
to plot the points he wanted his object to move to, then just repeated that command in a loop. So basically the letters would move 1 point upward (C co-ord) from their position, and that movement would repeat with no delay. So it moved in increments, but with no delay it looks like one fluid movement. So the code may have (and I stress 'may have') looked like this:
:title
0107: 32?? = create_object #LETTERS at X! Y! Z!
0392: object 32?? toggle_in_moving_list 1?
0001: wait 500& ms
0002: jump ££title2
:title2
0400: create_coordinate 80?? 84?? 88?? from_object 32?? offset 0.0! 0.0! 1.0!
01BC: put_object 32?? at 80?? 84?? 88??
0002: jump ££title2The object is recognised as 32?? within the script, and as #LETTERS in the ide. The XYZ in line 2 of the code will be the co-ords you want the letters to appear initially. The line about 'moving list' just means the object is listed as one that can move.
The second thread creates a co-ordinate in relation to the letters (in the example, the co-ord is set at 1 point above the letters' current position).The numbers 80, 84 and 88 are integers that you can use to call on the offset co-ords at any time, and they need to be numbers that are divisible by four (you can go as high as 32000, I think). The second line of the same thread puts the letters at the new location as determined by the offset (1 point above). The last line of code jumps back to the start the second thread all over again, meaning the new offset will be in relation to the letters' NEW position (1 above its initial), so when moved again, the letters will move up once again. The thread will repeat indefinitely.
Now that I think about it, Neo would have done it differently because his letters eventually stopped. However, there is a way to accomplish this still using the above code.
Again I stress that I'm not even sure if it will work, but give it a try and see what happens. Once you have letters successfully moving, maybe you can go from there.
There are tutorials on putting objects into the game here and there, so a google search should help you if nobody here can. I don't even know really if the above will work, but if I were doing it myself, that's where I'd start.
As for the 3D model text - go to gtaforums.com for in-depth tutorials on how to accomplish that. Good luck.
