• Adobe After Effects

  After Effects Puppet Pin Problem

  Posted by Carlos Cervantes on January 31, 2013 at 10:44 pm

  Hi,

  I’m animating characters in After Effects. I’m using a technique I learned from Daniel Gies. When I’m animating limbs this is what i do, I take the limb layer (e.g. arm layer) I place some puppet pins, then I create null objects and connect them to the pins via this code.

  n=thisComp.layer(“nameofthenulllayerctrl”)
  nullpos=n.toComp(n.anchorPoint);
  fromComp(nullpos);

  It is a very simple code, and it connects the pin to the null object. Then I parent the null objects to each other so that I may rotate one and the other pins are moved.

  I hope you understand the way I do this.

  In a recent file I’m working I’ve had a problem. I was animating the null objects rotation and positions (which also move the puppet pins) and all of a sudden that stopped working then I noticed that I still have a mesh in the layer, but I dont see the pins, even if I select the puppet pin layer, with the Puppet Tool. Another weird thing is that the names of the puppet pin layers are now grey and not white as they normally are.

  I hope I made my problem clear, it’s been pretty annoying and cant find a solution anywhere as to why my puppet pin layers names are now grey and I cant see them.

  I’m attaching a picture of my screen for better reference.

  thanks in advance

  

  Roei Tzoref replied 12 years, 2 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Vishesh Arora

  February 1, 2013 at 8:19 am

  Carlos

  This problem occurs if you change the Frame Rate of Composition intentionally or by mistake.

  Go through this thread:

  https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1030669

  Vishesh Arora
  3D and Motion Graphics Artist
  Films Rajendra

  Blog:
  https://digieffects.wordpress.com

  2011 3D Demo Reel:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPgIJU_BR8
• 

  Roei Tzoref

  March 11, 2014 at 8:42 pm

  the solution I found is in the Puppet Pin Tool Parameters in the Tools window
  if you change Expansion or triangles parameters you will get your pins back
  (be sure to click on your mesh in the timeline first).
  change it to something else (add a point or something) and change it back.

  it happened to me too when I reset the puppet tool and clicked undo,
  and couldn’t find the solution online. what I noticed was when you reset the tool itself-
  you change the expansion and the triangles to the their default
  and then when you click undo it changes back to what you had earlier.

  what I did was add another number (say instead of 50 to 51)
  and voila! the pins are back. then I changed it back to what it was.

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