• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Arranging objects on a 3D circular path

  Posted by Nico Jones on July 24, 2008 at 8:47 am

  Hallo there,

  Does anyone know of an approach / script / expression that would allow me to arrange 10 or so objects along a 3D circular path?

  Basically I want to arrange some engineering parts in a circle and be able to rotate them via a null in the center, like objects orbiting a planet. Digital anarchy have a 3D assistant that does it but in the face of trapcode form/particular etc $199 seems a touch excessive.

  I could do it by hand but if there’s a script or somesuch then I can get a little more ambitious!

  Many thanks,

  Nico

  Nico Jones replied 17 years, 9 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Matthew Tully

  July 24, 2008 at 4:04 pm

  Create a null and make it 3d. Add effect > expression control > slider.
  drag your object to be repeated into the comp, turn on 3d.

  attach this expression to your objects anchor point:

  temp = thisComp.layer(“Null”).effect(“Slider Control”)(“Slider”);
  [value [0], value [1], temp]

  and this expression to Y Rotation:

  (index*36)-36; // 36 because you have 10 instances in 360 degrees (360/10 = 36)

  parent the object to be repeated to the 3d null. move the null layer to the bottom of the stack.
  Now click the layer you want to repeat and press “cmd + d” 9 times, duplicates layer.

  Go to your slider control on the null and increase the value to adjust the circumference.

  this should work.

  tully
• 

  Nico Jones

  July 24, 2008 at 4:10 pm

  Awesome, many thanks!

  Nico J BB

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