• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Camera Swap Script Trouble

  Posted by Mark Allen on January 26, 2009 at 12:52 am

  {
   // create undo group
  
    app.beginUndoGroup("Swap Camera Position");
  
    // select the active item in the project window
    
    alert("Make sure you have a comp selected and it is has a camera called Camera 1");
  
    // variable for the comp
  
    var activeComp = app.project.activeItem;
      
    var poiX = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[0];
    var poiY = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[1];
    var poiZ = activeComp.layser("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[2];
    var camX = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[0];
    var camY = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[1];
    var camZ = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[2];
    
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[0] = poiX;
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[1] = poiY;
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[2] = poiZ;
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[0] = camX;
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[1] = camY;
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[2] = camZ;
  
    app.endUndoGroup();
    }

  Okay – I’m new to writing scripts/expressions.. but I’m trying. I wanted a script that would swap the position and pointofinterest of my camera.

  At first I couldn’t get it to recognize the layer I had selected, but I think I got it to recognize a layer named Camera 1 at least, so I went with that – but… it doesn’t do anything. I know I must be assigning the position value incorrectly but after about six variations and a long internet search, I’m out of ideas… help appreciated, thank you.

  Mark Allen replied 17 years, 3 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Mark Allen

  January 26, 2009 at 1:06 am

   // create undo group
  
    app.beginUndoGroup("Swap Camera Position");
  
    // select the active item in the project window
    
    alert("Make sure you have a comp selected and it is has a camera called Camera 1");
  
    // variable for the comp
  
    var activeComp = app.project.activeItem;
      
    var poiX = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[0];
    var poiY = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[1];
    var poiZ = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest[2];
    var camX = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[0];
    var camY = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[1];
    var camZ = activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position[2];
    
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position.setValue([poiX, poiY, poiZ]);
     activeComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.pointOfInterest.setValue([camX, camY, camZ]);
  
    app.endUndoGroup();
    }

  Quick Update – I think this is maybe how setting the value is done, but it does not think my position information is a valid float now.
• 

  Dan Ebberts

  January 26, 2009 at 1:37 am

  Hi Mark,

  This should work:

  {
  // create undo group

  app.beginUndoGroup(“Swap Camera Position”);

  // select the active item in the project window

  alert(“Make sure you have the camera selected in the active comp”);

  // variable for the comp

  var activeComp = app.project.activeItem;
  var camLayer = activeComp.selectedLayers[0];

  var poi = camLayer.transform.pointOfInterest.value;
  var camPos = camLayer.transform.position.value;
  camLayer.transform.position.setValue(poi);
  camLayer.transform.pointOfInterest.setValue(camPos);

  app.endUndoGroup();
  }

  Dan
• 

  Mark Allen

  January 26, 2009 at 2:02 am

  Thanks, Dan. I will look through this to learn a bit.

  Seemed like a good script to learn from while being sort of useful (unless you count the time it took me trying to figure out how to write it. 🙂 )

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up