• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Expressions in precomps not reacting/updating to direction in parent comps

  Posted by Chris Orcfilm on September 8, 2010 at 2:48 am

  I have a weird one here, likely simple but I’ve been staring at it too long.

  I have a parent comp called “Final”
  on that “Final” comp there is an adjustment layer holding a slider called “eyes slider”.
  on that “final” comp is a precomp’d layer called “head”, and in that “head comp” is a comp called “retina”. The retina comp has an expression on the rotation that is referencing the initial “eyes slider” value in the “Final” comp.

  Still following me?

  Well, in the “final” comp, when adjusting the “eyes slider”, the embedded “retina” layer’s rotation is reacting properly to the slider as one would expect, but if you keyframe the slider, it stops working and the retina layer no longer displays the changing values keyframed on the “eyes slider”.

  Collapsing transformations in embedded layers doesn’t seem to have an effect.

  Using AE CS4

  HELP!!

  Orchard Film Studios, Canada

  Chris Orcfilm replied 15 years, 10 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Dan Ebberts

  September 8, 2010 at 3:55 am

  I just tried it, and it works perfectly for me (CS4). I’m not sure what’s going on at your end.

  Dan
• 

  Chris Orcfilm

  September 8, 2010 at 4:52 am

  Thanks Dan, that helps immensely. Means my logic wasn’t faulty, but my machine/software may be. I’ll try to rebuild it from scratch carefully and see where it’s breaking down for me.

  Thanks for taking the time to confirm this for me!

  Chris

  Orchard Film Studios, Canada
• 

  Chris Orcfilm

  September 22, 2010 at 7:23 pm

  SOLUTION:
  So in respect to Dan’s time and anyone else encountering a similar problem, it was entirely my fault :-Þ

  Seems the “head/retina” comp that I had embedded in the “final” parent comp was 200 frames long, but the parent “final” comp was 8000 frames long and I had simply moved the “head/retina” comp along the “final” comp timeline to where I needed it, but by changing the “eyes slider” values in “final”, I was trying to affect a time in the “head/retina” comp that was beyond the “head/retina” comp’s actual length. (around the 3000 frame mark)

  So, I opened the “head/retina” comp, made it the same length as the “final comp” (8000) frames then back in the “final” comp, moved the “head/retina” comp to the beginning, stretching it to the end and lo-and behold, the “eyes slider” affected the “retina” at the “final”‘s 3000 frame mark as required.

  Thanks again for your time Dan!

  Chris

  Orchard Film Studios, Canada

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