• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Change shape layer space to comp space

  Posted by Topher Blair on November 20, 2015 at 1:21 am

  I’m very new to writing expressions in After Effects, and I don’t have any real coding experience outside of After Effects. I am trying to create multiple shapes inside of a single shape layer, then parent each of them to different null objects so that I can use the nulls to control the positions of each shape. I’ve gotten the nulls to control the position, but they’re using two different reference frames – the nulls express their positions in Comp space, and the shapes express their positions in layer space.

  Is there a way to convert the layer space for the shapes into comp space so that the shapes always line up with where the null is in the comp? Or possibly a way to covert the comp space for the nulls into the shape layer’s layer space?

  I’ve looked at Carl Larsen’s videos and I feel like they almost get me where I’m going, but not quite.

  Thanks!

  Topher Blair replied 10 years, 7 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Dan Ebberts

  November 20, 2015 at 2:40 am

  Like this, probably:

  L = thisComp.layer(“Null 1”);
  p = L.toComp(L.anchorPoint);
  fromComp(p)

  Dan
• 

  Topher Blair

  November 20, 2015 at 5:13 pm

  That did it!
  Thank you!

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