• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  random duration of a holdTime

  Posted by Robert Paynter on January 24, 2020 at 3:39 pm

  I’m using an number odometer built . The count of this odometer is driven by a angle controller using with the expression below. I want the numbers to tick up more naturally. I’m using the expression below. I’d like to have a hold time duration be more random between .1 and .5. Any help would be much appreciated.

  easeTime = .2;
holdTime =.5;
amt = 36;
period = easeTime+holdTime;
t = time - inPoint;
seg = Math.floor(t/period);
p = t%period;
seg*amt + ease(p,0,easeTime,0,amt)

  Robert Paynter replied 6 years, 8 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Dan Ebberts

  January 24, 2020 at 8:20 pm

  Varying the hold time will mess up the entire expression, so you would need to go to a more cumbersome model, like this:

  
easeTime = .2;
minHoldTime = .1;
maxHoldTime = .5;

  seg = 0;
segStart = inPoint;
curT = inPoint;
while (curT <= time){
seedRandom(seg,true);
holdTime = random(minHoldTime,maxHoldTime);
period = easeTime+holdTime;
segStart = curT;
seg++
curT += period;
}
t = time - segStart
amt = 36;
(seg-1)*amt + ease(t,0,easeTime,0,amt)


  Dan
• 

  Robert Paynter

  January 24, 2020 at 8:48 pm

  Perfecto Dan. What would we do without you ?
• 

  Robert Paynter

  January 24, 2020 at 9:15 pm

  This always starts at 0
  What if I wanted to start the count on a bigger number?
• 

  Robert Paynter

  January 24, 2020 at 9:21 pm

  nevermind figured it out

  easeTime = .2;
minHoldTime = .01;
maxHoldTime = .5;

  seg = 0;
segStart = inPoint;
curT = inPoint;
while (curT <= time){
seedRandom(seg,true);
holdTime = random(minHoldTime,maxHoldTime);
period = easeTime+holdTime;
segStart = curT;
seg++
curT += period;
}
t = time - segStart
amt = 36;
(seg-1)*amt + ease(t,0,easeTime,0,amt)+(36*effect("Slider Control 2")("Slider"))

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up