• Adobe After Effects

  Animation of temperature graph

  Posted by Janek Dole on January 15, 2020 at 1:36 pm

  Hey guys, I would appreciate your help and insight, how I could solve this problem:

  I have a weekly temperature graph. Temperature values are taken from Txt file and with an expression converted to Y position value of Null layer. So, whenever I update the txt. file, the temperatures jumps in their position. Saves me ton of time.
  
  But… I woul love to improve this, animate it so the temperature line moves to its position. I mean, in the begining it would be flat (all Nulls in the middle at 780px) and than every Null moves to whatever value it has.

  I tried to use a slider to animate it from 0>100% of its position but I can not find a way to join my expression to a slider part of expression, it works separately though:)

  
//this works ☺ expression only for Y position, no movement

  //overall minimal temperature in graph, already set in the txt file
  var minValue = footage("weeklytemp_2020.txt").dataValue([5,0]);
  //overall maximal temperature in graph, already set in the txt file
  var maxValue = footage("weeklytemp_2020.txt").dataValue([6,0]);

  //here I adjust values so the graph matches my vertical range of 880-680px
var temperature = footage("tyden_2020.txt").dataValue([3,0]);
linear(temperature,min,max,880,680);


  I would like to add something like this:

  
//one slider could operate all Nulls, every null yould have different endPosition
sliderValue = thisComp.layer("control1").effect("Slider Control")("Slider");
startPosition = 780;
endPosition = ?? ...... here lies the problem, this value is the output from code above, how could I get it in here?
linear(sliderValue,0,100,startPosition,endPosition)

  I hope you could understand what I am trying to do and possibly help me, thank you guys!

  Janek

  Janek Dole replied 6 years, 8 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Graham Quince

  January 19, 2020 at 3:07 pm

  I’ve only ever used linear() with time as the first variable, what we’re looking at for you is:

  Linear(

  Current time,

  Starting time,

  End time,

  Start position (i.e. 780),

  End position (i.e. final calculated temperature position)

  )

  So start time would be 0, end time would be the time the animation takes.

  I think. Hope it’s right.

  Sounds like a useful project.

  http://www.YouTube.com/ShiveringCactus – Free FX for amateur films
  https://shiveringcactus.wordpress.com/ – FX blog
• 

  Janek Dole

  January 20, 2020 at 3:36 pm

  thank you Graham! I will definitely try your solution.

  I SOLVED this not in the most elegant way I guess… I doubled the number of Nulls and its all animated through a Slider controll… but it works ????

  – so the line graph is operated with a set of Nulls, they get their position from txt file

  – Now Ive created another set of Nulls, so one group of Nulls for holding the position data, the other group for movement

  – it is connected to 1 slider, when on 0 its on start position (all flat) and when on 100 it moves to final position

  You could see the animation concept here:

  https://photos.app.goo.gl/dMFP4Y1kWAPWrxK28

  Thank you!

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