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Welding Mask/Path Points?
Hi,
Does anyone know if it’s possible to ‘weld’ one Path (vertex) point to another.
Basically, I’m trying to make a forked tongue kind of shape – that I want to animate. But I have to keep animating the extra forked bit separately ie. keep realigning it to the split point.
Is this possible?
Thanks in advance,
ALEX
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3 Replies
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I’d try to wear the welding mask if I were welding.
Unfortunately, your post doesn’t make a lot of sense since I’m not sitting over your shoulder. A forked tongue doesn’t need to be realigned or built out of separate masks in my world.
However, if you must use two separate masks, don’t try to splice them together, use the mask blend functions: add, subtract.bogiesan
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Mmm. Thanks for the reply. You’ve made it obvious I didn’t explain things very well.
I’ll try again:
I want to make a forked tongue as one object. My plan is to make a Solid, draw a Path (in the shape of a forked tongue) and apply Trapcode Stroke to it – so I can animate it from there.
Problem is, you can’t draw a forked tongue as one Path. You can draw the main part (one line) but you need to draw that extra little fork – which is another line coming off the main one, which means you are forced to create another Path. There doesn’t seem to be any way to add that little fork without taking the pen off the Solid and adding it on (which instantly creates a new Path/Mask).
That’s why I asked if you could ‘weld’ points together – which I think you can do in Illustrator (ie. join two separate points together).
Actually, that’s making me wonder if I can go into Illustrator , make the Path there and bring it back into AE as one object. Must try it.
Anyway, hope that makes things more clear. If the Illustrator test doesn’t work I’m open for options – though maybe not the Welding Mask 🙂
Thanks again,
ALEX
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Oh dear.
I really need communication lessons here.
Hey Dave. Thanks for the reply.
I do know how to use Bezier mask vertices (honest) but still can’t see how you can get that forked tongue as one path.
I’m not talking an ‘enclosed mask’ here, I’m talking an open-ended path. I know I can easily draw the shape of a forked tongue if I enclose the path but (from my limited experience with Trapcode Stroke) that won’t give me the tapered points I need for the tongue in 3D. It will be ‘too chunky’ if you know what I mean.
But if you just draw a line and apply Stroke you can get those nice tapered points… only I can’t draw a line with that extra fork, without making two masks – you just gotta take your pen off to make the forked bit.
Does that make sense… or am I just frustrating the hell out of you guys?
Thanks again,
ALEX
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