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Advice on Managing a Project’s Workflow
I’m designing a custom visual display that I wanted to re-use for multiple projects. Each element is gonna get its source text from a JS file that is linked using an absolute path for the data. It’s basically a HUD to show a bunch of different coordinates and values — and I wanted to have a master-file whose changes would propagate to all future projects of this kind.
So right now, I have an AEPX file so that the File Paths inside the project can be changed. I just have to make an entirely new project each time since the only thing I can change in the XML is the pathing.
Option B is using an AE script called CompCode by rendertom which dumps an entire project into ExtendScript. That gives me way more latitude on what I can edit in terms of a template. However, I’ll still have to re-execute for each JS file in each new project.
The setup I have now uses a Powershell script to Find & Replace the text, as well as make a new copy of the project and put it in a different folder where its own unique batch of JS files are stored. Still, I’m just copying the master file a bunch of times.
I’m wondering if it’s possible to do this thing another way — I’m sorta out of my depth on this.
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4 Replies
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After Effects CC 2018 has a new data-driven animation workflow that might help you. Here are a couple introductory links:
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/data-driven-animations.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/how-to/create-data-driven-animations.html
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
Thank you, but that would still leave me in the same spot I’m in where I’ll need a master-template project. It’s just like expressions where there’s a child & parent, I made a diagram to show what the setup is so far: https://i.imgur.com/i3ZXWbM.png
I’m using one “Master Project” and copying it 20 times with altered paths.
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I don’t understand your question. What is the problem you want to solve?
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
I’m making 60 or so HUD elements, they’re gonna be reused like 20 times, and each time they will have new CSV data.
I was trying to figure out how to make a master-project where if I change it, the other projects will also be affected. At some point however, some of the iterations are going to require unique edits.
I guess I was wondering how to best go about it. Or if AE’s Essential Graphics and Template projects could allow me to make all my HUD elements, and then use them. However, I’d have to plug in the CSV path so that the HUD could be unique.
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