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Auto Orient expression to use for path layer? (Don’t need built in AE option)
I’m fully aware there’s a simple Auto Orient context menu for paths, but I’m attempting to build from scratch.
I used Dan’s amazing expression to tie a shape layer to a shape path via the Trim Paths End property as follows:
e = thisComp.layer("Stroke Thing").content("Shape 1").content("Trim Paths 1").end;
valueAtTime((e/100)*2)This works great, and can easily slide my layer along said path now. The next step I can’t figure out is a separate expression just to keep the layer properly auto oriented to the path. I did try the built-in context menu orient, but to no avail. It obviously needs just one more little expression added somewhere on that shape layer.
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Too bad she won’t live! But then again, who does?
-Gaff
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3 Replies
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Assuming you have the latest version of AE, it would probably be something like this:
pct = thisComp.layer(“Stroke Thing”).content(“Shape 1”).content(“Trim Paths 1”).end/100;
t = thisComp.layer(“Stroke Thing”).content(“Shape 1”).content(“Path 1”).path.tangentOnPath(pct);
radiansToDegrees(Math.atan2(t[1],t[0]));Dan
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Thanks Dan, as usual works like a charm.
For the sake of anybody reading this, can you explain a bit of the math behind that additional expression. I think tangentOnPath and radiansToDegrees seem fairly obvious, but what’s pct equal necessarily?
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Too bad she won’t live! But then again, who does?
-Gaff
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pct is just a variable representing the current percent of travel along the path, normalized to be between 0 and 1.0. That’s what tangetOnPath expects in order to give you the tangent value at that point.
Dan
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