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Can you control a mask shape path with a slider.
Hi.
Is it possible to control a mask shape path by linking it to an expression slider or other control like the rotate x,y,z controls?
I have a number of layers forming a complex shape in a composition, all of the layers are controlled from one Rotate y control wich inturn is controled by trapcode soundkeys so the shape forms and deforms in time to a drum tack.
I would like to refine areas of the shape using mask shape paths by linking the path to the same rotate y parameter that is being controlled by trapcode, but it looks like mask shape paths have to be controlled via keyframes on the timeline and I don’t know a way to link them to the rotate y control that the rest of the shape responds to.
I’m pretty sure there is a way, but I just can’t remember how?
Has anyone got any ideas?
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10 Replies
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How much control do you need over the actual shape? You can always link the expand mask propertie to a slider.
You could also put the masked thing in a precomp and control time remapping with an expression linked to a slider.– The Great Szalam
(The ‘Great’ stands for ‘Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble’)No trees were harmed in the creation of this message, but several thousand electrons were mildly inconvenienced.
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You can’t control the actual mask shape directly, but you can control the solid that the shape is on. Or am I misunderstanding your goal?
Barend
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I’m not sure I’m %100 with you , I don’t need a great deal of control, something close to changing a rectangle to a triangle and then back again.
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Your understanding me correctly I think, I need to control the mask shape path, without it being tied to the composition timeline, I think I once read of a way that the two start and end shapes could be key framed and then toggled between at will using a controller like an expression slider, but the place of the cursor in the timeline had no effect on the mask path, it was somehow disabled, the only thing controlling the shape of the mask was the slider assigned to the mask shape path.
When I try and pick whip the control I want to use to the mask shape path stop watch (after creating my two start and end shapes) I get an error saying. . .
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You actually need to add an expression to the Mask Shape, not the slider.
This will work:valueAtTime(effect(“Slider Control”)(“Slider”));
Now the slider controls the timing of the mask Shapes
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Oh nice, absolutely awesome, thanks Flip 🙂
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Hi Filip
A quick follow up to your answer here,
How do I make the slider itself move in increments of frame?
lets say my mask shape animates between frame 0 and 10. what would be the values I keyframe in the slider? (0-10 doesn’t work, it jumps way past the finished mask animation.)
many thanks
tatia -
Hi, you can try something like this:
valueAtTime(framesToTime(effect(“Slider Control”)(“Slider”)));
Eddie Yepez
http://www.eyproducciones.com -
thanks, perfect
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What I don’t think was mentioned is that since AE 2017 you can have access to each node on the mask path. You can control each node with an assigned null and you can talk to those controlling nulls with expressions and sliders.
The reverse is true too – you can control nulls with the nodes on a moving mask path.
This feature is in the WIndows menu – “create nulls from path” – a dialogue will open with options.You can also use Mask Avenger script if you don’t have >AE2017.
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