circle of pics

[Scott Novasic]

im sure there is some script for this, but I would line up the images in photoshop and map them on an elongated rectangle and then deform that into a circle. In C4d or EI, or Maya. Im heavy into 3d and prefer its versatility to AE’s. There may be a plug in that aligns and distributes images, digital anarchy had one a while back…

SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

The plugin Scott alluded to is now part of Red Giant software arsenal.

You can also do this manually using Jump Parenting, a seldom discussed topic. Create a 3D null and ten drop in a single footage and make it 3D.

Apply a slider Expression Control to the Null. Apply the following Expression to the Footage Layer’s position property.

// Script Starts
Xpos = transform.position[0];
Ypos = transform.position[1];
Zpos = transform.position[2];
Scalar = thisXomp.layer(“Null”).effect(“Slider Control”)(“Slider”);
[Scalar*Xpos,Ypos,Scalar*ZPos]

// End of Script

Now decide how many layers you want to use to form the circular shape. Then divide this number by 360 degrees. Call this value DEG

Duplicate the footage layer until you have sufficient layers to make your circular shape -as decided in the previous paragraph.

1) Set the null’s Y-rotation to the value of DEG (as above). Perform Jump Parenting on the duplicated layer. You do this by selecting the first footage layer and pressing the ALt/Option as you parent it to the Null.
2) Remove the parenting
3) Select the second footage layer and repeat step 1 for the Null’s Y-rotation EXCEPT that the value should now be 2*DEG.
4) Repeat Step 2

Go through this cycle until you’re done with all the footage layers. You mustn’t forget to unparent once you’ve performed a JUmp Parenting routine and don’t forget to increment the value of the Null’s Y-rotation on each interation.

Now, select all the footage layers and press CTRL+ALT+O and select, Orient towards camera. With all the footage layers still selected, press “R” to view their orientation. Set all the Orientation values for X,Y and Z to zero.

Change the value of the Null’s Expression Slider Control to between 2-4 – enough to spread out the layers in X and Z space. Move the camera such that you get to view the layers as per the example you provided.

Replace the footage layers with other sources from the project panel.

Lots of cool things can be done with Jump Parenting. I’ll write a tutorial on it one of these days.

HTH
RoRK

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