Count Shape Layers

[Filip Vandueren]

Hey Tavo,

do you want to count how many layers are hitting the target at the same time ?

So if C1 and C3 would overlap in the square it would be resulting in 2 ?

Do you want the position to be very precise, or is it more of a collision check: when the squares touch, they count ?

[Tavo Galvez]

Hi Filip and thanks, yes I want to know how many layers are hitting the target.

I want to know how many layers are hitting the target, so I want to know how many layers are hitting the target.

Either by collision or by position. If a shape layer reaches that point that the text change to 1, if another shape layer arrives, change to 2 and so on, the problem is that I can not get it with expressions.

[Filip Vandueren]

Here’s one way to do it:

assuming I want to check three layers that are layers 1, 2, and 3 and see if their position is less than 100 pixels form my target layer.

I’m also assuming non of these layers are parented for now.

I would give the text-layer’s sourceText property this expression:

num = 0;
for (i=1; i<4; i++) {
	if (length(thisComp.layer(i).position - thisComp.layer("target").position)<100) {
		num++;
	}
}
num;

This straight line distance works better for 100×100 circles. You could change it to <1 and it will only count if they are at the exact same location.

For squares that are all 100×100 pixels this kind of check is maybe better:

num = 0;
for (i=1; i<4; i++) {
	if (
		Math.abs(thisComp.layer(i).position[0] - thisComp.layer("target").position[0])<100
		&&
		Math.abs(thisComp.layer(i).position[1] - thisComp.layer("target").position[1])<100
	) {
		num++
	}
}
num

[Tavo Galvez]

Thank you very much Filip, the expression works correctly.