does after effects have an exclude pathfinder button??

[Kevin Camp]

if you draw masks on a layer then you have options for add, subtract, and intersect (similar to illustrator), but you don’t have the same options for multiple shapes on a shape layer… so it depends on what you are working with.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kate Koyama]

I’m doing multiple shapes..
so I have a rectangle and I’d like to make the shapes see through on the rectangle… so like a wall full of perforations…

[Kate Koyama]

OK… so I created several compositions of the shape… I nested them into another comp and I drew a rectangle… can I mask all of them to that rectangle.. or is it always only the shape below only?

[George Smyth]

For anyone coming across this as I just did, if you have multiple shapes contained within in one shape layer, in the shape layer ‘Add’ options (small arrow to right of ‘Contents’) you can choose ‘Merge Paths’. This then has Pathfinder style options.

You can apply Merge Paths to all the contents by selecting ‘Contents’ before adding Merge paths, or if you select the individual shape it applies the Merge Paths to whatever is contained within that shape.

[Micz Kicz]

I don’t know if I get you right, but this is how I solve problems with shapes/masks/paths. Since I like the logic of such transitions incorporated into Illustrator, where Pathfinder makes all the hustle for me, almost “in background”, I always wanted to have such ease of work in AE. The solution which I find good in most situation looks like that:

1. create your complex shape with pathfinder in AI
2. Save it as *.ai file
3. Import this file into AE
4. Place it on timeline (wherever on the timeline – it doesn’t matter, because you will remove it in a moment)
5. RMB on that *.ai layer on timeline and choose “Create shapes from vector layer”. AE crates then new shape layer which contains a buch of groups of paths with all the dependancies necessary for the shape resamble your original creation made in AI. So AE wors like hitting “Pathfinder button” in AI
6. Remove original *.ai layer from timeline (just not to clutter the workline)

I hope I helped a bit 🙂
Regards

Creative Creature 🙂