How to make an object go both over and under another layer .

[Walter Soyka]

3D layers:
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/3d-layers.html

If you’re new to After Effects, I’d recommend the following link, in which Adobe’s Todd Kopriva pulls together some important introductory materials:
https://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva/2010/01/getting-started-with-after-eff.html

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Josh Rod]

Is there anyway to mask it

Thanks for trying to help but i could of easily gone on that website – im not sure how to do it and that site doesn’t really help. (the first link)

[Greg C neumayer]

If you’re working with 3D objects and z space, you can simply adjust your z (depth) position to keyframe the right depth position over time.

When I need to do this but want to stay in the 2D world, I usually get the objects doing what I want to do in XY space, then split the layer (CMD-SHFT-D) and put one of the half-layers beneath the layer of the object I need to pass behind.

[Walter Soyka]

[Josh Rod] “Is there anyway to mask it “

Yes, but it’s painstaking and you’re better splitting the layers as Greg describes below.

[Josh Rod] “Thanks for trying to help but i could of easily gone on that website – im not sure how to do it and that site doesn’t really help. (the first link)”

I referred you there because if you don’t know what to look for, you won’t find it.

With 3D layers, the order in the timeline doesn’t affect which one is above or below; their position along the Z axis does. (X goes from left to right across your screen, Y goes from top to bottom down your screen, Z goes into the screen.) If you did this with 3D layers, you wouldn’t need to worry about masking or splitting; when smaller object was in front of the larger one in Z-space, it would be composited in front. When it was behind the the larger one in Z-space, it would be composited behind it, automatically.

If you read through the links from the intro to Ae, you would have found resources like this:
https://www.videocopilot.net/basic/#07

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Josh Rod]

Thanks guys – yeah i just ended up using the Z axis – its seems to work well. 🙂

Thanks again for the help .