Move layer from exact position A to B and hold time X

[Dan Ebberts]

Simple example:


holdDur = 10;
moveDur = 1;
positionB = [100,100];

t1 = holdDur;
t2 = t1+moveDur;
t3 = t2+holdDur
t4 = t3+moveDur;

if (time < t1){
value
}else if (time < t2){
ease(time,t1,t2,value,positionB)
}else if (time < t3){
positionB
}else if (time < t4){
ease(time,t3,t4,positionB,value)
}else{
value
}


Dan

[Michael Kampe]

Hi Dan,

thank you soooooo much for your help. ????It worked….

ok, kind of.

The “movement” in your expression starts at 10sec. The shape moves to position B, stays there for 10sec. and then moves back. So far so good.

But after that, it doesn’t move anymore. My comp is ca. 2:30min long. How can I do it, that the shape layer “uses” the expression all the way through the end?

And when I wanted to be brave and tried to give the “waiting time” some randomness… (eg. holdDur = random(5,20); it all gets messy.
Kind of a flickering movement starting at 5sec. until 40sec. and then again no movement at all anymore. Do you know why and can help me?

Thank you very much in advance.
best
Michael

[Dan Ebberts]

To get it to repeat and add some randomness to the hold duration would be more like this:


seedRandom(index,true);
holdDur = random(5,20);
moveDur = 1;
positionB = [100,100];

t1 = holdDur;
t2 = t1+moveDur;
t3 = t2+holdDur
t4 = t3+moveDur;

t = time % t4;

if (t < t1){
value
}else if (t < t2){
ease(t,t1,t2,value,positionB)
}else if (t < t3){
positionB
}else{
ease(t,t3,t4,positionB,value)
}


If you want each iteration to have a different random hold value, that’s a different situation entirely…

Dan

[Michael Kampe]

Hi Dan,

thank you very much for your help. Worked fantastic in terms of the whole timeline. ????

What is the difference between

To get it to repeat and add some randomness to the hold duration would be more like this:

and

If you want each iteration to have a different random hold value, that’s a different situation entirely…

?
Right now, I have the feeling it holds always ca. 10sec. If I want the “hold” between ,lets say, 5sec. and 20sek. …..is that the different story you’re talking about? Because holdDur = random(5,20); didn’t have an impact now (so it seems to me).

Thanks again for your help.
best
Michael

[Dan Ebberts]

The way it is now, each layer will have a different hold time between 5 and 20 sec. but that hold time will apply for the duration of the comp. Having the same layer have a different hold time for each iteration is the different story.

Dan

[Michael Kampe]

Hi Dan,

Thx for your help. Does this means, I have to put this expression on every shape layers position (with the change of position b of course), so that each layer uses a different hold time?

Best
Michael

[Dan Ebberts]

That’s correct.

Dan

[Michael Kampe]

Hi Dan,

Sounds great. Thx again. Right now, each layer moves from point a to b in a „straight“ line. If I want to have a slightly cruved movement, this is very tricky and complicated and also a different story?

Best
Michael

[Dan Ebberts]

I can think of a few ways to do that (depending on the type of curve you’re after), but they all complicate things somewhat.

Dan

[Michael Kampe]

Hi Dan,

Thx for the head up. Just thinking out loud… would it be much easier, if I curvy animate via keyframes the movement between position a to b and back to position a AND use a random pause expression until the animation starts all over? Is that possible?

Best
Michael