Stroke Effect

[Maryanne Hamill]

Have to checked out Trapcode.com? Trapcode was a great 3D stroke that you can custome create. It’s one of my favorite plug ins.

[Ssmkim]

Yeah, but I can’t create custom shapes. When you apply 3d Stroke to a path it creates thick line. I need multiple triangles attached to the path.

[Steve Roberts]

Trapcode’s Particular should be able to do it by creating static particles from a moving emitter, thus creating a path. Peder posted a tip to that end recently … if I recall, it involves:

– setting velocity to 0
– setting velocity from motion to 0
– using a light as an emitter, and animating the light’s position to create the “stroke” path
– in your case, using a layer as a custom particle

Hope that gets you started.
Steve

[Mike Clasby]

There is a funky way to do what you want. Make a bunch of triangles from solids, then have them make a trail behind a leader triangle.

This page from Dan Ebert’s on “Trails” will work:

https://www.motionscript.com/mastering-expressions/follow-the-leader.html

First, New Comp, size you want.

If you don’t have a background, New layer, size of comp, named Background, color black, so you can see your triangles in the stroke.

On the Background layer (or your black solid) with the pen tool, draw a path for the stroke you want.

Select the background layer, “M” reveals the mask created, twirl down to, then select “Mask Shape”, copy.

We will paste this into the little triangle layers we’re going to create as a path for the triangles to stroke on.

Now, new solid, the size of the little triangles you want in the stroke, color to taste.

Select the little triangle layer, and paste the mask Shape you just copied into the position of the triangle.
If you move down the timeline, the triangle will move down the path. You can grab the end keyframe and stretch out the animation to cover any time you want, the inbetween key frames are roving keyframes and adjust accordingly.

Now we’re gong to make a bunch of triangles. Select the triangle layer and Ctrl D to duplicate it.
Add Dan’s first expression, from the page above, to the position property (Alt click the position stop watch for the layer,
and paste the code below into the little box that appears in the timeline.:

delay = 5; //number of frames to delay

d = delay*thisComp.frameDuration*(index – 1);
thisComp.layer(1).position.valueAtTime(time – d)

The position numbers should turn red, indicating they are being controlled by an expression.
Now make sure the original triangle layer is in layer 1, the top, that’s how Dan’s expression is set up, all others to follow layer 1.

The Triangle layer with the expression should be in layer 2.
Move down the timeline. Is the spread of the triangles the distance you want it? If not adjust “5” in the the Line:

delay = 5; //number of frames to delay

Different numbers give you a different spread.

Now, Dup it as many time as you want triangles in the stroke.
You can change the colors of the triangles with Layer>Solid Setting…
If you want the triangles to point along the path, select them and Layer>Transform>Auto Orient>check orient along path.

This sounds a little complicated, but really isn’t that bad, and you can add more expression don the page to control opacity, rotation, etc.

If you don’t want the triangles moving along the path, but frozen in place, go to the spot in the timeline you like the look, then, Comp>Save Frame As>File, and you’ll have a Photoshop file to import into a new comp.

You can also change expression on a mass basis with, Paste expression only.

Kind funky and may not be what you want.

[Sam Young]

try using the radio waves effect. use a 3-sided polygon, then animate the effect point to create a trail of triangles.