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Time remapping stop motion effect bug
Hello! My time remapped layer isn’t following the exact numbers (corresponding to layers) typed.
Description of the situation and settings:
1) There are 8 different head layers (the same head shot in 8 different positions) that, when sequenced (ie, like stop motion), give the illusion of a head rotating in y axis. These 8 layers are in a pre-comp of 8 frames duration. Each layer has 1 frame duration and was sequenced (keyframe assistant – sequence layers). This small comp was put in the main comp – enable time remapping – deleted last keyframe – turn first keyframe hold. The layer was stretched along the entire main comp timeline. Now, when time remap 8 values (0-7) are changed in hold position, the corresponding head appears. Basic, ok?2) A null was created in the main comp – add expression controller (slider) – range of the slider 0-7 – Pickwhip time remap of the previous layer to this slider. The slider generates hold keyframes as well. Now, the previous time remap property can be controlled by the slider. Basic, ok?
Description of the problem:
Along the animation, heads layers are changed through the slider, “rotating” the head as expected. BUT, at some point of the animation, it looses its control over the situation. In a given sequence during the same animation, although heads numbers (sequence) are 2, 3, 4, 5 (for example) in usual hold keyframes (spaced by 2 or 3 keyframes), the program mess all up, interpreting other heads numbers. When you pass the CTI over this sequence, the heads keep changing, although the hold keyframes are still there. RAM previewing doesn’t change it. The head rotation continues messed up, not corresponding to the natural head movement expected, like if several other heads (or time remapped numbers, layers) were there in the middle.
Is this a bug? Does someone have experienced this? Does it have a solution?
I believe in the bug theory because in the same timeline, other sequences of hold keyframes from the same expression controller are perfectly interpreted (work well). I also experienced the same problem in one other project with a sequence of mouths time remapped the same way. In some points it’s messed up; in others, it works well.What I tried to do, BUT IT DIDN’T WORK:
1) Turning the expression controller keyframes to linear and the original time remapp layer keyframes to hold.
2) Turning the expression controller keyframes to hold and the original time remapp layer keyframes to linear.
3) Turning all of them to linear and, in the time remapp expression line, dividing everything by 25 (the number of frames/second of the comp). This trick is in Dan Gies lessons of rigging puppets, but also, as any other action done, didn’t fix the problem.
4) Cache was deleted, Ae re-started, re-installed, but nothing changes.All comps are 25 frames/sec. I have some considerable experience in rigging puppets in CS6, but don’t know how to solve this issue. Someone? Thank you!
P.S.: George Griffin had already a similar problem, described at:
https://forums.creativecow.net/archivethread/2/238097#238097
https://www.asadesigner.com/29-adobe-after-effects/0d2ed91d325bc554.htm -
20 Replies
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Yes, Dave, it is! (CS6 updated)
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Do you have exactly round numbers on those keyframes? Does the curve viewer shows any indication of change between 2 hold keyframes?
From everything you said, it has to be some(sort of) bug. I can’t think of anything else and never experienced anything like that.
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No, the numbers on the time remap property do not change, although the head changes very fast in the RAM preview or in the final render.
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I didn’t see you cover this in your post so I’ll mention it here.
The slider values going from 0-7 will be interpreted by Time Remapping as 0-7 seconds instead of frames if they are passed directly. This occurs regardless of how you view your timecode.
To convert 0-7 into frames you’ll need to use the framesToTime(); function like this:
f = effect("Frame Number")("Slider");
framesToTime(f);Darby Edelen
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Hi Darby, thank you for mentioning this expression! If you allow me, there are some considerations about this topic:
1) In the first post, I’ve mentioned that I used the Dan Gies’ trick of letting the keyframes as linear and dividing the slider value by the number of frames/second of the comp, trick that avoids (and replaces) this elegant expression mentioned by you, also turning seconds of the slider to frames. It works for him, but didn’t work for me, in this specific case.
2) I’ve been doing this for some time now and rigged a lot of other puppets simply by turning the keyframes hold. Instead of sliding the values of the controller, I click on the value and type whole numbers. In other projects, it worked, mirroring the slider value to the time remapp property. It’s like not having the slider controller, only the time remapped stretched layer, and typing over the time remapp property whole numbers. But it didn’t work in this specific case.
It’s why I think that this is a bug (maybe a rare one, because only 3 other guys mentioned it in the net). It only happens when there’s a lot of keyframing in the time remapp line and only happens in some periods of it.
But thank you again for the elegant expression! I’ll keep it!
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Hi Cesar, were you able to fix this bug?
I am having the same problem as you are, and I realized that when I duplicated the layer, the time remapping started to work fine again, but as soon as I disabled the duplicated one or deleted it or even turned to 0 its opacity, the bug was back. I don’t know what I can do to fix it -
Hi Bruna! Unfortunately, I still didn’t find a solution. It seems that only a few have this problem. One suggestion is giving up the time remapping in this particular case, replacing it by several checkbox opacity controllers. If you want the layer to appear, click the checkbox and unclick the others. It’s a fast process, simpler than the previous one. The only issue is the bigger number of controllers in your panel. I hope this is useful!
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Thanks Cesar, it turned out that when I opened the same file in another computer it worked fine, so I guess maybe it is something about mine (the other one is a better machine, with more ram, etc)
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I have been experiencing what seems like that same issue. I can certainly believe it’s my computer, but it would be nice to figure out what is actually the problem with my computer – as this was not a problem earlier… But If I have to explain to my wife that a new computer is needed, this may be good back-up for me =)
Here are some further details on the issue (I’m simplifying a bit for ease of explaining – I’m somewhat of a newbie):
1. I have 3 different views set up in a time remap sequence – Position A, B and C – (mouth positions for a speaking character).
2. I use time remapping to make my character’s mouth move w the words. It looks “perfect”. Save and close.
3. Open – now when I review my work the mouth positions look like ACC rather than the original ABC.
4. If I just move the timer along the time remap position B now looks like position C. However, if I just change the opacity of position B to 99% instead of 100% – it switches back to looking correct (position B)
5. OK – well it’s a band aid, but it works, right? Save and close.
6. Nope – open and it’s the same issue repeating itself. Same band aid applied (changing position B’s opacity back to 100% seems to fix it again – the % doesn’t seem to matter). Save and close…
7. Overall – the behavior of this issue doesn’t seem completely consistent. It may change without saving or closing. I see it change in the middle of a RAM preview sometimes.I wonder if other folks that are seeing this issue are running an older machine that doesn’t have much RAM. I’m maxed at 4GB on my laptop (again, a newbie…) Any thoughts from smarter and more experience users?
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I agree, it isn’t consistent and more and more people are reporting this problem, which could receive some attention from Adobe, because it’s such a useful tool. The RAM, though, doesn’t matter. I have plenty of RAM and the problem is the same. A friend suggested cleaning the cache everytime it happens; it works for her, but not for me. Why don’t you give it a try?
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